You’re not going to see that many American politicians reference the World Cup in this year’s election campaign, especially considering that Team USA failed to qualify. But Florida, with a very large and diverse (used properly – as in, from many different countries) Latino population, is one state where the tournament will matter, and Republican Gov. Rick Scott, who is running for Senate against Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson, is going out of his way to highlight it.
In fact, perhaps as yet another sign that he has the cash to do anything he wants in this campaign, Scott just cut a Spanish-language ad that says nothing about the election at all – it’s just to mark the opening of the World Cup:
The ad is titled “Venimos,” or “We came.” My translation:
The world is rapt.
For a few days, time stops.
Each with his team, his shirt, and flag.
We here in Florida celebrate because we came from all over.
And this great state is now our home. Here, we find ourselves all united in the love of this great game.
After that, Scott – who can speak Spanish off the cuff, but does so with a jarring Yankee accent – says something like, “The time has come to sort out who’s best.”
The video features people rooting for Brazil (they don’t speak Spanish there, but it fits with the overall immigration theme), Colombia, and Mexico. Obviously, Scott has a lot riding on his performance with Hispanic voters in November. Scott won in 2010 with about 50 percent of their votes. That’s typically what a winning Republican gets in Florida, but Trump won with far less in 2016 (36 percent) and in 2014, a much less popular Scott barely survived re-election in carrying only 38 percent.
The Tampa Bay Times reported this week that Scott has already spent more than $17 million on 11 ads in an effort to define and bury his opponent early.
