Looking to protect U.S. Rep. Steve Southerland, R-Fla., from a serious challenge from Democrat Gwen Graham, the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) unleashed a new TV ad on Tuesday which brings up her past work for a liberal presidential candidate.
The new ad ties Graham to former Gov. Howard Dean, D-Vt., during his 2004 presidential campaign, calling her a key aide. After former Gov. and U.S. Sen. Bob Graham, D-Fla., flopped in the 2004 Democratic presidential primaries, he endorsed Dean and his daughter went to work for the former Vermont governor.
Katie Prill, a spokeswoman for the NRCC, also noted that Graham went on to work for then-U.S. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., during the 2004 presidential campaign after Dean lost in the Democratic primaries. Despite being the daughter of one of the most prominent politicians in Florida history and working for the likes of Kerry and Dean, Graham has claimed she is a political outsider and has made it one of the cornerstones of her campaign.
Gwen Graham has spent her career working as a political insider for extreme liberals like Howard Dean and John Kerry, Prill said on Tuesday. Now Gwen wants to go to Washington and continue to push Nancy Pelosis extreme agenda like Obamacare. We cant trust Gwen Graham in Congress.
But the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) unveiled two new ads of its own on Tuesday which attack Southerland. In one of the new TV spots, the DCCC showcases a woman hit hard by the recession who insists Southerland wants to privatize Social Security.
The other ad from the DCCC released on Tuesday hits Southerland for being out of touch with the district and accuses him of living large in Washington." The ad claims Southerland is more concerned about defending his public perks including voting to give himself health-care for life and trying to keep the congressional gym open even after he shut down the government.
With five weeks to go, both campaigns are increasingly taking off the gloves.
Earlier this week, Julia Gill Woodward, Grahams campaign manager, tried to rally supporters behind her candidate by bringing up Southerlands supporters which, she claims, reads like a whos who in tea party politics and conservative extremists like the Koch Brothers and Karl Rove and John Boehner and extremist groups. Woodward also labeled the NRCC as John Boehners slush fund.
On the other side, Southerland went after Graham on Monday, saying she flip-flopped on Floridas legal fight with Georgia over water headed to Apalachicola Bay where the oyster industry is currently struggling. Southerland pointed to statements Graham made in the spring and at the start of August in which she questioned whether the legal fight was the way to go before changing her tune last week.
Our oystermen and coastal communities deserve consistent leadership and a representative whos willing to fight for them, said Southerland. Gwen Graham has proven shell provide neither. Shes argued for months that Floridas lawsuit was not in the best interest of Apalachicola Bay and only flipped her position in the elections closing weeks. We cant trust someone in Congress who will argue both sides of an issue as important as this. Georgia is working nonstop to steal our water, and Im fighting tooth and nail to stop them. That was the case two months ago, and it will be the case two months from now.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
