Earlier today I talked with Alex Burgos, the campaign spokesman for U.S. Senate Republican candidate Marco Rubio, who informed me that the camp had not only picked up significant campaign contributions for the second quarter of the year but had also increased their donor base.
“We raised $4.6 million for the second quarter of this year,†he said. “It eclipses the previous state record (Governor Charlie Crist set). But most importantly we’ve increased our donor base by 75,000 who are averaging $85 in contributions. This means that 99 percent have not maxed out their contributions.â€
Rubio was in town on Wednesday for a fundraising event at The Fish House restaurant. Since the beginning of this year, the former state senator has held a substantial lead over Crist in the highly conservative Panhandle.
The latest poll numbers from Rasmussen Reports show Rubio earning 36 percent support and the independent, Crist, earning 34 percent in a statewide telephone survey. Last month the two were tied at 37 percent.
Burgos says he’s not particularly concerned with the numbers at this point in the race and feels his candidate is in a “good position.â€
“A year ago Marco was down 30-40 points in the polls…he’s certainly not worried now. The summer time is always a little more tough in capturing people’s interest. It’s a tough time of the year, but I think that he’ll need to communicate his message in October and November…the basics don’t change with the nuts and bolts and his policies and beliefs don’t change, which is different than what we’ve seen with Charlie Crist.â€