Jacob Ogles
A progressive group based in Southwest Florida is rescinding its support for Democrat Nikki Fried days ahead of the Primary Election. Instead, the group now encourages voters to back Charlie Crist for the Democratic nomination for Governor.
The Progressive Club of the Islands withdrew its support after the Palm Beach Post published an investigative report on sugar cane burning during Fried’s term as Agriculture Commissioner. Other newspapers quickly posted similar reports suggesting under Fried’s watch the state had been soft on agriculture.
“These articles characterized her as favoring big industry rather than the needs of local citizens downwind of the burns,” reads an email from the club’s board of directors. “The residents of the areas, mostly people of color with limited financial resources, are bearing the biggest brunt of this pollution.”
Fried responded to the stories by questioning the motives of the Post. She accused the newspaper of taking money from the Sierra Club to pay for the story.
“It’s something I’ve heard — hope it’s not true. But honestly hard to tell when their editor is (retweeting) my opponent’s staff and editing black and white campaign videos of me to prop up Charlie,” she tweeted. “It was a hit job on the eve of the election. We posted the facts.”
That didn’t impress the Sanibel Democratic group.
“Bashing the press with charges of ‘fake news’ and accusations of accepting bribes are tactics we usually associate with (Donald) Trump supporters and extreme right-wing politicians and commentators. Such behavior has no place in a Democratic campaign,” the email said.
“Our disappointment with Nikki Fried’s response to this controversy has led us to remove her from our Primary Election endorsement list, leaving Charlie Crist as our sole Primary Election Gubernatorial endorsee.”
This comes as Fried and Crist in the final days of the campaign question one another’s Democratic bona fides. A Democratic Primary will be held Aug. 23, with the winner challenging incumbent Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in the General Election.
16 comments
Joe Corsin
August 18, 2022 at 3:43 pm
We need Charlie to put the conservative Republican grifters out of business. We need Charlie to smash the right wing terrorists in Florida. We need Charlie to wipe out the foul Trumpian rot in Florida. Vote BLUE..vote Crist.
John Doe
August 20, 2022 at 7:52 am
James T. Hodgkinson, is that you? If not, he’s probably your hero you unhinged dingbat.
JSpeed
August 18, 2022 at 4:14 pm
““Bashing the press with charges of ‘fake news’ and accusations of accepting bribes are tactics we usually associate with (Donald) Trump supporters and extreme right-wing politicians and commentators. Such behavior has no place in a Democratic campaign,” the email said.”
Yeah… only right-wingers would stoop to such levels… if you believe that, I’ve got some swamp land for sale….
Both parties are irredeemably corrupt.
Elliott Offen
August 18, 2022 at 4:24 pm
The Dems at least do SOMETHING for people who aren’t rich. GOP only functions to shovel money to the rich. Being corrupt is one thing but being corrupt and doing nothing for anyone but the rich is another. GOP is now a far right party…at least worthless..at most a threat to the nation. The Dems are about as far right as a party should be.
Robert
August 19, 2022 at 9:02 am
They do? Like what? Raise taxes? Raise the costs of prescription drugs? Issue stay at home mandates while ignoring said mandates? Label parents domestic terror threats for speaking up at school board meetings? Being anti-union? Doing nothing about homelessness? Try to start a nuclear war with not one, not two, but three nuclear armed countries? Raise inflation to fund a proxy war?
I fail to see what democrats do for poor people, because every single thing I listed above are policies of the democratic party and everything they’ve done over the last two years alone. So tell us, how exactly is any of that helping people who aren’t rich?
Elliott Offen
August 19, 2022 at 12:56 pm
@Robert: Raising taxes isn’t bad for lower income people because government can put that money to good use in seeing people get social services and live a better life. That and it takes what would otherwise be horded wealth away from the capitalist grifter class and actually puts it to better use. Without taxes, the capitalists aren’t going to start paying people more and charging people less for products and services…nor does money trickle down. That’s a GD myth. The rich are money vaccumes to the millionth degree…and care about no one but themselves. This just keeps getting worse and worse.
Fred Hatfield
August 18, 2022 at 9:22 pm
False equivalency is going to finish us off. It’s nonsense. You might as well equate jay walking with first degree murder. I hope you’re capable of thinking a bit deeper.
Having said that, Nikki Fried can eff off — but she’s no Donald Trump. If you think the Dems have insurrectionists, can you name them?
John Doe
August 20, 2022 at 7:55 am
James T. Hodgkinson, Bernie Bro til his untimely death. All those Black Commies Matter rioters. All the Leftists who falsely accused Trump of Russian Collusion when they knew Hillary Clinton was behind the fake dossier. Need I go on?
tom palmer
August 18, 2022 at 6:21 pm
The problem with Fried’s press allegations was taht she had absolutely no evidence to back it up.There are ample examples of media bias in favor of the conservative establishment, but that is usually a matter of laziness, not corruption.
Impeach Biden
August 18, 2022 at 7:06 pm
So the Progressive Group goes for the front runner. Will they come over to the DeSantis camp in the Fall elections? Everyone knows he will be re elected. Come on over Progressive Group.🤣
David In Shoreline
August 18, 2022 at 8:13 pm
Bye bye Nikki. You didn’t want to face Governor DeSantis anyway. Too embarrassing. Maybe you can save enough face to land another cushy lobbying job.
Robert
August 19, 2022 at 8:56 am
She is anti-small business and pro-big industry. Look at her stupidity on medical cannabis. She’s mad that Florida is benefitting smaller independent growers who enter Florida, and not offering the same benefits to large, corporate growers. Nikki Fried is an establishment, corporation hack who wants to kill small businesses, tax you into oblivion, and basically turn Florida into California.
Joe Corsin
August 19, 2022 at 12:58 pm
^ False information…fake news.
kim acker
August 19, 2022 at 10:13 pm
farmers burn crops….its a fact.
James D
August 21, 2022 at 4:25 am
Nikki Fried gives off strong Gretchen Whitmer tyrant vibes. She’ll say anything, do anything, but comes across as fundamentally dishonest to me.
She’s the type of person who would promise, “No lockdowns!” and then immediately after being elected, “Sorry, new policies from the CDC, Florida must go into lockdown!” Yup, fer sure Florida needs a soulless corporate hack Governor who pretends to support the little guy/gal, but in fact is a corporate pawn who laughs at small businesses.
Diane
August 21, 2022 at 2:03 pm
Fried’s 4 point lead over Crist is due to her lying/misleading the public on Crist’s position on a woman’s right to make the decisions over her own body. Google it – both Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice have given Crist 100% ratings for his pro-choice votes.
Comments are closed.