Mark Lombardo mocks Matt Gaetz for missing 200 votes

https___cdn.cnn.com_cnnnext_dam_assets_210423163611-matt-gaetz-probe-public-corruption-medical-marijuana-reid-lead-vpx-00000712
The Republican will go head-to-head with Gaetz in the Aug. 23 Primary Election.

Mark Lombardo is ramping up his attacks on U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz as the Aug. 23 Republican Primary Election in Florida’s 1st Congressional District draws closer.

Lombardo’s campaign released a digital ad to run on Facebook and other social media platforms mocking Gaetz for missing 200 votes since serving in Congress.

The ad features a photo of Gaetz in sunglasses with a graphic of a fake medal from the “Professional Politicians Association” for 200 missed votes.

“Only in the world of professional politicians like Matt Gaetz is it acceptable to miss work and collect nearly one million dollars from taxpayers as salary,” Lombardo said in a statement. “Matt Gaetz wants the people of Northwest Florida to keep him ‘fighting’ — but it’s impossible to win a fight if you don’t show up for the match.”

Lombardo, who calls himself a “Conservative political outsider,” also took aim at Gaetz for traveling to the Bahamas and mentioned Gaetz being investigated for sex trafficking a minor.

He went on to call Gaetz a “hypocrite” and “pathological liar” and vowed to introduce the “Gaetz Bill” in Congress, which he said would penalize members for missing votes.

Lombardo entered the race in June, vowing to spend $1 million of his own money on his campaign. The Marine Corps veteran and former FedEx executive is primed to go head-to-head with Gaetz after Republican Bryan Jones dropped out of the race last week.

Cutting pay for lawmakers who miss votes was part of a five-point plan to reform Washington Lombardo released last week. He also said he would introduce legislation to enact six-year term limits and ban members of Congress from becoming lobbyists after leaving office.

Gaetz has been a controversial and polarizing figure in Congress since taking office in 2017. His name has repeatedly come up in the Jan. 6 hearings. He has denied testimony suggesting he sought a preemptive pardon for his role in former President Donald Trump’s attempts to overturn the outcome of the 2020 Presidential Election.

The Gaetz campaign has not responded to a request for comment.

Aimee Sachs

Aimee Sachs covers politics in her hometown of Tallahassee and the Panhandle. The University of Florida graduate began her career as a sportswriter for the Tallahassee Democrat, Lakeland Ledger and MLB.com. She has also worked for Courthouse News Service and was a senior reporter for The Florida Channel before joining Florida Politics. You can email Aimee at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @AimSachs.



#FlaPol

Florida Politics is a statewide, new media platform covering campaigns, elections, government, policy, and lobbying in Florida. This platform and all of its content are owned by Extensive Enterprises Media.

Publisher: Peter Schorsch @PeterSchorschFL

Contributors & reporters: Phil Ammann, Drew Dixon, Roseanne Dunkelberger, A.G. Gancarski, Anne Geggis, Ryan Nicol, Jacob Ogles, Cole Pepper, Gray Rohrer, Jesse Scheckner, Christine Sexton, Drew Wilson, and Mike Wright.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @PeterSchorschFL
Phone: (727) 642-3162
Address: 204 37th Avenue North #182
St. Petersburg, Florida 33704




Sign up for Sunburn


Categories