Jacksonville Times Union:

Florida GOP spends $200k in Jacksonville market; poll has Gianoulis with 5-point lead over Thrasher

Submitted by Matt Dixon on October 8, 2010 - 9:39am Death, Taxes & Politics

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The Republican Party of Florida is pouring $209,000 in the Jacksonville market to help boost state Sen. John Thrasher, the party's chairman, in his race against Democrat Deborah Gianoulis. Word is the cash will mean folks in the Jacksonville market will see RPOF ads for the next 10-days.

The ad buy comes on the heels of a paid for by the state Democrats that shows Gianoulis with a 45-40 lead over Thrasher, with 15 percent of district voters undecided. The poll (questions are below) was done by Democratic polling firm SEA, and was conducted from October 2-4 among 400 likely voters. It had a margin of error of 4.9 percent. An SEA poll conducted in July showed Gianoulis up by 4-points (more here).

RPOF's first ad hit the airwaves today and goes after Gianoulis, who has benefited from $230,000 in help from state Democrats, for a 2009 letter she penned in the Times-Union chiding the impact of Amendment 1, which, in part, created a second $25,000 Homestead exemption. More on Amendment 1 here.

In the letter Gianoulis wrote: "Amendment One stole 10 percent of our city budget. Our City Council has a rare chance for a "do-over," since our economy has changed dramatically."

The RPOF ad largely took aim at that statement:

"In a letter she wrote a tax cut passed by voters was stealing from voters...with all due respect Ms. Gianoulis, the money doesn't belong to government," says an ominous sounding female narrator.

Poll questions:

How would you rate the way John Thrasher is handling his job as state senator from this district -- excellent, good, not so good, or poor?

Generally speaking do you believe John Thrasher has done his job as state senator well enough and deserves to be re-elected to the state Senate, or has the time come to give someone else a chance?

If the November general election for the state senate were today and the candidates were John Thrasher, the Republican, and Deborah Gianoulis, the Democrat, which one do you think you'd vote for? [IF UNDECIDED] Well, which one do you lean more toward at this time?