Guns Are Big Issue In Fla Attorney General Race
BY BUDDY NEVINS
With the circus in Washington and high visibility cage match for governor and senator, most voters pay little attention to the Florida Attorney General’s race.
That could change soon.
A lot of interest in the race should come from one issue: Guns.
Guns are a hotter topic among voters since the shootings at Parkland’s Majory Stoneman Douglas High earlier this year. Much of this attention has been fueled by a group of media savvy, telegenic MSD students arguing for tougher gun controls.
And guns could propel this race onto your mobile’s screen.
The reason? The candidates are polar opposites on guns. They are oil and water. They are the NRA’s Wayne LaPierre and anti-gun billionaire Michael Bloomberg:
- Ashley Moody, the Republican, pledges to “never waver” from the Constitutional right to “keep and bear arms.”
- Sean Shaw, the Democrat, promises to advocate for a ban on assault weapons and a repeal of the “Stand Your Ground” law.
Ashley Moody and Sean Shaw
Whether the gun issue can win an election remains to be seen, but it will draw more attention to the race, especially in urban areas.
Knowing guns are controversial, Moody is trying to keep the focus of voters on her experience. She is a former prosecutor and currently is a circuit judge in Tampa.
“I am the only candidate in this race — running to be the top prosecutor in the state of Florida — that has been a prosecutor, that has prosecuted a case successfully,” she told the Tallahassee Democrat before the primary.
Voters paying attention will soon find out that Moody also embraces a lot of GOP red meat issues — eliminating government waste, cracking down on dangerous gangs, defending religious freedoms by “opposing government overreach into matters of faith” and protecting the rights of the unborn.
“Ashley Moody is 100 percent pro life,” states her website.
Shaw is a member of the state House from Tampa, a former state insurance consumer advocate and the son of the late Florida Supreme Court Justice Leander Shaw Jr.
He promises to defend consumers against corporate ripoffs and enforce civil rights laws.
Shaw criticizes the attorney general’s office for the past eight years under Attorney General Pam Bondi as “little more than a rubber stamp for unchecked practices that have allowed shady businesses to rip off consumers…”
Bondi is term limited and has endorsed Moody as her replacement.
The attorney general is the state’s top law enforcement officer and one of four members of the all-important Florida’s Cabinet, which governs vast swaths of state government.
Shaw brings his Democratic campaign to Fort Lauderdale this week with a Fort Lauderdale fund raiser.
September 18th, 2018 at 2:10 pm
After Parkland, Gun Control is now settled science.
After seeing the coward from Broward hiding in fear while children are being slaughtered, we all know that we must be able to protect ourselves and our families. We can’t rely on the government to protect us.
September 18th, 2018 at 3:45 pm
We should have an Attorney General that spent time suing drug companies and others who rob from our pockets.Instead, we have Pam Bondi who spent millions on a lawsuit to gut the Affordable Heathare Act, which is supported by a large majority. Moody is the same as Bondi. We are through with this type of politician who works against us.
September 18th, 2018 at 7:15 pm
Speaking and referring on a local level etc.wasn’t former Ft.Lau mayor Jack Seiler suppose to be in the mix here.I mean what a year or two ago thats all i heard was about him running for AG.What happened?.Anyhow i don’ t know either one of these canidates.I could get hit by a bus by either of them and would not know them.Back to Seiler.Run for county comm.next time around.Easn’t perfect( Seiler) but liked how he represented the residents( style)…