With four weeks to go, the race in Congressional District 18 is coming down to the independence of freshman U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Fla.
Facing former state Rep. Carl Domino, who won the Republican primary in August, Murphy released a new TV ad this week which plays up his political independence. The ad features independent and Republican voters praising Murphy. In the commercial, Murphy showcases a National Journal article from August which claimed he was in the top 5 percent of most independent members of the U.S. House.
Patricks people-powered campaign highlights the broad support he continues to receive across the district for his commitment to independence, said Anthony Kusich, Murphys campaign manager. Whether Democratic, Republican or independent, it is clear the people of the Treasure Coast and Palm Beaches know that Patrick will put partisanship aside and do what is best for the community.
This is the ninth TV ad Murphy has released as he continues to run against Domino. So far, Murphy has ignored his Republican opponent in his commercials.
Domino has been much more aggressive as he tries to catch Murphy. The Republicans most recent ad, which was unveiled late last week, shows Murphy running with the narrator insisting he is a liberal follower trying to run away from his support of President Barack Obama and U.S. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
On Monday, Domino took the gloves off to portray Murphy as pro-Obamacare," pro-amnesty for illegal immigrants" and pro-tax and spend.
In a message to supporters, Domino continued to try to connect Murphy to other Democrats in the Beltway.
By voting 84 percent of the time with Pelosi in Congress, Murphy is now Obama's most reliable rubber stamp in Washington, Domino noted.
Domino called into question Murphys independence.
Now that he's running for re-election and vulnerable, Murphy is desperately trying to run away from a broken Washington record of support for the Obama-Pelosi agenda, Domino insisted. He claims to be an independent, despite his support for the government takeover of health care, open borders, and a host of new tax-and-spend schemes. That's why we must warn Florida's voters about Murphy's love affair with the Obama-Pelosi agenda before it's too late.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
