Kelly Hayes
The With Honor Fund is endorsing Republican nominee Scott Franklin in his race against Democrat Alan Cohn for Florida’s 15th Congressional District.
The organization aims to help elect and support next-generation veterans with the goal of “creating a more effective and less polarized government.”
Franklin is a former Naval Aviator who served 14 years on active duty and 12 years in the Navy Reserves. He was deployed to the Mediterranean, the Persian Gulf and North Atlantic. He participated in combat operations in the Persian Gulf, Bosnia and Kosovo. He committed to The With Honor Pledge.
“For 26 years, I wore the American uniform to fight for our country as a Naval Aviator,” Franklin said in a news release. “I know first-hand the commitment and sacrifice required to defend our freedoms. The With Honor Pledge defines those key values, and I am honored to answer the call to serve again and represent the residents of Central Florida in Congress.”
Franklin’s service is the focal point of his most recent campaign ad, “Ready to Serve Again,” which the candidate released last Monday.
In the last 20 years, Franklin has owned and operated a small business in Lakeland. He currently serves as a Lakeland City Commissioner.
Franklin has also earned endorsements from U.S. Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, Lake County Sheriff Peyton Grinnell and Congressman Matt Gaetz.
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 Franklin’s Democratic opponent Cohn finds the Democrat lagging behind Franklin in a ballot test about who voters support in the race for CD 15.
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.
