Kelly Hayes
The Democratic incumbent for Florida’s 13th Congressional District, Charlie Crist, released his second campaign ad of the election season, boasting the work he’s done in Congress for veterans.
The 30-second commercial started airing Friday and features two generations of U.S. Marines narrating the Congressman’s efforts in Washington to advocate for policies and secure funding to assist veterans.
The ad starts with Crist walking down a neighborhood street with two veterans at his side. The ad then moves to the two veterans talking with each other about Crist’s work.
“We’re both marines,” Corporal John Makas starts in the ad.
“We served 50 years apart,” Sergeant Antonio Planzo says. The two go on comically about some things they disagree on, and then come together to say they agree on Crist.
“But we do agree on this: No one fights harder for vets than Charlie Crist,” Planzo says.
The veterans then go over Crist’s accomplishments, including his work to expand treatment for those suffering from PTSD, secure more than 2 million dollars in benefits and address abuse at the Bay Pines VA.
Most recently, Crist’s Veteran’s Treatment Courts Act was signed into law by President Donald Trump. The courts, modeled after treatment courts started in Pinellas County, will provide counseling, care, and support for veterans who need treatment rather than facing the criminal justice system.
The ad comes at the same time Crist’s Republican opponent, Anna Paulina Luna, launched her own ad.
Both ads follow Sabato’s Crystal, a non-partisan lead election prognosticator run by the University of Virginia’s Larry Sabato, shifting CD 13 from “Likely Democrat” to “Safe Democrat.” The shift might provide Crist a sigh of relief as he faces his first formidable opponent since he was first elected to the U.S. House in 2016 over then-Republican incumbent David Jolly.
Democrats outnumber Republicans by 26,678 voters, but there are more than 146,896 non-partisan or third-party voters among the district’s 512,570 voters. Still, the district went for Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016 over President Donald Trump 48% to 47%. Voter turnout in that election was more than 77%.
Turnout will be essential for either candidate to take the seat, with both parties pushing for higher turnout.
One comment
FLnative'44
October 5, 2020 at 10:42 am
Luna will get my vote!
As an older vet, I do like Crist, but IMHO it’s time for Charley to move on, just as it’s time for Rick Scott and ALL the senile folks of both sides of the aisle to move on, and, always registered voting independent, I will vote for Charley for Senate, and the sooner the better.
Luna, with her ”hands on been there done that” experiences, is the perfect person to deal with the other younger folks in both parties, especially balancing some of the extreme leftist folks who seem intent on leading USA down the drain of hopeless idealism, and Crist will have no hope against his own party, but just continue to be more material for breakfast.
Comments are closed.