Republicans continue to criticize the controversial mailer sent out in support of state Senator Loranne Ausley’s (D) reelection campaign.
The mailer, which depicts her political rival Corey Simon (R) on a shooting target, has received widespread condemnation among Republicans, and calls have been issued for Democrats Florida Rep. Charlie Crist (D) to condemn the ad. In a joint statement, state Representative Webster Barnaby (R) and nominee for state Representative Berny Jacques (R) have condemned the ad, calling it “dangerous imagery.”
In response to the advertisement, Kathleen Passidomo (R), the Senate President-Designate, released a statement, calling Democrats and Ausley hypocrites.
In their joint statement, Barnaby and Jacques argue that “the divisive, ignorant use of a black man for target practice has no place in civil political discourse,” calling on members of the Florida Black Caucus to “join us in condemning this mailer, and those who approved its creation and distribution.”
“We may not see eye-to-eye on everything, but surely we can agree that political disagreement should never include dangerous imagery of a black man being used for target practice,” they added.
Jacques and Barnaby concluded by noting several Democrats that are up for election in Florida, saying that “the dangerous, racist implications of this kind of imagery are unconscionable.”
“To think that Florida Democrats Lauren Book, Loranne Ausley, Janet Cruz, Janelle Perez and God only knows how many consultants, staff and lawyers participated in and approved this hateful garbage underscores the partisan hypocrisy,” Barnaby and Jacques commented.
The mailer was released by a fundraising panel dedicated to electing Democrats to the Florida Senate. Moreover, Florida election law states that advertisements not paid for directly by the candidate must be approved by that candidate. Effectively, as Barnaby and Jacques say in their joint statement, Book, Ausley, Cruz, and Perez had to approve of the ad prior to its distribution.
In her statement, Passidomo also called on Senator Book to “denounce this mailer and hold accountable those who are responsible for its disgusting content immediately.”
Senator Book has not responded to the call or provided a statement on the mailer.
In a request for comment, Janelle Perez tells The Floridian she has "no idea" who approved the mailer and says she "was not involved."
Writer Grayson Bakich contributed to this story.
