Facebook Twitter Tumblr Close Skip to main content
A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Crist Ads Misrepresent DeSantis Statements on Abortion and Background Checks on Guns

Crist Ads Misrepresent DeSantis Statements on Abortion and Background Checks on Guns

Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wants to eliminate state permit requirements for carrying concealed firearms, and he supports banning abortion, with limited exceptions, after 15 weeks of pregnancy. But political ads from former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist’s campaign misleadingly claim that DeSantis opposes “any background checks” on gun buyers and “wants to ban abortion” in all cases.

Florida GOP Attacks Crist with Misleading Claims About the IRS and Police

Florida GOP Attacks Crist with Misleading Claims About the IRS and Police

President Biden and Democrat Charlie Crist have said that they don’t support calls to defund the police. And a law that both men supported provides funding for the IRS to potentially hire tens of thousands of new employees — mostly in customer service, not tax auditing, bureau officials have said. But a Florida GOP ad makes distorted claims about both issues.

Did Barr Mislead Congress?

Did Barr Mislead Congress?

Democrats claim Attorney General William Barr misled Congress last month when asked if he was aware of concerns that special counsel Robert S. Mueller’s team may have had with his March 24 memo summarizing the Mueller report. We’ll lay out the facts on the matter.

NRA’s Ominous But Misleading Appeal

NRA’s Ominous But Misleading Appeal

A series of NRA ads employ images of an intruder breaking into the home of a mother home alone with her baby to make the case that Democratic candidates have “voted to take away your gun rights.” But the implication of the jarring imagery goes far beyond the facts.

Florida Surrogates Go Nuclear

Florida Surrogates Go Nuclear

Two well-heeled surrogates of Gov. Rick Scott and former Gov. Charlie Crist continue to pollute the Florida airwaves with misleading claims. This time they distort the facts of a state settlement last year with Duke Energy.

Florida Fracking Fracas

Florida Fracking Fracas

A Florida ad attacking Republican Gov. Rick Scott has touched off claims of lying and illegality. We find both sides are bending the facts.

Sunday Replay

This week, we find guests on the Sunday public affairs shows making false statements about disclosure of political funds, whether a Senate candidate pushed to have terrorists tried in his home state or favored letting states ban private health insurance, and whether middle-income families would pay more if the Bush tax cuts were extended for everybody.
Rove’s Lame Claim
Republican strategist Karl Rove misled viewers of CBS’ "Face the Nation" with a false claim that labor unions aren’t disclosing where they get the millions they are spending in the 2010 elections.

Rubio Misfires on Crist’s Health Care Shift

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist’s position on the new federal health care law has shifted, but not as much as Marco Rubio’s latest ad says.

In the highly competitive race for the U.S. Senate, Rubio — the presumptive GOP nominee — released an ad July 22 titled “The People,” which claims: “Charlie Crist now says he supports Obamacare.” That’s not true.
The Rubio campaign cites a July 20 Wall Street Journal article describing how Crist has tempered his positions since deciding to drop out of the Republican primary and run in the general election as an independent.

Boyd’s Ad on Florida Jobs Stretches Truth

Democratic Rep. Allen Boyd of Florida is running a TV ad falsely accusing his primary opponent of having "killed jobs," while exaggerating his own record for creating jobs.

The ad, titled “Job Killer,” has been airing since May 20 in Boyd’s North Florida district.
Job Killer?
Rep. Boyd’s ad goes too far when it charges that his rival, state Sen. Al Lawson, “killed” transportation and hospital jobs when he voted for the fiscal year 2011 state budget.

Shady Deals in the Sunshine State?

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist has launched another ad attacking GOP primary opponent Marco Rubio — and the ethics and legality of his past dealings. They’re campaigning to get the Republican nod for a Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Mel Martinez. The primary is in August.
Crist’s ad draws parallels between Rubio, a former state House speaker, and Ray Sansom, Rubio’s budget chairman when he was speaker and, until recently, a state representative. The ad claims both were known for "preposterous deal-making,"