Wow....

Here are some excerpts from the article by Joe Follick linked in the title bar:

Crist Sets $3.8 Million Fund-Raising

Attorney General Charlie Crist has obliterated the record for fund-raising in Florida, hauling in $3.8 million in just six weeks in a strong start to replace term-limited Gov. Jeb Bush next year.His primary Republican opponent, Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher, announced last week he had raised a bit more than $3 million in 43 days. Both amounts appear to be more than the previous record of $3 million raised by Bush in a 90-day period for his 1998 campaign for governor. Note Gallagher's website not up yet, but this Gallagher's Gubernatorial website is up and running....

Both candidates have already raised much more than the Democratic contenders. U.S. Rep. Jim Davis, D-Tampa, has raised $800,000 for the year. State Sen. Rod Smith, D-Alachua, has raised a similar amount, though his campaign won't release firm totals until today. Former Florida Democratic Party Chairman Scott Maddox has not released an estimate of his fund-raising.

It's mind-boggling," said Ben Wilcox, executive director of Common Cause of Florida. "That's the way the money in politics trends have been going. I just don't see an end to it."

Crist supporter Brian Ballard, an A-list Tallahassee lobbyist, said the $3.8 million cements Crist as the front-runner."I think Tom Gallagher established his candidacy around the fact that he was the fund-raising king of Florida and he did everything he could for two years to line up fund-raisers," Ballard said. "The message is that not only does (Crist) have a double-digit lead, not only does he have greater political skills and a greater base in the conservative part of the Republican Party, he is the best fund-raiser in the history of Florida politics."

Gallagher campaign spokesman Brett Doster scoffed at the idea that Crist only worked two months to raise the money."To suggest that Tom has been doing this for two years and Charlie has been doing this for two months is bunk," Doster said. "Charlie Crist has been campaigning nonstop for the last four years."

Doster also tweaked Crist for "raising money with folks like Donald Trump" and for having trial lawyers host many fundraising events for Crist."I don't think that will be favorable with your rank-and-file voter," Doster said.

The news may not bode well for Democrats. Not only do the two favored GOP candidates carry higher name recognition and much larger fund-raising capabilities, the Republican Party of Florida has raised $7 million itself this year, and ... The Florida Democratic Party had about $80,000 in the bank last week -a bit more than 1 percent of the RPOF's stash.

Wow... Click Here to contribute to the Florida Democratic Party. If every Democrat in the state gave $1 to the Florida Democratic Party it would have over $4,000,000, still not as much as the RPOF, but more than it has right now. I encourage each of you to make a small donation to the Florida Democratic Party and to encourage your friends and family to make small donations to the Florida Democratic Party.