FMA slams ‘blue wave’ Belinda Keiser in new ad

The Keiser Bunch

A political committee tied to the Florida Medical Association released a new ad Wednesday hammering Belinda Keiser, who is running as a Republican in the special election for Senate District 25.

FMA is backing Stuart Republican Rep. Gayle Harrell in the SD 25 race, which is opening up this year due to the early exit of Senate President Joe Negron.

“The Keiser Bunch,” as the title hints, borrows heavily from the intro to Sherwood Schwartz’s famous 1970s sitcom to cast Keiser as a faux Republican, still in league with the Democrats she’s been donating to for decades.

Keiser takes center square in the Better Florida Fund Corp ad while Democrats Hillary Clinton, Charlie Crist, Bob Graham, Al Gore, Alcee Hastings, Buddy MacKay, Bill Nelson and Debbie Wasserman Shultz fill out the remainder of the grid.

Those eight Democrats got a spot in The Keiser Bunch because they’re among the better-known Democrats who have received campaign contributions from Keiser, but that list isn’t exhaustive.

“Here’s the story of Belinda Keiser moving from Parkland to run as a Republican for Senate. She’s donated thousands to Democrats like ‘crooked Hillary,’ Al Gore, Debbie Wasserman Shultz and not one dime to President [Donald] Trump. And she’s even run for office as a Democrat,” the ad narrator states.

The ad then pans over a spreadsheet showing dozens of donations Keiser made to Democratic politicians over the years. Federal candidates alone have received $141,667 from the Keiser University chancellor, add in state-level candidates and the Florida Democratic Party and that figure approaches nearly $200,000 without adding in the funds she used to boost her failed campaign as a Democrat for state House.

Those aren’t all old contribs, either — just six months ago she cut a $1,000 check to Plantation Sen. Lauren Book, and in July 2017 Crist, now a Congressman, received a $2,500 check.

“Blue wave Belinda has paid her dues to the left, but this Broward County Democrat won’t fool us. Vote no on ‘blue wave’ Belinda Keiser,” the ad concludes.

Keiser’s palatial Parkland home is 80 miles away from the southern border of SD 25, which covers all of St. Lucie and Martin counties, along with a small portion of Palm Beach County. Despite the long trek, she filed for the seat using the address of Keiser University’s St. Lucie campus shortly after Negron’s announcement.

Since then she’s attempted to paint herself as a loyal Trump supporter who has been a member of the Republican Party since the turn of the century, though a cursory search of her own statements shows she joined the GOP no earlier than 2007.

The ad is below.

Drew Wilson

Drew Wilson covers legislative campaigns and fundraising for Florida Politics. He is a former editor at The Independent Florida Alligator and business correspondent at The Hollywood Reporter. Wilson, a University of Florida alumnus, covered the state economy and Legislature for LobbyTools and The Florida Current prior to joining Florida Politics.


4 comments

  • Melissa

    June 13, 2018 at 9:17 pm

    How is Belinda Keiser going to represent a constituent of thousands of residents and address their concerns when she doesn’t do the same for her employees at Keiser university. Mrs Keiser bailed out on the PLS campus graduation ceremony on Friday 6/8, she had more important leadership responsibilities, than being present at her own schools ceremony. Not for nothing, she has her employees working all day on Saturdays 9-5, when there are no classes, but how ironic the work hrs changed from 9-1pm, to 9-5 Just before she announced her intent to run for office. If she can be so cruel to her employees, can you imagine what she will do to residents she represents. How can someone like her who changed the companies work hours to suit her political campaign be trusted to do what is best for her district. Using keiser university as a base for her political is campaign an abuse of her ownership and an abuse of her employees as they are now subjected to ridiculous work hours all because of her campaign. This is a heartless move, Not cool as your employees should be given the chance to spend time with their families on the wknd especially since their are no classes on Saturday’s. so why keep your employees there until 5pm. Instead they are now forced to work to long Saturday hrs to cover for her campiagns use of the rented building facilities.
    The change in the companies work hours was very strategic as it needed to be in alignment with her campaign hours.

  • Mike

    June 14, 2018 at 6:57 pm

    So “Melissa” asks – “How is Belinda Keiser going to represent a constituent (constituency) of thousands of residents and address their concerns?

    Very simply, Belinda Keiser would be a fine addition to Florida’s Senate. She is a dedicated, solidly conservative Republican and a highly successful businesswomen who can ably represent the residents of SD 25.

    It’s always amazing to me when people suggest something must be awry when successful businessmen or women offer their private-sector knowledge and experience for public service. We need more people like Belinda Keiser in office, not less. Apparently “Melissa” is a disgruntled Keiser University employee who is grinding a large axe over having to work a Saturday. Sorry “Melissa” but hard work never killed anyone.

    Take a page from Belinda Keiser’s playbook and maybe one day, you can oversee a University system with tens of thousands of students and many successful campuses all across the state.

    We need people in the State Senate who will focus on real issues – how to grow the economy, protect the environment, properly manage explosive growth and preserve a quality of life that attracts tens of millions of visitors and new residents each year.

    We want and need the experience and service of Belinda Keiser in the Florida Senate. Belinda Keiser knows what hard work is all about and you sure won’t ever hear her complain about working a Saturday.

    Mike

  • Flash

    June 18, 2018 at 11:25 am

    Nice try Mike. Can you come up with anything else besides the same campaign “bullet phrases” that you guys use to answer everything? Truth of the matter is if anyone were to take a page out of Belinda’s “playbook” they would find themselves in the unemployment line never offered a position of leadership again. Her workplace harassment, abuse and manipulation of truths to discredit people is well known throughout KU. Also, it is a known fact that as an employee for Belinda your duties go way beyond the “job description” very often after work hours. So Mike, perhaps you wouldn’t mind giving up your weekends cleaning her pools and washing her cars. After all, hard work never hurt anyone.

  • JP

    June 24, 2018 at 2:06 am

    Do a google search for “Keiser lawsuits”. They are sued almost every year for breaking the law. They DID break the law. Posts about Belinda Keiser have negative reviews everywhere because people cannot be brainwashed with their political scams. There is a long history of abuse at Keiser campuses that they can’t deny because too many people know it.

Comments are closed.


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