A conservative group that aims to appeal to the Hispanic community hit the Florida airwaves on Wednesday morning with a new ad campaign urging people to reelect Republican Sen. Marco Rubio.
The LIBRE Initiative has been in operation since 2011 but has never directly called for individuals to vote for a candidate before Rubio. The group's executive director Daniel Garza said Rubio has been a "leader" on issues that help Latinos.
"Marco Rubio has been a leader in the Senate on issues that help Latinos toward prosperity," said Garza. "He has engaged with the Hispanic community throughout the state, listening to the concerns of the people, and making sure the federal government is listening as well."
The ad, which will be aired both in English and Spanish, contrasts Rubio's record with that of his Democratic opponent Patrick Murphy, pointing to accusations that Murphy has traded donations for favors during his time in the House of Representatives.
"Floridians deserve a senator who puts us first," says the ad. "But in Congress, Patrick Murphy voted to send our tax dollars to special interests and backed laws favoring his family business and political friends."
The group's ad campaign will be supplemented by what it describes as a "robust field effort to inform Latinos in Florida about Rubio's leadership on issues of importance to the Latino community. The group has full time staff working in cities across the state, with the largest operations in Miami and Orlando.
The Spanish version of the ad can be viewed below.