Democratic rivals for governor clash over ad

TALLAHASSEE – Long-simmering ill will between two top Democratic gubernatorial candidates broke out into the open Thursday, exposing a rift in the party.

The campaign of Gwen Graham, the only woman running for governor, rallied supporters to her defense, bashing an ad paid for by a group supporting Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, the only African-American in the campaign.

“These type of dirty tricks have no place in our state or our party, and he should immediately call for the ad to be taken down,” said Rep. Amy Mercado, D-Orlando, a Graham supporter.

Graham and Gillum are in a four-way contest for the Democratic nomination against Miami Beach Mayor Phillip Levine and Winter Park businessman Chris King.

The ad casts Graham, a former congresswoman from Tallahassee, as a turncoat Democrat who voted with Republicans frequently when she was in office. It notes that Graham voted for the Keystone XL pipeline, a bill that chipped away at the Dodd-Frank bank regulations and “trashed Obamacare.”

It was paid for by The Collective, a political committee supporting African-American candidates nationwide.

Graham’s campaign slammed the ad as misleading and sent letters to TV stations asking them to remove it. She was a vocal supporter of Obamacare but said it should be improved, and was attacked by Republicans during her 2014 campaign.

“Knowing that the advertisement is false, and possessing the legal authority to refuse to run it, your station should exercise that authority in the public interest,” Graham campaign attorney Mark Herron wrote in the letter.

Gillum’s campaign said it had nothing to do with the ad but also that Graham would have to defend her record.

“In this race no candidate will be able to run from their voting record, but if we had a choice in this ad, we’d want Mayor Gillum’s progressive record to be the focus,” Gillum spokesman Geoff Burgan said. “The Graham campaign seems to be uncomfortable with her own voting record.”

Other groups supporting Graham condemned Gillum for accepting $266,000 from Collective Future, a dark money group that doesn’t disclose its donors. Gillum has also received $500,000 from George Soros, a billionaire supporter of progressive causes.

“[Gillum] is embracing secret money to slander Graham’s record,” Mercado said.

Gillum’s campaign, though, noted that Graham has received plenty of money of out-of-state groups. Emily’s List, a nationwide group supporting female Democratic candidates who support abortion rights, has given $240,000 to Graham’s campaign.

In a sign of how heated the fight between the two campaigns is getting, Leslie Wimes, a Gillum supporter who doesn’t work for the campaign, drew swift rebukes from Graham supporters for calling Graham a “skank” on Twitter.

“Instead of calling for an end to sexist attacks on Gwen Graham, Andrew Gillum has obfuscated and perpetuated the negativity,” said Emily’s List president Stephanie Schriock.

Gillum’s campaign said it prefers supporters to focus on positively supporting Gillum, whose campaign put out an ad Thursday featuring Gillum highlighting his background and progressive agenda – Medicare for all, $15 minimum wage and a ban on assault weapons.

The Republican Governor’s Association reveled in the attacks and labeled Graham a “phony,” trying to run as a progressive in a Democratic primary.