Facing a serious threat from Democratic challenger Gwen Graham, the daughter of former Gov. and U.S. Sen. Bob Graham, D-Fla., U.S. Rep. Steve Southerland, R-Fla., released a TV ad on Monday playing up his national security credentials and tying his opponent to President Barack Obama and U.S. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
America faces serious challenges in an increasingly uncertain world, said Southerland on Monday. Thats why I voted to end the Beltway bickering and secure our borders now. And its why I voted to give the president the tools necessary to defeat ISIS in the Middle East. Now more than ever, we need leaders who are willing to put politics aside and work together to make the world a safer place for our children and grandchildren. Theres too much at stake to do anything less.
Despite her efforts to portray herself as an outsider to Washington, Graham got help from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) which launched a new ad of its own on Monday. The new ad attacks Southerland on Social Security.
Some people have interesting ways to tuck away cash for the future, the narrator of the new DCCC ad says. But theyre not nearly as crazy as Congressman Steve Southerlands plan for your retirement. Southerland would gamble your Social Security on Wall Street. The same people who wrecked our economy. Sound crazy? Well, Steve Southerland did receive $100,000 from Wall Street. Congressman Steve Southerland: they get rich, and North Florida pays the price.
The Graham campaign also pounded Southerland on Monday, calling the congressman a tea party extremist in an email sent out to supporters.
While Graham continues to insist she is a political outsider, the Florida Democratic leadership is stepping up to help her. At the end of last week, the Graham campaign announced that her father, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., and Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Allison Tant will host a fundraiser in Tallahassee on Sunday for the Democratic candidate. Graham worked as an aide to her fathers failed bid for the Democratic presidential nomination during the 2004 election cycle. After her father ended his campaign, Graham worked for the presidential bids of former Gov. Howard Dean, D-Vt., and then U.S. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
