Does party identification really matter in the upcoming race?

Just a year ago, parties essentially handpicked their candidates for governor and state senator.

Bill McCollum picked up the endorsement of his own GOP for governor.

Congressman Kendrick Meek won the backing of most mainstream Democrats for U.S. Senate.

Recently, however, 12 months and tens of millions of dollars have seemed to be deciding factors for candidates.

These factors have helped Republican newcomer Rick Scott hold a commanding lead over McCollum and Democratic outsider Jeff Greene over Kendrick Meek.

For nearly all of Florida's history, the political parties have had a controlling influence over elections, nurturing the candidates who ultimately go before voters.

These days, however, there's no need for a Republican headquarters or a Democratic home base because of the money and star power the mavericks are bringing to bear.

That's a troubling thought for Pete Dunbar. He is a former Pinellas County state representative who relied on the Republican party to help raise the money to get him elected.

In return, Dunbar was loyal to the Republican party.

However, being millionaires, Greene and Scott don't have to deal with their party establishments.

"What they've done is put themselves outside it, and it's a very expensive ticket," said Dunbar. "They're being able to use their own wealth and create an image for themselves that is untraditional."

On the campaign trail, Greene and Scott proclaim, unlike the typical politician, the only people they have to answer to are the voters.

The trade-off, though, is that they may not have the connections or the experience to get things done.

Barber Matt Carter says most of his clients are ready for a change.

"Most of them seem to have an attitude of whichever party's in there, it's every man for himself," he said.

So, ultimately it's a sign that political parties probably won't disappear, but their iron grip could be getting a lot weaker.

On Friday, a federal appeals court ruled in favor of Scott's lawsuit to block McCollum from receiving public money to help fund his campaign.

Under state law, McCollum is entitled to public matching funds for every dollar Scott spends over $24.9 million.

However, the court agreed with Scott that the law violates his right to free speech.