Stanley Campbell relishes Rick Scott slam while celebrating National Night Out

Stanley Campbell. Photo courtesy Mary Ellen Gottlieb.

U.S. Senate candidate Stanley Campbell’s software companies have worked with law enforcement for years.

The Treasure Coast Democrat stressed that background during National Night Out, an annual effort to bolster community relationships with police.

“Working with law enforcement to locate, arrest and prosecute criminals who terrorize our neighborhoods is rewarding work,” Campbell said in a statement.

He spent the evening at an event at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, part of a last-minute push for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate. Campbell hopes to defy former U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell’s substantial cash advantage and win an Aug. 20 Primary, then take on Republican U.S. Sen. Rick Scott in November.

As of the end of the second quarter, Campbell had raised $1.08 million, most of that out of pocket for the candidate, while Mucarsel-Powell raised $12.1 million. Scott raised almost $29.4 million over the six-year election cycle.

Campbell’s campaign took some unapologetic pleasure at Scott taking a swipe at the candidate earlier this weekend. The incumbent Republican actually spotlighted Florida Politics coverage of Campbell’s campaign manager quitting amid frustration about mismanagement. But Scott’s campaign called Campbell a “Radical Democrat and front-runner for the Democrat nomination.”

National Night Out allowed Campbell to spotlight a less-than-radical career helping police.

“National Night Out is an important celebration of the positive collaborations between the police in neighborhoods,” Campbell said. “We want to foster as much trust as possible.

One of Campbell’s companies helped catch Dennis Rader, dubbed the BTK Killer by the media, after a series of at least 10 murders over three decades.

Using predictive analysis programs, the FBI ultimately connected Rader to the crimes based on taunting letters sent to the media detailing crimes. Rader is now serving 10 consecutive life sentences in Kansas.

The story was once in development for a film dramatization starring Terrence Howard, though that project stalled after the death of screenwriter Gregory Allen Howard.

But Campbell still touts his work on counterterrorism technology, which he said would serve him well as a Senator.