NRCC billboards will remind voters in Darren Soto’s district about pain at the pump

Republican-funded billboards will greet drivers in U.S. Rep. Darren Soto’s district, suggesting they remember gas prices when they vote.

With the price of gas in Florida nearing $4 a gallon, the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) launched a campaign blasting 21 Democratic Representatives in vulnerable seats. That includes Florida’s 9th Congressional District, which Soto, a Kissimmee Democrat, represents.

“Rising gas prices are a fresh gut punch to millions of Americans already struggling under Bidenomics,” said NRCC Communications Director Jack Pandol. “Every trip to the pump is a reminder that extreme House Democrats put their radical war on American energy ahead of working families’ wallets.”

Gas prices in Orange County sit around 3.812 per gallon, according to AAA, and around 3.801 a gallon in Osceola County. The billboards will feature the Congressman’s face, with bold type across it.

“Gas prices are out of control,” the ad reads. “Extremist Darren Soto is making it worse.”

Along with other inflation and rising costs, Republicans see a chance to deploy economic conditions against House Democrats during a presidential year when President Joe Biden stands for re-election.

Billboards will appear near gas stations in Soto’s district. In addition to the sign campaign, NRCC launched a digital advertising campaign with similar messaging targeting voters in the district.

Republicans notably haven’t backed a candidate yet to challenge Soto. But the purchase shows House Republicans see a chance to flip the Central Florida seat from blue to red.

Soto won election over Republican Scotty Moore in November, securing a fourth term in the U.S. House in a closer-than-expected contest. The Democratic incumbent won 53.6% of the vote, the lowest tally of any incumbent in Florida’s congressional delegation last year.

Moore notably isn’t pursuing another run against Soto. He’s a candidate for state House District 35 in a highly watched Special Election in the region.

Five other Republican candidates — Angel Coba, Adianis Morales, Lateresa Jones, Sergio Ortiz and John Quinones — have opened federal campaign accounts to run for the seat. But to date, no clear front-runner has emerged.

The NRCC in March announced a list of Democratic-held seats viewed as prime pickup opportunities. Soto’s seat was the only Florida district to make that first round of offense targets.