GOP Emphasis On Obamacare Helps David Jolly Win House Seat In Florida
By David Lauter
March 11, 2014, 8:52 p.m.
Republicans scored a significant victory in a special congressional election Tuesday, holding on to a seat in a swing district in Florida that Democrats had high hopes of capturing after a campaign that focused heavily on President Obama's healthcare law.
With all precincts reporting, Republican David Jolly held a 3,400-vote margin over Democrat Alex Sink in the district, which stretches along the Gulf Coast north of St. Petersburg. The returns remain unofficial until final mail-in and provisional ballots can be counted, but Sink conceded defeat in a statement to supporters shortly after the polls closed.
The Republican and Democratic parties and allied groups spent more than $12 million on the brief campaign, according to disclosure reports compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics. That's about six times the average full-year House campaign in 2012, and an apparent record for a special election.
The money financed a deluge of television ads, robocalls and mailers, mostly centered on national issues, which largely seemed to drown out local concerns in the contest.
Both parties saw the special election as a good opportunity to try out campaign themes they hope to emphasize this fall.
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-florida-election-20140312,0,3208948.story#ixzz2vip18cuv