Ryan Nicol
Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw’s re-election campaign is out with a new ad touting a nearly one-year gang investigation that led to 19 arrests and shut down a major drug operation.
The ad, titled “Gang Bust,” references “Operation Rushmore,” a partnership between the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office (PBSO), the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
“A dangerous gang was threatening this community with drugs, violence and drive-by shootings. They had to be stopped,” Bradshaw says at the top of the 30-second ad amid shots of a simulated crime scene, before a narrator begins speaking.
“The Sheriff meant it, and working with DEA, FDLE and others, 19 gang members were arrested,” she says.
“With enough fentanyl to kill more than 1 million people,” adds a member of the Sheriff’s office.
“We’ve become a safe community,” Bradshaw says in closing. “But this is a reminder: We must remain vigilant around the clock because your safety means everything to me.”
Bradshaw, a Democrat, is running for a sixth term leading PBSO. He faces Alex Freeman in a Democratic Primary on Aug. 20.
The winner of that contest will face the winner of the Republican Primary between Lauro Diaz, a 27-year veteran of PBSO, and Michael Gauger, Bradshaw’s No. 2 at PBSO for 16 years.
Bradshaw has, by far, pulled in the most money of anyone running. As of July 19, the latest date for which fundraising numbers are available, Bradshaw has raised more than $806,000 through his campaign account alone. He has added nearly $714,000 this cycle through his political committee, Friends of Ric Bradshaw, which launched in 2019. That adds up to more than $1.52 million in money raised this cycle.
Freeman, Bradshaw’s Democratic Primary opponent, has raised just under $54,000.
Gauger is the second-best fundraiser in the contest, bringing in more than $171,000. Diaz has collected just over $47,000.
As of July 19, Bradshaw retains more than $1.52 million, thanks to funds rolled over via his PC from his last campaign. Gauger holds nearly $94,000, while Diaz holds just under $13,000. Freeman, meanwhile, has burned through most of his cash, as he holds less than $4,200.
Bradshaw beat Freeman in the 2020 Primary, besting Diaz in the General Election.
This year’s General Election will take place Nov. 5.
