ORLANDO, Fla. — The newest ad in the District 26 Florida House race is drawing a lot of attention, but our truth test found it to be incredibly lacking.
The ad starts with a false claim.
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“Radical politician Patrick Henry pledged to defund our police.”
That’s not true...The two sites listed in the Florida Republican Party ad never use the word “defund.”
However, they do call for the creation of a commission to study where resources are spent, with the goal of allowing police to focus on law enforcement rather than social issues.
“You look at the website and the pledge that they have is very tame. It is just a set of goals by 2030,” UCF Political Science Professor Dr. John Hanley said.
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Hanley notes even the commission the pledge calls for would be non-binding and could only make recommendations.
Overall we rate this ad false. Calling for a non-binding study is not the same as writing a budget.
Cox Media Group
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