Garcia released a digital video on Wednesday featuring politicians and residents from the Keys praising the congressman. Robin Smith Martin, who sits on the Monroe County School Board, looks to paint Garcia as a moderate in one of the new ads.
Joe is a great guy, Martin says in the ad. He is a moderate Democrat. Hes pro-business. He understands that business makes the world go round but at the same time he puts people first.
The Garcia team also released a much shorter video on Wednesday which also focuses on the Keys.
Garcia looked to play up his ties to the Keys on Wednesday.
As a resident of the Keys, I work closely with Keys residents, elected officials and community leaders to make sure their interests are represented in Washington, Garcia said. Weve had great success in the past two years to keep the Keys moving forward, working to cap flood insurance rates, adding additional medical staff to Monroe County VA clinics, securing millions of federal dollars for wastewater improvements and preventing cuts to Medicare. I am proud to announce an ad made up of so many Keys residents. These individuals are not only my friends and neighbors, but are also important leaders in our community and I am grateful to have their support.
Earlier in the election, Curbelo made a play for Keys voters in a commercial of his own featuring longtime U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., who represented the area before redistricting.
But, even as Garcia launches his new ads, he faces more attack ads. Conservative group American Action Network (AAN) announced on Wednesday it was going to send $1.1 million to South Florida to run TV and online ads against Garcia. The new ads, which are in both English and Spanish, hit Garcia on ethics.
Joe Garcia is the dictionary definition of a hypocrite, promising strong ethics and instead delivering more scandal, said Emily Davis, a spokeswoman for AAN on Wednesday. For all Joe Garcias talk about keeping the public trust, hes up to his eyeballs trying to defend himself while criminal investigations have already landed his right-hand man in jail. South Florida families deserve better than Joe Garcias scandals.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
