FL-12
OPEN: Adam Putnam (R)
Lean Republican. GOP state Rep. Dennis Ross and former Democratic state Rep. Lori Edwards have both run anemic campaigns, allowing Tea Party nominee and former Polk County Commissioner Randy Wilkinson to sap a significant share of the vote (15 to 20 percent in some polls), even without any money. That dynamic is helping Edwards, though the DCCC is unlikely to come to her aid and she would really need to “shoot the gap” to win with a plurality. Some Republicans believe Ross will be just fine once he turns up his spending in the final days; others believe Wilkinson, not Edwards, is his most serious foe. This is really the only race in the country where an official Tea Party candidate could break into the double digits, and that added volatility makes it worth watching on Election Night.
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