Drew Wilson
Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam and U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis are gearing up for their first debate in the Republican primary for Governor, and the Florida Democratic Party is celebrating the occasion with the release of a digital ad and a “guide” to help viewers follow along.
“This is the most extreme, far-right field of Republican candidates Florida has ever seen. Adam Putnam and Ron DeSantis are in a race to the right in which each candidate is aggressively competing to win over the GOP’s extreme base,” said Florida Democratic Party Chair Terrie Rizzo. “While the Democrats have already held three debates focused on issues like health care, education and the economy, the Republicans are in an all-out brawl to be Donald Trump’s man in Florida.”
The 90-second ad, titled “Sellouts,” is a mashup of news clips slamming Putnam for referring to himself as an “NRA sellout” and over the recent revelation that the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services went a year without conducting a national background check for concealed weapons permits.
DeSantis isn’t cut any slack. The Fernandina Beach Republican gets hammered as a Trump gopher beholden to the billionaires backing his campaign.
The ad then gives some airtime to the attacks being thrown out by the dueling GOP campaigns. DeSantis labels Putnam as a “career politician” and a member of Tallahassee’s “insider class.” In Putnam’s clips, he accuses DeSantis of being an out-of-touch Washingtonite. About the only thing the two have in common, the ad says, is an admiration for Trump — and that embrace of Trumpism is something Florida Democrats think will help their odds come November.
Lumped in with the ad announcement was memo telling viewers what to look out for when they watch for Thursday evening debate on Fox News.
Topping FDP’s list was whether DeSantis would go “Full Trump” by touting his support for E-Verify, an employment eligibility check. DeSantis has pointed to his support for the system to pump his credentials on conservative immigration policy while labeling Putnam as the “pied piper of the cheap labor caucus.” They also expect DeSantis to bring up that background check snafu.
Also on watch is whether the candidates will focus on state issues or “simply talk about how conservative and Trumpian they are.” FDP also wants to see if the candidates “move beyond platitudes and address teacher pay” or give health care “the attention it deserves,” pointing to a recent poll that shows Republican primary voters rank that as their No. 2 issue this year.
The ad is below.
