New CD 15 ad shows Scott Franklin ‘Ready to Serve Again’

Republican Scott Franklin released a new ad to boost his bid in the race against Democrat Alan Cohn for Florida’s 15th Congressional District.

The 30-second commercial, titled “Ready to Serve Again,” showcases Franklin’s service as a former Naval Aviator, having served for 26 years.

The ad, narrated by Franklin, walks through him putting on his U.S. Navy uniform.

“I was recalled to active duty after 9/11,” Franklin starts in the ad. “The morning I deployed, I woke to find my little girl fast asleep just outside my bedroom door … worried she wouldn’t get to say goodbye.”

The ad then cuts to Franklin outside a home, introducing himself.

“I’m Scott Franklin,” he says, flashing photos of him in uniform with family. “I flew combat missions under enemy fire. But that was my toughest day.”

“Once again, our country is in crisis,” he ends the ad. “Once again, I’m volunteering to serve.”

As a Naval Aviator, Franklin flew jets from the decks of 13 aircraft carriers. He was deployed to the Mediterranean, the Persian Gulf and North Atlantic. He participated in combat operations in the Persian Gulf, Bosnia and Kosovo.

In the last 20 years, Franklin has owned and operated a small business in Lakeland. He currently serves as a Lakeland City Commissioner.

Franklin ousted incumbent Ross Spano in the August Republican primary by about 1,500 votes. Spano carried Hillsborough County with 57% of the vote and Lake County with 52%, but Franklin overwhelmingly carried Polk County, where he serves, with 62% of the vote.

A recent internal survey commissioned by Cohn finds the Democrat lagging behind Franklin in a ballot test about who voters support in the race for Florida’s 15th Congressional District.

But the GQR survey shows remarkably different results when providing voters with more information about the candidates.

Asked about the two candidates without any information, Franklin, a Republican, led Cohn 49% to 42%. Given information about both candidate’s positives and negatives, including Franklin’s position on Social Security and his support for President Donald Trump’s tax package, support shifted to Cohn’s favor at 48% to 47%.

Informed polls, often referred to as push polls, should be taken with a hefty dose of skepticism. The information provided to voters is often presented in a way meant to skew voter opinion.

However, they’re a key tool for campaigns to identify strategies. The Social Security and tax package information shifted Cohn from -7 to +1, suggesting those are campaign talking points that could reach voters in the final weeks leading up to the Nov. 3 General Election.

The race is likely to be competitive, with Democrats eyeing a potential seat to flip.

With Spano out of the picture, Cohn loses the benefit of those negatives but faces a race for an open seat rather than an incumbent.

CD 15 covers parts of Hillsborough, Lake and Polk counties, including the cities of Brandon, Plant City, Lakeland, Riverview, Temple Terrace, Dover, Polk City, Groveland and Clermont. The General Election is Tuesday, November 3.