The Florida senate race is gearing up to be one of the costliest in the nation. Combined, incumbent Marco Rubio (R) and challenger Val Demings (D) have spent over $57 million dollars on their campaigns.
But looking at that number, Demings has spent nearly twice as much as Rubio, with close to $40 million compared to Rubio’s $17 million and some change.
Despite Demings’ spending spree, Rubio is in the lead by 6 points according to the latest survey as reported by the Tallahassee Democrat.
Demings has spent heavily on TV and radio ads – around $11 million, according to Tampa Bay Times. That’s twice as much as Rubio. The difference between the two candidates is even greater in the Miami and Orlando areas, where Demings is betting high to persuade voters.
Rubio’s campaigning has been less aggressive in a monetary sense. Some of his ads have focused on criticizing Demings’ take on law and order – but the main sparring issue between the candidates is their different attitudes towards abortion.
According to the website OpenSecrets, nine out of ten of the most expensive Senate races ever took place in 2020. For example, the North Carolina race cost nearly $300 million dollars. Combined, the nine costliest Senate races of 2020 accounted for $2.1 billion dollars in campaign spending.
