Guest Author
Recently, Sen. Janet Cruz-Rifkin started sending out attack mailers targeting her opponent, retired Green Beret Jay Collins.
Janet Cruz called Collins out for “costing too much.” We have a question for her: how does someone who’s never held elected office in his entire life cost taxpayers anything?
He’s never voted on increasing a budget, he’s never drafted a wasteful spending item, and he’s never tried to raise taxes. Janet Cruz, a career politician, has happily done all of that and more.
The only way Jay Collins has ever cost taxpayers a dime is through his time in the United States Army as a Green Beret, where he served for over twenty years fighting the War on Terror. That service was paid for when he had to amputate his left leg.
But that didn’t end his service, as he would requalify for active duty on a prosthetic, one of very few to do so. He would go on to serve this nation as an athlete in the Warrior Games, then later as a leader in the nonprofit sector giving food to families in need.
Janet Cruz has spent that time seeking elected office and taking money from families as a tax-and-spend Democrat, while advocating for policies that are fueling inflation across the nation.
Here in Tampa, we understand sacrifice. We’re home to MacDill Air Force Base, home to CENTCOM, SOCOM and one of the largest communities of veterans in the state. We know that what Jay went through to serve this country should be lauded, not attacked. For Janet Cruz to launch these false ads on Jay while we’re remembering and honoring the harrowing terrorist attacks on our nation 21 years ago is shameful.
As a community, veterans have given so much for this country. We believe in service to our nation, not service to ourselves, and Jay Collins embodies that service to country and community. Jay Collins has been under fire by much worse than Janet Cruz and the radical Democrats, and he deserves to be sent to Tallahassee to fight for us and our home here in Tampa.
This November, veterans are going to send Jay Collins to the state Senate because we deserve a new generation of leadership.
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The above letter was signed by:
— David Scott, Maj Gen (ret), USAF
— William F. Moore, Maj Gen (ret), USAF
— Patrick T. Colloton, COL (ret), USA
— Jerome “Jerry” Lavely, Lt. Col. (ret), USAF
— Romulo “Romy” Camargo, CW3 (ret), USA
— Sualauvi “Sua” Malua Tuimaleali’ifano III, SFC (ret), USA
— Steven Jaksec, MAJ, USA
— Gennaro Fardella, CPL, USA
