The group is backing Republican Gov. Rick Scott’s Senate bid, and uses the ad to hit Sen. Bill Nelson on economic issues | AP Photo U.S. Chamber places 6-figure ad hitting Nelson on economy

TALLAHASSEE — The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is out with a new ad hitting Sen. Bill Nelson in a key Florida media market.

The group is backing Republican Gov. Rick Scott’s Senate bid, and uses the ad to hit Nelson, a Democrat and three-term incumbent, on economic issues, while praising policies Scott pushed for during his eight years in the governor’s mansion.


“After 40 years in politics, what has Bill Nelson actually done?” the ad opens.

It features a series of people lamenting Nelson’s record on taxes and the growth of government. The six-figure buy has the spot running in the Tampa market starting today. So far, $249,000 has been placed on broadcast in the Tampa market and another $32,000 has been placed on Spanish language buys in the same city, according to media buying figures.

Scott has already plunged $3 million from his campaign into early TV ads.

Nelson has been raising plenty of money, including $3.4 million in the first quarter of 2018. But competing with Scott on money will be difficult; the governor has the support of groups like the Chamber, and can use his own personal wealth.

Scott has not released his first campaign finance report, but many suspect he has used his own money to fund the early ad onslaught, which started one week after he entered the race. Raising millions of dollars in money in less than a week would be a huge task without personal loans.

The ad was funded by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, but at the end of it, the Florida Chamber of Commerce also endorses Scott. The move is no surprise. The group, one of Florida’s biggest business lobbies, has long been one of the governor’s biggest donors.