THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CRIST AND GALLAGHER CAMPAIGNS

Jeremy Wallace in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune seems to believe that Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher has a lot of work to do to have a chance in the Sarasota/Manatee area, noting in his column the differences in their appearances recently at Dolphin Avaition, located at the area airport.

Gallagher, who had his event two weeks ago, drew less than 40 people, while GOP primary rival and Attorney General Charlie Crist attracted more than 200, including many of the top Republicans in the area.

Not only that, but Gallagher's staff ejected media types from their event, saying it was not intended to be open. Crist's staffers actively invited the press to their event to show off the amount of support in the region.

But Gallagher is expected to hold the edge in fundraising for the period ending June 30, with approximately $3 million raised during the quarter according to preliminary numbers filed. The actual numbers are due later this month.

Meanwhile on the Democratic side of the governor's race, Bill Cotterell in today's Tallahassee Democrat looks at the campaign of former Florida Democratic chairman Scott Maddox. Those close to him say that a good fundraising effort and getting on message instead of having the first half of every story rehashing the recent bad stories of accounting errors on his watch will help bring his campaign back. Campaign experts say 90 days should tell the tale.