Winner and loser of the week in Florida politics

Winner of the week.

Jeff Greene.  Nobody controls the outcome of the Democratic gubernatorial primary more than Greene. The controversial billionaire investor and developer has upended the contest, with massive TV ad spending that has given him a strong shot at winning while leaving the other leading contenders flummoxed on how to respond. Greene has the ability to spend unlimited money, and, it seems, no qualms about antagonizing longtime party donors by damaging other would-be nominees with negative attacks.

Loser of the week I.

Rick Scott. The governor could have kept out of the way to let Sen. Bill Nelson take slings and arrows for clumsily alarming local elections officials by declaring, without offering evidence, that Russian hackers had "penetrated" Florida elections systems. Instead, the Scott administration went into hyper political and full campaign mode to attack Nelson as either losing his marbles or lying. By day's end Friday Republican Sen. Intelligence Chairman Richard Burr and Marco Rubio issued statements that conspicuously did nothing to undercut Nelson's concerns. And in Stuart, the governor cancelled plans to talk to the media and a congressman about the the dire algae problem. Why? So he could jet to a campaign event in Tampa and unload on Nelson.

Loser II:

Melissa Howard.  The Sarasota-area state House candidate has gone to great length to show she graduated from Miami of Ohio. The school says otherwise. See here and here.