Direct mail round-up: Irv Slosberg’s credibility on COVID-19 called into question

Former Rep. dinged for past self-promotion stunts.

Mailers dinging former Rep. Irv Slosberg’s health care credentials amid the coronavirus pandemic are showing up in Florida Senate District 29.

“What is Irv Slosberg hiding behind his mask?” the mailer asks, before answering with a trove of headlines related to the Boca Raton Democrat’s time on the Palm Beach County Health District and his response to past emergencies.

One jab dates back 15 years, when the former lawmaker rolled out “Slosberg Emergency Management Aid” amid hurricane season. Slosberg was running for state Senate then, too, and his opponent, now-U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch labeled it a “crass political ploy.” The Palm Beach Post also blasted it as a distraction from official relief efforts being undertaken by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The mailer cites another Palm Beach Post article from the aughts, detailing Slosberg’s removal from the health district “for abusing his position for political purposes” The mailer also smacks him for at one time being a registered Republican.

“We can’t trust ‘former’ Republican Irv Slosberg and his Republican friends on COVID,” the mailer states.

The mailers were paid for by Americans for Progress, a political committee tied to Boca Raton Rep. Tina Polsky.

Polsky and Slosberg are running for the Democratic nomination in Senate District 29, which covers parts of Broward and Palm Beach counties. The seat is open this year due to Sen. Kevin Rader’s decision to forego reelection.

Brian Norton, a Boca Raton Republican, has also filed for the seat, but the seat’s strong Democratic lean ensures the winner on Aug. 18 will almost certainly cruise in the general election.

Slosberg has run for state Senate seats multiple times during his political career, often pulling from his own fortune to fund his campaigns.

This year is no different. As of July 10, Slosberg has poured $510,000 into his 2020 bid and raised just $22,000 from donors. Polsky, by comparison, has raised more than $220,000, with all but $3,000 of her total coming from donors. She has also garnered endorsements from Rader, Sen. Lori Berman and the Florida Medical Association, among others.