Aronberg v Gelber Redux

I recently noted the relative fundraising of Aronberg and Gelber - well, they apparently got into it at the Pinellas DEC's Kennedy-King Dinner.

Aronberg (in the barnburning speech of the evening) said that he had $100,000 more cash on hand than any other candidate for Attorney General and had likewise raised more money than any other candidate.

Gelber took a little umbrage at that and said that he was the best fundraiser.

As I mentioned last week, they are both right - Aronberg does have more cash on hand and did outraise Gelber in the last quarter, but Gelber has raised more overall.

Why does this matter? Because this is the marquee match up on the Democratic side of the aisle come August 24th. It doesn't have the vitriol or faint oedipal tinge of Crist v Rubio, but it is still a critical decision by the electorate.

Especially because the GOP side of the aisle is seen to be relatively weak. Pam Bondi could become a strong candidate, but she is late to the game and behind the eight ball in the money race. Jeff Kottkamp is generally considered to be a weak candidate and damaged goods for spending significant sums of taxpayer money to travel around the state (as Lieutenant Governor, he has zero responsibilities and authority, so excessive travel looks like politicking on the public dime - and it didn't even help him much - most Floridians still don't realize that Toni Jennings isn't still the Lieutenant Governor).

What I'm saying is, the winner of Aronberg v Gelber will be a strong favorite in November.