The Republican Party of Florida (RPOF) released a digital advertisement this week slamming U.S. Senate candidate Alexander Vindman (D) for his "traitorous" role in impeachment efforts against President Donald Trump.
Vindman, a former national security aide, testified against President Trump following a 2019 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in which Trump was accused of holding $400 million in congressionally approved military aid as leverage for an investigation into then-President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, by the country.
Also a retired colonel, the 1-minute ad refers to Vindman as an "unelected bureaucrat" who went outside of his chain of command in the efforts.
"If he couldn't follow protocol then, why trust him now?" the ad argues. It also calls Vindman "too partisan" and "too reckless" for Florida.
“Alexander Vindman (D-AZ) is the human embodiment of Trump Derangement Syndrome,” Florida GOP Chairman Evan Power said in a release. “He used his position in government to try to override the will of the American people and betrayed their trust. He doesn’t belong in the U.S. Senate – he belongs in jail.”
Vindman announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination in January. In his announcement, Vindman criticized President Trump as a "wannabe tyrant" through a campaign ad shared on social media.
Along with calling Vindman "vindictive" in their ad, the RPOF slammed Vindman as a "traitor" and a "puppet" for his role in Trump's first impeachment in a previous statement. They also criticized him for supposedly using an Arizona address to file for the U.S. Senate nomination in Florida, which is why Power may have put D-AZ in his statement.
Vindman is running against Rep. Angie Nixon (D-Jacksonville) for the Democratic nomination.
The winner will likely face Sen. Ashley Moody (R) in the special general election. Notably, Moody has been endorsed by Trump and the Florida GOP.
Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Sen. Moody to the U.S. Senate in January 2025 to replace Marco Rubio.
The U.S. Senate special election primary is Aug. 18, with the general election on Nov. 3.
