WASHINGTON _ A Democratic super PAC is cancelling its remaining TV reservations in Florida, a sure sign that Democrats no longer believe Rep. Patrick Murphy can defeat Republican Sen. Marco Rubio.
The remaining buy was worth $6 million, according to a spokesman for Senate Majority PAC, the outside group led by former aides to Sens. Harry Reid and Chuck Schumer.
The news was first reported by Politico.
SMP's decision follows news that the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee had again delayed its own ad buy in Florida, where polls showed Rubio sporting a sizable lead on the two-term congressman. Murphy allies feared that the DSCC would not spend at all on the race.
Party strategists say the decision to not to invest in Florida is in large part a consequence of how expensive it is to run TV ads in the mega-state of 20 million people and 10 media markets, especially against an incumbent with universal name identification.
Groups like the DSCC and SMP can choose instead to spend in battlegrounds like North Carolina, Missouri, and Indiana for as much as it would cost to compete in the Sunshine State.
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