Celebrate all things local during Best of the Bay! Click to vote now through 8/31.

McCollum challenges Rick Scott to debate next Monday in Tampa

By Mitch Perry on Mon, Jun 21, 2010 at 2:47 pm

In his letter to Wiles, Williams made sure to get some digs in on Scott as well:

Moreover, while Mr. Scott has offered empty platitudes on important issues like immigration and healthcare, he has failed to put forth any real solutions for our state’s challenges. We propose at least one of the five debates centers exclusively on rebuilding Florida’s economy, as we are facing record unemployment with 1.1 million of our residents out of work. We agree the Florida Chamber of Commerce would be an appropriate host and organizing entity for this conversation. We welcome a genuine exchange of ideas in this area as Attorney General McCollum is the only candidate on either side of the aisle who has put forth a tangible roadmap for Florida’s future.

Fireworks will be sure to be fly when the two finally tango. Last week, Attorney General McCollum, who has been stunned to find himself losing to a man he may not even have heard of until two months, called Scott's campaign "appalling".

Speaking to Politico, McCollum said:

“It’s appalling to see somebody who can walk up with money, who really doesn’t know the state any better than Rick Scott does and have a chance of becoming governor of the 4th largest state,” McCollum said in an interview with POLITICO. “It’s also appalling to think he also has this baggage, this flaw, and we don’t know any more about him than we really do. It’s kind of scary, in that sense.”

A Quinnipiac poll released earlier this month showed Scott with a stunning 13 point lead over McCollum in the August 24 primary. Many Florida Republicans said in the survey that they hadn't made up their mind yet. Other polls show the race much closer.

[
      {
        "name": "Ad - NativeInline - Injected",
        "component": "12461396",
        "insertPoint": "3",
        "requiredCountToDisplay": "5"
      },{
        "name": "Real 1 Player (r2) - Inline",
        "component": "12436357",
        "insertPoint": "2/3",
        "requiredCountToDisplay": "9"
      }
    ]

Last week insurgent multi-millionaire Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Scott challenged his top opponent, Attorney General Bill McCollum, to a series of four once a week debates leading up to the August 24 primary.

But sensing that he must begin defining Scott before he falls further behind the former health care executive, McCollum's campaign manager, Matt Williams, challenged the Scott camp today to five debates on the state's economy, with the first before the end of the month.

Saying they have an invitation from Fox 13 here in Tampa, Williams has written a letter to Scott's campaign manager Susan Wiles, calling for a debate next Monday night at WTVT-Fox 13.

Tags:

Scroll to read more News Feature articles

Join the Creative Loafing Tampa Bay Press Club

Local journalism is information. Information is power. And we believe everyone deserves access to accurate independent coverage of their community and state.
Help us keep this coverage going with a one-time donation or an ongoing membership pledge.

Newsletters

Join Creative Loafing Tampa Bay Newsletters

Subscribe now to get the latest news delivered right to your inbox.

Sign Up Now

We welcome readers to submit letters regarding articles and content in Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. Letters should be a minimum of 150 words, refer to content that has appeared on Creative Loafing Tampa Bay, and must include the writer's full name, address, and phone number for verification purposes. No attachments will be considered. Writers of letters selected for publication will be notified via email. Letters may be edited and shortened for space.

Email us at [email protected]