Two political action committees have announced a major ad buy on behalf of U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in his battle against against Gov. Rick Scott for the U.S. Senate. The ad buy will focus on an issue Democrats continue to make a central theme of their campaign — Medicaid and health care.
Senate Majority PAC (SMP) and Priorities USA Action are launching a $1.1 million digital ad campaign blaming Rick Scott for failing to expand Medicaid. The groups say it was a decision that cost 750,000 Floridians health care.
The digital ad also criticizes Scott for supporting the repeal of Obamacare, which prevented insurers from discriminating against people with pre-existing conditions. Scott has since said he would support alternative health care plans that contain the pre-existing conditions provision.
“As governor, Rick Scott turned his back on the people of Florida; he enriched himself and his cronies and left middle-class Floridians high and dry,” said J.B. Poersch, president of SMP. “Florida families looked to Scott to fight for them, but, when given the chance, he restricted their access to health care, vetoed funding for critical substance abuse programs and instead gave tax cuts to the wealthy like himself. SMP and Priorities are committed to making sure that Florida voters know that Rick Scott didn’t look out for them in Tallahassee, and he won’t look out for them in the Senate.”
The ads will run in English and Spanish across a broad range of digital platforms including Facebook, Google, YouTube and Pandora, as well as on online news platforms such CNN, the New York Times, Univision and Telemundo.
“While Scott’s time in Tallahassee has been a windfall for Rick Scott and his wealthy friends, working Floridians who are facing rising health care premiums or whose loved ones are struggling with opioids have found themselves betrayed,” said Guy Cecil, chairman of Priorities USA Action. “Priorities and SMP are proud to partner on this campaign to make sure that middle class Floridians have a true fighter looking out for them in Washington, not Rick Scott.”
