Jacob Ogles
A new statewide ad from Republic gubernatorial candidate Adam Putnam says voters shouldn’t pick a leader the way a certain reality show chooses its winner.
“Florida’s not picking an apprentice. We’re electing a Governor,” Putnam says in the ad, which started airing today.
It’s an obvious ping against Republican opponent Ron DeSantis, who soared into the lead in the Republican primary after nabbing the formal endorsement of President Donald Trump.
Of course, Trump’s greatest burst into the cultural zeitgeist before his successful 2016 presidential campaign came on The Apprentice, an NBC reality show in which the real estate developer would choose a new company executive based on their performance in weekly tasks and on his own personal whims.
But Putnam works hard in the ad not to criticize the president, who enjoys high popularity among Republican voters right now. A Florida Atlantic University poll in July found that while Trump had just a 41-percent approval rating among all Floridians, he holds an 80-percent approval rating among Republicans.
“I support President Trump’s agenda,” Putnam says. “Tax cuts to create jobs and cracking down on illegal immigration.”
That said, backhanded swipe at DeSantis closely mirrors a more frontal assault by Democratic gubernatorial candidate Chris King, that DeSantis is “fighting to be Donald Trump’s next apprentice.”
This is an embarrassment. Rick Scott and Ron DeSantis aren't fighting for Florida –– they're fighting to be Donald Trump's next apprentice.
— Chris King (@ChrisKingFL) July 31, 2018
Putnam, once the front-runner in the gubernatorial race, has worked over the last month to refocus the contest on Florida issues and not the president’s endorsement.
“I’ve dedicated my life to making our state a better place,” says Putnam, now Florida’s Agriculture Commissioner.
“As your Governor, we’ll make Florida the launchpad for the American Dream. Creating new opportunities for the next generation, keeping our promises to veterans, and protecting all the things that make Florida, Florida.”
Days after a Fox News debate and the presidential endorsement, DeSantis surged ahead in polls. The Real Clear Politics polling composite now has the Ponte Vedre congressman up an average 11 percent over Putnam.
That said, a new Survey USA poll for Spectrum News found Putnam had closed the gap and was back in a dead heat with DeSantis.
One comment
William Anderson
August 19, 2018 at 3:05 pm
Jacob you could mention that desantis is markedly more intelligent than Putnam. That he has a perspective that speaks to constituents other than Florida farmers. That he has set forth a principalled stand against the sugar mafia.
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