Staff Reports
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is hitting Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson on the economy with six figures worth of ad buys on Tampa and Orlando airwaves.
As reported by Matt Dixon of POLITICO Florida, the Chamber has so far spent $249,000 running getting their message out in Tampa, with another $32,000 spent on running a Spanish language version of the anti-Nelson ad.
“After 40 years in politics, what has Bill Nelson actually done?” the Chamber ad asks before jump cuts to various actors who each deliver a line bashing the Nelson or praising Republican Rick Scott, who is termed out as governor and challenging Nelson in the fall.
“All he grows is government. He voted against our tax cuts and a whole lot of empty political promises,” the ad says of Nelson. “Now Rick Scott, he has actually delivered.”
The ad then credits Scott for cutting taxes “40 times,” cutting “red tape for better innovation” and low unemployment.
The Chamber video closes with an image of Scott – adorned in his signature Navy hat – with text saying he “gets the job done.”
The Scott v. Nelson race is likely to be one of the most watched and expensive U.S. Senate races nationwide this cycle. Scott has a penchant for boosting his campaigns with his substantial personal wealth, and Nelson hasn’t been slacking off on the fundraising trail.
Through the first quarter of 2018, he had more than $10.5 million in his campaign account. Scott has not yet filed his first campaign finance report.
Florida is one of 10 states that both voted for Donald Trump in 2016 and has a Democratic U.S. Senator up for re-election in 2018, making it a top priority for both parties.
The U.S. Chamber’s ad is below.
