Ryan Nicol
Republican candidate Andrew Gutmann is out with a new ad as he campaigns for the party’s nomination in the race for Florida’s 22nd Congressional District.
Gutmann is running for the chance to take on incumbent Democratic U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel. The TV ad spotlights a series of culture war issues Gutmann wants to draw attention to, with some conservative fiscal policy thrown in as well.
“During COVID, we parents saw it firsthand: schools indoctrinating our kids, teaching that America is evil, a racist oppressor; that open borders, socialism and defunding the police will achieve global justice,” Gutmann says in the ad.
“The time is now to reclaim our classrooms, secure the border, stop inflation and wasteful government spending, and keep this nation strong.”
Gutmann’s focus on social issues isn’t a surprise, given that he introduced himself as an “anti-woke education activist” on the national stage before announcing his run for Congress. Gutmann is competing against Deborah Adeimy and Dan Franzese for the Republican nomination.
In 2021, Gutmann wrote a letter that gained him attention on the Right explaining why he was unenrolling his daughter from New York City’s Brearley school. That letter was also littered with culture war grievances regarding the school’s curriculum.
As of the latest report, Gutmann holds the most cash among the Republican field in CD 22, with $260,000 in the bank. But Frankel is far ahead of that total, with more than $1.4 million on hand. Frankel also does not face any competitive Primary opponents, meaning she can save her cash for the General Election.
Franzese has actually outraised Gutmann. But Franzese has also spent more, leaving him with just $136,000 as of the most recent report in April.
Franzese beat Adeimy in the 2022 GOP Primary before losing to Frankel by 10 percentage points in that year’s General Election during a historically strong year for Republicans.
