Despite facing deep-pocketed primary opponents with in vogue outsider qualities, the Democratic and Republican frontrunners in Florida's U.S. Senate race are largely turning their attention to the fall campaign, even as early voting in the Aug. 30 primary election reaches a fever pitch this week.

Polls give Sen. Marco Rubio and his would-be Democratic challenger, U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, large leads over their main primary opponents, billionaire real estate developer Carlos Beruff and firebrand U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson. The numbers may explain why Rubio has yet to spend much of his $4 million-plus campaign war chest and why Murphy has scaled back his campaign's pre-primary advertising in order to reserve $800,000 worth of air time in the fall.

In holding their fire, however, Rubio and Murphy risk misreading the level of anti-establishment fervor coursing through their respective parties' electorates. Beruff is spending millions of dollars on late-stage television ads lambasting Rubio as "virtually identical" to former Gov. Charlie Crist, a pointed insult in today's GOP, and Grayson has taken to calling Murphy, a former Republican, emblematic of "a losing formula" for Democrats.

While declining to take on their primary opponents more forcefully may not cost them their parties' nominations, Rubio and Murphy could be setting themselves up for smaller primary victories than polls suggest, some Republican strategists believe

"Polling today is even more difficult. People either don't answer their phones or they're using a mobile phone. (It's) a little more difficult to get to them and it's very unpredictable," said Pete Dunbar, a Tallahassee Republican lobbyist and campaign consultant. "You probably should be paying attention to your primary race and not being worried about what's coming down the road a ways."

But given what could be a bruising general election fight in a swing state boasting some of the nation's most expensive media markets, emerging from the primary with a respectable amount of cash on hand is imperative for a nominee. To that end, the apparent gulf between Rubio and Murphy and their primary opponents has made conserving money an easy decision for both campaigns.

"The challengers, Grayson and Beruff being the challengers, have simply not been able to mount much of a campaign of their own, and it's interesting to me that I'm sure the internal advisors now have told both of the frontrunners, 'turn your attention in the other direction'," Dunbar said.

Join us for exclusive coverage of the primary election starting at 5 p.m. on August 30. We will be live all night bringing you up-to-the-minute election results, reaction from local and state candidates, and expert analysis from our political analysts. Our reporters will be live from around the local area and the state throughout the night. We are the only source for extended primary night coverage that gives you the results and provides perspective as to how the results affect you. Mark your calendars to watch us on TV or on the BHTV app August 30.