Republican newcomer’s own millions buy commercials, credibility in Fla. governor’s race

Wealthy newcomer gains the edge in Fla. GOP race

TAMPA, Fla. — Bill McCollum’s long career in public service is proving to be a burden in the Florida governor’s race.

In a year when angry voters are embracing fresh new faces, McCollum’s primary opponent, wealthy businessman Rick Scott, has repeatedly bashed him as a “career politician.”

Scott has spent more than $25 million of his own money on the campaign and has led in the polls for most of the summer — despite glaring questions about his leadership of a hospital corporation that got caught up in a huge Medicare fraud scandal in the 1990s.

The 66-year-old McCollum is the state attorney general who served two decades as a congressman. The primary is Aug. 24.