The current circus show known as the Republican special election race in Florida’s 19th congressional district, has become nothing more than an embarrassing display of attack ads by all of the candidates and their supporting Super PAC’s.
Since the candidates, Curt Clawson, Paige Kreegel, Lizbeth Benacquisto, and the PAC’s that support Kreegel and Benacquisto, have all decided to whallow in the mud pool of dirty personal attack ads, it is only fitting that we focus on what we “personally” know about each of the candidates.
Paige Kreegel
- Was accused of ditching his patients and their medical records when he suspended his practice to run for office. Kreegel later stated that upon his leaving the Janick Medical Group, his patients were then looked after by the medical group’s “remaining staff.”
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Curt Clawson
- Raised questions from conservatives when it was known that he donated money to liberal U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), and to anti-Tea Party Republican Senator Mitch McConnell.
- A TV attack ad by Lizbeth Benaquisto aired painting Clawson as being responsible for the death of an employee, numerous OSHA violations, and a bankruptcy of his old company, Hayes-Lemmerz.
- The same ad falsely accused him of receiving an “Obamacare bailout” for Hayes-Lemmerz in 2009. Even Sarah Palin got into the mix by referring to Clawson as a crony capitalist who accepted government bailouts. Obamacare was not signed into law until 2010.
- Clawson is now being tied to a sex offender, who lived at a home in Utah that Clawson recently sold, prior to running for Congress.
- A recent report now states the Clawson did not file his financial disclosure forms currently, and could be in hot water with the FEC.
Lizbeth Benacquisto
- Benacquisto’s marriage to long-time liberal Democrat money-man, Bruce Strayhorn, who supported both Clinton and Obama in 2008, has brought many conservatives to question her judgment.
- She is accused by her opponents of being an establishment Republican “Yes” woman because she has voted in lock-step with the GOP as a state Senator.
- Benacquisto is also accused of not being as conservative as she claims to be, this after it was discovered that she embraced the 2009 Stimulus Act, and worked hard to get the federal dollars. Benacquisto sat on the Village Council in Palm Beach County, Florida, prior to serving in the Florida legislature, where she voted to raise a wide range of taxes.
- Prior to this week’s Wink News and FOX 92.5 debate, for which she is scheduled to attend, Benacquisto has been accused of dodging her opponents and voters by missing prior forums.
- Unknown quantity
Aside from Kreegel’s “three prong” healthcare plan, and Clawson economic plan, there hasn’t been any substantive policy offerings from any of the candidates.
Voters in Southwest Florida will have to know decide which of the four Republican candidate wears the least political mud.
If it boils down to cleanest candidate of the four, then Michael Dreikorn is the clear winner.