Depending on whom you talk to, the State Senate District 22 race between Republican incumbent Jeff Brandes and Democrat Judithanne McLauchlan may or may not be one of the closest races in the Senate this fall.
Although heavily outgunned financially, McLauchlan, a USFSP political science professor for the past decade, has attacked Brandes hard via direct mail, calling him out on issues like property insurance and his allegiance to Duke Energy.
But Brandes isn't holding back. He's sent out a flurry of direct mail pieces himself in recent weeks (like the one at right), and now in a new television ad paid for by the Republican Party of Florida, the "liberal" professor is being hit for filing a personal bankruptcy, and for being a member of a group that advocates for a state income tax in the Sunshine State — a charge that McLauchlan is vigorously denying.
(video after the jump).
“I oppose, will always oppose, and have always opposed a state income tax," McLauchlan responded in a press release this afternoon. "Today's repulsive attack from Jeff Brandes is an outright lie. I’m disappointed he would stoop to unsubstantiated falsehoods, but it’s really no surprise that he wants to distract from his record of supporting Duke Energy’s utility tax while taking thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from them. I know the voters will see this for what it is — a desperate politician who can’t run on his record lying to keep his job.”
Chris Spencer, campaign manager for Senator Brandes, tells CL that the ad doesn't state that McLauchlan herself supports a state income tax, but is an active member of the League of Women Voters, which does support a state income tax.
McLauchlan is not denying that she filed for personal bankruptcy.
Below is one of the direct mail pieces that McLauchlan has directed toward Brandes recently.
(Update: Inside the RPOF mailer against McLauchlan listed at the top of this post is a quote from the Tampa Bay Times from 11/15/13 which says, "Judithanne McLauchlan wants to put Florida on the hook for what might be the most senseless part of ObamaCare - expanding Florida's already broken Medicaid program."
But Andy Bilyk with the McLauchlan campaign says that there was never such a quote in the Times.
"This completely calls into question all of the RPOF’s sources and claims on other mail and television ads," Bilyk says. "Their lies are directly distorting Judithanne McLauchlan’s positions, as well as certain positions of the local media.").
