Sen. Bill Nelson doesn’t have the resources that Gov. Rick Scott does in their senatorial race. But Nelson just spent wisely on two 30-second ads. One uses video of Scott mouthing one of his mantras: “Results speak for themselves.” They are juxtaposed to graphics and a voiceover underscoring issues ranging from health-coverage denials and education cuts to the toxic algae crisis and portfolio self-interest while in office. The “one’s own words” approach is never bad political strategy.
The other ad reinforces the political axiom that a candidate shouldn’t go solely negative, even if said candidate doesn’t have a high-profile, high-accomplishment congressional track record. This one references Nelson’s space flight from back in the day–a reality that a good chunk of this electorate is surely clueless about. Nelson reflects on his literal view of America from space. “I look back at Earth. I didn’t see religious divisions. I didn’t see political divisions. I didn’t see racial divisions. What I saw is we’re all in this together. If we just remembered that, we’d get a lot more done.”