Wednesday, August 7, 2024

Ads say Carmen Torres took money from Ron DeSantis, Donald Trump donors. But did she?

By Jacob Ogles on August 7, 2024

Mailers reaching voters in Senate District 25 slam Democrat Carmen Torres for sharing donors with Ron DeSantis and Donald Trump. But citations on the mailers don't back up that claim.

Torres, who is running to succeed her husband, state Sen. Vic Torres, slammed the ads as misleading.

"Competition is good but I don't have to cheat, lie or bully people to get elected," the Orlando Democrat said. "One person one vote. The people will decide."

The ads claim "Torres donors gave $20 million to Trump, DeSantis and extreme Republicans." They list a citation to fundraising records with the Florida Division of Elections and Federal Election Commission. But looking at least at the major donors to Trump and DeSantis, none gave to Torres' state Senate campaign.

The Orlando Democrat raised more than $112,000 in her bid, and that includes 54 donations for a maximum $1,000. But there is no overlap with a list of top donors to presidential campaigns for DeSantis or Trump, according to Open Secrets.

The ads in question otherwise paint Torres as a puppet of the insurance industry. Multiple ads say "Big Insurance" gave $900,000 to Torres and to Republicans. That cites a South Florida Sun-Sentinel article from March 14, but the newspaper site has no articles mentioning Torres.

The Florida Association of Health Underwriters, a political committee, did give Torres $500 in July. But that committee has given just over $92,000 in political donations in its 11-year lifespan. None went to Trump.

The committee has given to politicians in both parties. Notably, that includes a $500 donation to Kristen Arrington, one of the Democrats also running in SD 25 and who Torres believes the ads aim to help.

But the political committee also gave to incumbent Republican state Reps. Carolina Amesty, Jennifer Canady, Rachel Plakon, Susan Plasencia and David Smith. All but Canady, a future House Speaker, are in races expected to be competitive in November.

The mailers come from a political committee called the Consumer Rights Action Fund, formed by John T. Fox in March.

The committee in July reported a $60,000 donation from the Florida Consumer Alliance, an advocacy group with a mission of supporting "Florida's retail customers, ratepayers, and policyholders."

That group has little activity on its Facebook page but in prior years has produced op-eds in Florida media, including Florida Politics, raising concerns about inflation and prescription drug costs.

Calls were placed to Fox about the mailers circulating in SD 25.

Torres faces Arrington and former U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson in an Aug. 20 Democratic Primary. The winner will advance and face the winner of a Republican primary between Jon Arguello and Jose Martinez.