Lizbeth Benacquisto Team Attacks Curt Clawson in CD 19 Fight

Abby Dosoretz, the campaign manager for Florida Senate Majority Leader Lizbeth Benacquisto, R-Fort Myers, turned up the heat on Republican primary rival Curt Clawson. They are running in the Republican primary to replace former U.S. Rep. Trey Radel, R-Fla., who resigned in January after pleading guilty of cocaine possession.

Here on the Lizbeth Benacquisto team we like to stay focused on a positive message, highlighting Lizbeth's strong conservative credentials, and stay away from any discussion of our opponents, Dosoretz informed supporters on Monday. But, we do think it is important that all candidates are vetted properly. In the post-Radel era, we need to know exactly who we are dealing with.

As you may have heard, one of our opponents is a man from Michigan by the name of Curt Clawson, Dosoretz added. He is an unknown to the area, and has been spending millions on TV ads to cast himself as an outsider businessman. Now we know this was all a lie.

Dosoretz pointed to an article from the Naples Daily News on Clawsons record in the private sector and offered her take on it.

Clawson drove his business into bankruptcy twice, hired Democratic lobbyists to obtain a $94 million taxpayer-funded bailout, and donated to Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow -- one of the architects of Obamacare -- in exchange for inserting a loophole into the Obamacare law to bail out his failing company, Dosoretz insisted. Normally, we would just let Lizbeth's strong conservative record speak for itself. But because Clawson is basing his entire campaign on his so-called "business experience" -- which turns out to be full of bailouts, bankruptcies, lobbyists and layoffs -- we felt it was important for you to see this article.

Dosoretz urged supporters to share the article and even compared Clawon to Radel. Just like our former congressman, this man from Michigan is not who he says he is. We can't get burned again, Dosoretz added.