Senate GOP ad paints Joy Goff-Marcil as radical extremist in closing days of SD 10 campaign

Screenshot via "Extreme Joy" ad from NRSCC.

A new ad from Senate Republicans paints Democrat Joy Goff-Marcil as an extremist on issues related to transgender identity and abortion.

Labeling the Maitland Democrat as “Extreme Joy,” a new video ad from the Florida Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee depicts the Senate candidate in front of a burning American flag and hammers her on a series of votes in the Legislature.

“Joy Goff-Marcil has extremists jumping for joy,” a female narrator asserts. “Joy backed higher taxes, sanctuary cities and softer sentences for opioid dealers.”

The ad spotlights votes the Democrat cast against an anti-fentanyl bill, a sanctuary cities ban and a limitation on municipal taxing power.

The ad then veers into a series of bills backed by Gov. Ron DeSantis regularly derided by Democrats as “culture war issues.”

“Extreme Joy even voted to teach radical gender identity to 8-year-olds and let men compete in women’s sports,” the narrator continues.

Those actually reference measures Goff-Marcil voted against that would prohibit trans girls from playing in scholastic girls’ sporting events and against legislation derided by critics as the “Don’t Say Gay” law, which prohibits teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity through third grade. The law also restricts discussions that are not “age appropriate” at all grade levels.

Goff-Marcil, a Maitland Democrat and sitting state Representative, this year is challenging GOP Sen. Jason Brodeur in Senate District 10. The release of the digital ad was tied to planned stops by a Senate Victory bus tour. Senate Democratic leaders hope to rally votes for Goff-Marcil in the Central Florida district on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1.

The ad aims to gin up opposition to Goff-Marcil’s candidacy at the same time.

“Joy is backed and bank-rolled by radicals,” the ad states. “Their agenda? Defund the police, critical race theory in schools, taxpayer-funded sex change operations for minors.”

It ends by suggesting Goff-Marcil would bring “extreme joy for radicals” but “extreme misery for us.”

The district remains one where Republicans find themselves playing defense. Redistricting shifted the makeup of what was already a battleground Senate seat further in Democrats’ favor. About 51.5% of voters in the district voted for Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 Presidential Election while 47.06% supported Republican Donald Trump.

However, successful fundraising in the past two years have brought some good news for Republicans, who in just the past few months gained an advantage in voter registrations in the district.