Former House Republican Sandy Murman is in a primary battle with Trey Rustman for the District One Hillsborough County Commission race, with the winner to (maybe? probably?) face Democrat John Dingfelder in the fall.
It should be a close election on August 24, especially since it appears that there is a 527 group that is gunning after Murman.
The name of the group is Florida Future Leaders Fund, and they are sending out direct mail hailing Rustmann as a "Soldier. Patriot. Leader." The mail piece features Rustmann in full military regalia (he served in Bosnia and Iraq with the Marines).
There is also a new website, called movingmurman.com, that mocks Murman as being a career politician, and features a spinning wheel with Murman's head in the middle, with various options that the wheel could land on, such as "apply for Govt. job", or "Switch parties again!", or "Run for Mayor of Tampa."
CL contacted Murman Wednesday for comment but she did not return our call.
CL also contacted Chris Ingram, Rustmann's campaign manager, who said he knew nothing about the website or mailer, but thought said he thought it was "pretty funny.
Meanwhile, Ingram and former USF President Betty Castor have been named as the new commentators from the right and the left, respectively for Bay News 9.
However, the choice of Castor, the mother of Congresswoman Kathy Castor, who is on the ballot this November, is not going down well in the minds of some of Kathy's would be opponents or their supporters.
Tim Horton, who works for Adams, wrote on his Facebook page today,
"Bias?BayNews9 hires the "mommy" of an incumbent Congreswoman to be a "commentator" during the news this political season. really?"!
