After Buchanan’s attack, Shapiro stays positive in first TV ad
After being dealt a blow by Vern Buchanan’s attack ad, Democratic congressional candidate David Shapiro launched his first television spot Tuesday.
The ad, which will air in the Tampa-St. Petersburg market, highlights Shapiro’s commitment to fighting for “everyday people,” according to Alex Vuskovic, Shapiro’s campaign manager. Last week, Buchanan, R-Longboat Key, put out an ad accusing Shapiro of being a hypocrite due to his stock holdings.
Both candidates are running for Florida’s 16th Congressional District, which encompasses Manatee County and parts of Sarasota and Hillsborough counties.
After filing his financial disclosure forms, it was revealed that Shapiro owns stock in gun manufacturers through mutual funds and individual stock in oil companies. The Buchanan campaign used that information to accuse Shapiro of being a hypocrite after he had rallied to “stand up” against the gun lobby.
Shapiro’s ad reaffirms that commitment by reminding viewers of his experience as a local attorney and the decision that led him into the race.
The 30-second commercial begins with a flashback to Shapiro’s youth, as he watched older kids bully another boy and walked away “scared and shamed.” That moment, he says, inspired him to take a vow to stand up for others.
“As an attorney for more than 30 years, I’ve spent my career protecting people from predatory insurance companies, government incompetence and big corporations,” said Shapiro. “I plan to take that same fight to Washington, where career politicians have failed to protect Florida families time and time again.”
The Buchanan campaign responded to the ad swiftly, calling it “more hypocrisy and deceit from Shapiro.” Max Goodman, Buchanan’s campaign manager, called out Shapiro’s stock investments once more.
“If he actually cared about people, why would he buy individual stock in the pharmaceutical companies accused of fueling the drug crisis? If he actually cared about people, why would he buy individual stock in Halliburton, which was found guilty in the Gulf oil spill that killed 11 people? Sneaky Shapiro says one thing publicly but does another privately. He can’t be trusted,” Goodman said.
However, Buchanan’s financial disclosure shows that he invests in mutual funds that also have stock holding in the same companies that he attacks Shapiro for owning. While Shapiro’s new ad does not go after Buchanan directly, he did fight back against the accusations of hypocrisy last week, calling Buchanan “exactly what’s wrong with Washington.”
In the Aug. 28 primary election, Shapiro will run against Jan Schneider. However, pollsters widely expect Shapiro to defeat her and advance to run against Buchanan in the Nov. 6 general election. The congressional race has garnered national attention from outlets that predict a possibility of Shapiro flipping a traditionally red district.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has added Shapiro to its Red to Blue program that aims to support candidates with a fighting chance of winning back Republican seats. However, according to OpenSecrets.org, Buchanan’s campaign raised about twice as much money as Shapiro’s, as of June 30.
This story was originally published July 31, 2018 at 12:35 PM.