Senate Republicans slam Bowen Kou over foreign workers, bailout money in new video ad

Bowen Kou. Screenshot from FRSCC's "Got to Go" ad.

Senate Republicans are continuing to hammer GOP Senate candidate Bowen Kou. A new video ad slams the grocery mogul, accusing him of accepting bailouts and hiring foreign workers.

An ad, entitled “Got to Go,” is hitting voters in Senate District 13. It kicks off with interview footage of Kou.

“From Day 1 (that) I came to this country, I never take any government entitlement,” Kou said.

But a narrator states, “That’s not true. Kou has taken over $6 million in government-funded bailouts, and Bowen Kou’s company used foreign workers to increase profits.”

The ad is funded by the Florida Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee (FRSCC), which endorsed Rep. Keith Truenow for the open Senate seat. Kou has run as a Tallahassee outsider and largely self-funded his campaign.

The ad leans heavily on comments made by Kou in a Florida’s Voice interview. Notably, Kou has sued the media outlet over that interview. Kou has also filed a separate complaint against the FRSCC for a prior ad listing that attacked the number of Chinese American out-of-state donors giving to Kou and tying him to the Chinese Communist Party.

The ad debuted at the same time Kou scheduled a Tavares press conference regarding his lawsuit, which was filed by attorney Anthony Sabatini. Kou’s campaign said the only government ssupport the “bailout” attack could reference was $6 million in Small Business Administration loans pulled for his businesses.

The potential of Kou hiring foreign workers stems from a question by Florida’s Voice publisher Brandon Leslie asking if “foreign workers and foreign products” are what Kou’s grocery store chain is selling. “Yes,” Kou responded.

The ad closes with a Kou quote. “I just can’t stand people that take advantage,” he said. “That’s not the American dream.”

Kou was born in China but moved to the U.S. in college. He operates a multistate grocery chain specializing in international foods.

The FRSCC has engaged in a number of competitive Primaries for open seats, where Senate President-designate Ben Albritton and the committee have endorsed sitting or former lawmakers to succeed outgoing Republicans.

Disclaimers on the latest indicate it was a three-pack buy also supporting Albritton, Truenow and Tom Leek, an FRSCC-endorsed candidate in Senate District 7.