In the News
ICYMI: ‘Rick Scott’s Super PAC Releases Ad Narrated by January 6th Protester’ [MeidasTouch]
New reporting from MeidasTouch News reveals that the narrator of a new ad from Rick Scott’s super PAC was at the U.S. Capitol for the January 6th insurrection. The Florida woman featured in the pro-Scott ad was deeply involved in the Stop the Steal movement that led to the attack on the U.S. Capitol.
The ad is just the latest episode in Scott’s long record of election denialism. Scott was one of eight Senators who voted to overturn the 2020 presidential election and has refused to say if he’ll accept this year’s election results. Scott has also pushed racist conspiracies about non-citizens voting and continues to make baseless claims of voter fraud in his 2018 election.
Click here to read the full story. See key excerpts below:
- Senator Rick Scott’s super PAC has released a Spanish-language ad narrated by Erika Benfield, an individual who was present at the January 6th insurrection when Trump supporters attempted to overturn the 2020 election results.
- Not only was Benfield at the Capitol on January 6th, but she also appeared with Scott at an event just three months before this ad’s release.
- Scott’s super PAC, Project Rescue America, is closely tied to him. Project Rescue America’s Executive Director, Stu Sandler, previously held a leadership role in the National Republican Senatorial Committee while Scott served as its chairman.
- Apparently, that support now includes using a January 6th protester to encourage voters to support Scott. Benfield’s Twitter account features photos of her attending Trump’s January 6th rally.
- Her support for Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election has seemingly not deterred her continued association with Rick Scott.
- Perhaps this is unsurprising, considering Scott himself was one of the eight Senators who voted to overturn the 2020 election results.
- Scott isn’t just a threat to democratic values; he’s also proven to be a liability to his constituents in times of crisis. In 2021, he voted against funding the FEMA Disaster Relief Fund, despite representing a state vulnerable to hurricanes each year.
Now, it’s up to Florida voters to decide whether they want to support someone who voted to take away disaster relief funds, school lunches, and aid for families in need—and whose allies include those present at the Capitol on January 6th.