Fried Has No Shame

Photo credit: John Raoux, AP

Let’s get this out of the way. This isn’t the first time I’ve written you about this, and unfortunately it probably won’t be the last: Nikki Fried has no shame when it comes to using her taxpayer-funded office or position to campaign for higher office – which isn’t even going all that well based on her fundraising and public polling.

Fried held a press conference yesterday organized by her taxpayer-funded office about COVID-19. It’s not really something that falls under her purview as Commissioner of Agriculture, but as “Florida’s only statewide elected Democrat” she alleged she felt obligated to do so. But if the conference’s focus attacking her campaign opponent didn’t make her real motivations clear, her campaign announcement today sure does. 

Almost immediately and before any official accounts, Fried’s campaign social media accounts repeatedly sent out clips from the “official office” press conference. And in less than 24 hours her campaign managed to record, produce, announce, and release a statewide campaign ad to go along with her taxpayer-funded press conference from yesterday.

“Nikki Fried’s pathetic fundraising and campaign staff exodus aren’t justifiable reasons for her to rely on her taxpayer-funded staff or resources for political purposes – especially not when she’s already been accused of not doing her job,” said RGA spokesperson Joanna Rodriguez. “If Fried is so proud of being the ‘only statewide elected Democrat’ then she should show some respect for that title by doing her job instead of misusing her office to further her political ambitions.”