Welcome back to RBG’s Weekly Scoop, giving you the inside scoop on everything pertaining to the 2022 Gubernatorial Race and, most importantly, our efforts to oust Ron DeSantis from the Florida Governor’s mansion.
The Democrats vs. Ron
The gap between the DeSantis campaign’s digital spending and the Democrats’ digital spending continues to widen with the DeSantis campaign spending a whopping $125K over the last 90 days on Facebook and Google ads.
The DeSantis campaign is continuing to prioritize spending on Google ads with their total spend reaching $94,000 for the past 90 days. At the same time, the DeSantis campaign only spent a total of $39,000 on Facebook ads.
Meanwhile, Charlie Crist is the only Democratic candidate running ads on Google, albeit at a rate nowhere near DeSantis’ investment in the platform. The Crist campaign continues to favor spending on Facebook ads, racking up a spend of $42,821 over the past 90 days, only spending a total of $5,300 on Google ads over the same time period.
On Facebook, Charlie Crist is continuing to experiment with Spanish-language ads to reach Latino voters with boosted news articles. One links to an exclusive interview with the candidate for Telemundo, the other shares the news that the Biden Administration Plans to Invest $1.1 Billion in Everglades Restoration.
The Race for Governor Online
In breaking news, some elderly Hispanic voters in Miami say their voter registration was unknowingly changed from Democrat to Republican. Sen. Annette Taddeo, Democratic candidate for Governor and vice-chair of the Ethics and Election Committee in the Florida Senate joined CNN to discuss the matter, “It doesn’t seem like a one-off mistake, it is a concerted effort.”
Both Nikki Fried and Charlie Crist joined Sen. Taddeo in calling for investigations into these reports, sharing news updates on the situation to their Twitter accounts.
Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried shared a video of her joining Democratic lawmakers and activists on Monday in a rally against a Republican proposal that would stomp the teachings of critical race theory in Florida.
Fried remarked on her disgust at DeSantis’ inability to denounce the Nazi gathering in Orlando last week, captioning the video, “Every Floridian needs to hear this. The hate Ron DeSantis is enabling and promoting is destructive. It’s wrong. And we have to stop it now.”
On Tuesday Rep. Charlie Crist released a statement on FL Republican’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill. In the statement, Crist says, “Governor DeSantis continues to needlessly inject politics into our schools, censoring our teachers, our students, and sending the wrong message to kids already at a higher risk for discrimination, and even suicide.”
In the Press
RON DESANTIS
NBC News: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signals support for ‘Don’t Say Gay bill February 8, 2022. Ron DeSantis voiced his support for a bill that would prohibit the discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in the state’s primary schools.
CNN: DeSantis refuses to take sides between Pence and Trump. February 8, 2022. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was one of the first big-named Republicans to suggest that state lawmakers could have overturned the 2020 election.
Sun Sentinel: DeSantis Says election fraud would go to state prosecutor. February 7, 2022. DeSantis weighs in on seniors’ voter fraud complaints in Miami-Dade county.
Tampa Bay Times: DeSantis, other Republicans seize on GoFundMe controversy over Canadian trucker protest. February 7, 2022. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz were among those who attacked GoFundMe for initially saying out would redistribute the remaining funds among charities chosen by protest organizers.
NIKKI FRIED
Florida Politics: Democrats, activists decry ‘individual Freedom’ bill at Capitol rally. February 7, 2022. Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and Democratic lawmakers led activists Monday in a “rally” against a Republican proposal that would stomp the teachings of critical race theory in Florida.
CHARLIE CRIST
Florida Politics: Pat Gerard nabs endorsement from Charlie Crist in Pinellas Commission re-election big. February 7, 2022. U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist has announced his endorsement of Pinellas County Commissioner Pat Gerard, who is running for re-election to the District 2 seat.
ANNETTE TADDEO
Politico: Key Latino group urges Derms not to write off Florida. February 8, 2022. Florida state Sen. Annette Taddeo has long been warning her party that they will continue losing ground in Florida if they don’t focus on and improve their Latino outreach immediately.
It’s going to take everything we have to fight back against the illegal and unethical tactics that the GOP is employing in Florida. To support Ron Be Gone’s voter registration and turnout efforts ahead of the critical midterm elections, you can contribute online via ActBlue here or reach out to mikayla@ronbegone.com for more information.
Thank you for your continued support.
Team RonBeGone