The cash poured in from all over the country, as unions, Christian conservatives, Tea Party ideologues, Big Pharma, and Big Oil opened their pockets. With at least $9 million raised in the Ron Klein-Allen West congressional contest, it was one of the most expensive races of its kind in the country.
Was it worth it? You decide. Meanwhile, here are a few other ways that kind of dough could have been spent:
1. Help plug the hole in the state's broken unemployment-compensation fund. We've already borrowed $600 million from the feds to keep up with bills.
2. Provide health insurance to some of the approximately 800,000 children in Florida without that essential coverage.
3. Make a dent in the Broward County School District's budget shortfall, which hovers around $130 million.
5. Fund more stimulus projects to put Floridians to work and lower the staggering 11.9 percent unemployment rate.