THE AIRWAVES ARE ABOUT TO BE A LITTLE MORE CROWDED

The political advertising game began early this year, with Congresswoman Katherine Harris (R - Longboat Key) firing the first shot in an effort to jump start her lethargic campaign for the U.S. Senate. Now the St. Petersburg Times political blog The Buzz reports that Charlie Crist's gubernatorial campaign has purchased time in most major media markets for 30-second spots highlighting his political life as Attorney General, Education Commissioner, and state senator.

It seems rather odd, though, for Crist to do this so early. He is quite a bit ahead of state Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher in the polls I remember seeing, and much of the talk seems to be as though Crist is the de facto GOP nominee for the state's highest office. One could argue the ad purchase is a means of spreading name recognition, which Crist should not have any worry about. After all, he gets plenty of face time on the news because of his high profile office.

My guess is that this is a pre-emptive strike to show Crist is in the driver's seat in the GOP primary, so let's see what Gallagher does in response.