Bill Nelson ad touts widespread newspaper endorsements

Bill Nelson in TV ad

The Miami Herald, the Tampa Bay Times, the Sun Sentinel of South Florida, the Palm Beach Post, and the Orlando Sentinel all have endorsed the re-election of Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, and his campaign wants to make sure voters know that.

In an era when newspaper readership and influence are declining and newspapers’ credibility has been under harsh attack by President Donald Trump and some other conservatives, Nelson’s campaign launched a new 30-second TV commercial Wednesday displaying an overwhelming endorsement of him by the state’s top newspapers.

Nelson is being challenged in the Nov. 6 election by Republican Gov. Rick Scott.

“Newspapers across Florida endorse Bill Nelson,” a narrator begins. Then the ad simply quotes several lines of praise from the newspapers’ endorsement editorials, as text appears on the screen:

“A champion of health care, education, Florida’s environment and tourism-driven economy,” the ad quotes from the Herald; “An effective voice for protecting the Everglades and space exploration,” and “Florida’s most vigilant guardian of our precious coasts,” from the Times; “Nelson’s moderation perfectly reflects his state,” from the Sun Sentinel; “A senator for all Floridians,” from the Post; and “Steady, reliable Bill Nelson has earned another term in the U.S. Senate,” from the Sentinel.

A news release announcing the new commercial, “Endorsed”, emphasis one particular spot of praise, perhaps addressing Scott’s charges that Nelson is too liberal, and the charges from the New Republican Political Action Committee and others that suggested he alligns with socialists: the Sun Sentinel’s declaration that “Nelson’s moderation perfectly reflects the state.”

Scott Powers

Scott Powers is an Orlando-based political journalist with 30+ years’ experience, mostly at newspapers such as the Orlando Sentinel and the Columbus Dispatch. He covers local, state and federal politics and space news across much of Central Florida. His career earned numerous journalism awards for stories ranging from the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster to presidential elections to misplaced nuclear waste. He and his wife Connie have three grown children. Besides them, he’s into mystery and suspense books and movies, rock, blues, basketball, baseball, writing unpublished novels, and being amused. Email him at [email protected].


One comment

  • Mira Dean

    October 25, 2018 at 7:20 pm

    NELSON and Socialist ANDREW GILLUM are running for Senate & Governor respectively. Nelson / Gillum both proudly supports abolishing ICE, sanctuary cities, amnesty for millions of illegal aliens, using taxpayer funds for illegal aliens & DACA. In addition, both are weak on border security and national defense.

    If you OPPOSE illegal immigration, taxpayer funds used for illegal aliens, sanctuary cities, amnesty r Please VOTE NO for BILL NELSON & ANDREW GILLUM this November….we can’t afford anymore Democrats. Both supported by both La Raza & MALDEF which says it all.

    Vote this election for candidates who prioritize citizens over illegal aliens (bet you thought that was a given …not anymore.) Those candidates who oppose sanctuary cities, open borders, non citizens voting, amnesty for millions of illegal aliens and taxpayer funded in state college tuition discounts. That means NO Democrats.

    Recent Gallup poll- almost 60% of Democrats now view socialism positively, little changed from 2010 survey.

    To Democrats programs like (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, DACA) and (Temporary Protective Status, TPS.) are permanent programs. There is nothing temporary about these programs to the left. The goal for Democrats is to flood/lure the country with illegal aliens & refugees, then fight against / eliminate deportations. Democrats want to encourage, reward, protect illegal aliens with jobs, amnesty, drivers licenses, discounts for college tuition, scholarships, then after they’re here….protect them from deportation. This creates MORE illegal entry and the Democrats know this.

    The current migration at our southern border is costing taxpayers a Kings Ransom. Fleeing persecution? or fleeing for freebies? they sure don’t stay in Mexico when they reach “safety” or ask for political asylum in Mexico. Why? because Mexico will give them NOTHING. So they make the long journey to our border, our generous Democrats and our tax dollars. Just debating DACA in congress is costing taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars….. thank the parents.

    Just a few examples of the more outrageous costs associated with illegal immigration, we will pass this burden on to our children and grand children as has been passed on to us.

    *The cost of educating illegal aliens children is staggering. From K-12 it costs taxpayers $122,000 for EACH illegal alien student. This does not include the billions spent on bilingual education for illegal aliens.

    *Taxpayers in numerous states are funding in state college tuition discounts for illegal aliens. Cost to taxpayers over a billion dollars annually.

    *30% percent of all Federal Prison inmates are illegal aliens.Does not include local jails and State Prisons. At $21,000 per year expense per inmate in Federal Prison U do the math.

    *$3Million Dollars a DAY is spent to incarcerate, process Illegal aliens in the Criminal justice system. I repeat 3 MILLION a DAY.

    *$2.2Billion dollars a year is spent on is spent on food assistance programs such as SNAP (food stamps) WIC, & free school lunches.

    If you OPPOSE illegal immigration, taxpayer funds used for illegal aliens, sanctuary cities, non citizens voting, open borders, amnesty for millions of illegal aliens, weak border security, tax increases. VOTE NO for ALL Democrats this November.

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