Senate Republicans’ ad portrays Bill Nelson as against Donald Trump

Bill Nelson

The Republican U.S. Senate leadership is launching a new digital ad on Tuesday attacking Florida Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson for not working with President Donald Trump.

The 15-second ad “Senator Nelson Doesn’t Care” from the National Republican Senatorial Committee, being pushed out on Facebook Tuesday ahead of Trump’s State of the Union Address, accuses Nelson of opposing Trump’s agenda 74 percent of the time, and of supporting Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer‘s agenda 93 percent of the time.

“It’s important Floridians know that Bill Nelson has gone out of his way to oppose President Trump’s agenda,” NRSC Communications Director Katie Martin stated in a news release. “By voting against the President, Bill Nelson has voted against the will of Florida voters to follow the far-left agenda of Washington liberals.”

The message – at least the first half of Martin’s statement – is one that Nelson’s 2018 re-election campaign likely would heartily agree with: Nelson opposes Trump.

The NRSC is setting up the Trump-support issue in preparation for a likely November showdown between Nelson and Gov. Rick Scott, an unannounced almost-sure candidate for the U.S. Senate seat this year who has gone to many lengths to show that he and Trump are friends, and that he is a loyal supporter of most of Trump’s agenda. The ad also is a quick-hit attempt at pinning last week’s government shutdown on Democrats, and Nelson.

The NRSC ad begins with a narrator reminding people that, “Florida voted for President Trump,” as pictures appear of a glorious Trump during election night 2016.

“But Sen. Bill Nelson doesn’t care,” the narrator continues, as an image of a disturbed-looking Nelson appears, followed by images of Democratic House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Schumer. “He’s joined Washington liberals in their partisan obstruction, and is taking orders from party boss Chuck Schumer, the architect of the ‘Schumer Shutdown.’

“Tell Bill Nelson, it’s time to work for Florida, not Washington liberals,” the ad concludes.

Scott Powers

Scott Powers is an Orlando-based political journalist with 30+ years’ experience, mostly at newspapers such as the Orlando Sentinel and the Columbus Dispatch. He covers local, state and federal politics and space news across much of Central Florida. His career earned numerous journalism awards for stories ranging from the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster to presidential elections to misplaced nuclear waste. He and his wife Connie have three grown children. Besides them, he’s into mystery and suspense books and movies, rock, blues, basketball, baseball, writing unpublished novels, and being amused. Email him at [email protected].


One comment

  • Laura Davidenko

    January 31, 2018 at 12:39 pm

    This is a good advertisement. However, I would like to see an advertisement that highlights that Senator Nelson chose illegal immigrants over Floridians when he voted to shut down the government. In addition, his voting record shows that he represents the “Schumer Swamp” rather the desires of the Floridians who elected him who want secure borders.

Comments are closed.


#FlaPol

Florida Politics is a statewide, new media platform covering campaigns, elections, government, policy, and lobbying in Florida. This platform and all of its content are owned by Extensive Enterprises Media.

Publisher: Peter Schorsch @PeterSchorschFL

Contributors & reporters: Phil Ammann, Drew Dixon, Roseanne Dunkelberger, A.G. Gancarski, Anne Geggis, Ryan Nicol, Jacob Ogles, Cole Pepper, Gray Rohrer, Jesse Scheckner, Christine Sexton, Drew Wilson, and Mike Wright.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @PeterSchorschFL
Phone: (727) 642-3162
Address: 204 37th Avenue North #182
St. Petersburg, Florida 33704




Sign up for Sunburn


Categories