Ryan Nicol
Donna Shalala is out with a new radio ad hitting her Republican opponent over comments on Fidel Castro and Cuba policy under the Donald Trump administration.
Shalala, the Democratic candidate in Florida’s 27th Congressional District, is competing against Maria Elvira Salazar for the seat.
The Democrat’s new minute-long, Spanish-language spot is called “Postura Real.” It goes after Salazar, a former journalist, over previous deferential comments she made to Fidel Castro during an interview.
The ad also tackles Salazar’s suggestion to Miami Herald reporter Fabiola Santiago that President Trump should engage in talks with Raul Castro, despite Salazar’s efforts to keep those remarks off the record.
“Maria Elvira Salazar called the murderous dictator, Fidel Castro, ‘El Comandante,’ ” the ad’s narrator begins in Spanish.
“She lied to the voters saying that Donald Trump and the United States should break any kind of relationship or link with Cuba. But meanwhile, behind closed doors, Maria Elvira asserts that Trump must speak with Raul Castro. What is her true position on murderous dictators? Maria Elvira Salazar is not reliable. She is not trustworthy on Cuba or any other issue.
“We cannot trust Maria Elvira Salazar and her double standards.
“Donna Shalala is a woman of her word, a woman who fulfills her promises and gets things done. Donna Shalala will confront dictators and murderous regimes, she will fight for human rights in Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua and all of Latin America. Don’t be fooled or confused by Maria Elvira Salazar and Donald Trump. They will say anything to win.”
The Salazar campaign pushed back against the ad, as well as the Miami Herald’s reporting on her Raul Castro comments.
“Let us remember that the Miami Herald endorsed my opponent,” Salazar said. Of course, the paper’s editorial board endorsed Shalala. The Herald reporting team is independent from the editorial board.
“In this case, Fabiola Santiago failed to add the context of our conversation where I mentioned President Trump should negotiate with the likes of Castro, [Nicolas] Maduro, and [Daniel] Ortega the day they will leave power,” Salazar continued.
“She knew perfectly well in what context I replied to her question and she opted to place it out of context.”
Salazar then added a comment condemning the Castro’s regime as well as Barack Obama‘s efforts to normalize relations with the island.
“The Castros are in the business of power, not in the business of feeding the Cuban people. President Obama gave the Castros the opportunity to show the world otherwise and they didn’t take it.”
Salazar faced similar criticism over her interview with Fidel, who died in 2016, during the Republican primary. One of her GOP opponents, Stephen Marks, cut an ad featuring those comments. Salazar then attempted to threaten legal action to have the ad taken off the air.
Shalala’s attempts to hit Salazar over her comments regarding the Cuban dictators comes after Shalala faced criticism over a planned appearance with U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee, who has appeared to praise Castro’s leadership in the past.
Ultimately, Lee did not end up attending the event after concerns were raised by the Shalala campaign.
