A.G. Gancarski
What’s clear: former Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown has a strategy to win the Democratic primary against Rep. Al Lawson in Florida’s 5th Congressional District.
Brown is running a TV ad in Tallahassee, Lawson’s home base, proclaiming Lawson to be President Donald Trump‘s “favorite Democrat.” [SEE THE AD HERE]
The ad juxtaposes Trump approving of Lawson applauding him during the State of the Union address with Trump’s comments that there were “very fine people on both sides” during the violence in Charlottesville over Confederate monuments, incidents that saw peaceful protesters besieged by white supremacists, with one casualty.
“From his defense of racist neo-Nazis after the tragedy in Charlottesville, to his slash and burn agenda that cuts infrastructure, Medicare and education to give more tax cuts to the top one percent, Donald Trump has shown time and again where his loyalties lie. The people of the 5th District deserve a leader who will condemn and stand up to Donald Trump’s vicious attacks on our community — not applaud him and his hate-fueled rhetoric,” Brown said Friday.
Lawson’s ability to defend the seat is increasingly questioned by Jacksonville Democrats, given a combination of lackluster fundraising and endorsements that have gone Brown’s way.
Clearly, a Tallahassee ad buy is meant to suppress Lawson’s share of the vote in the district’s western flank.
There will be a digital ad buy for the spot also, Brown’s first in this campaign.
Worth noting: underfunded Corrine Brown was not able to run TV against Lawson, who had one ad in the Jacksonville market when Lawson won the Democratic primary race in 2016.
In a three-way race, Lawson garnered just 47 percent of the vote, beating an already-indicted Brown by fewer than 10 points.
