With next year’s U.S. Senate race in Florida expected to garner national attention, the attacks have already begun.

On Monday, the National Republican Senate Committee (NRSC) launched a new radio ad in Spanish hitting U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson’s, D-Fla., record on foreign policy.

“Let’s see what’s happening in the world today,” the ad notes according to an English translation of the ad. “Look at this. Another horror in Venezuela. Our government in Washington has to stop Maduro and his accomplices. What has our Senator Bill Nelson done? In the past, he has aligned himself with communists and dictators. Look at him with Cuba. He supported Obama when he negotiated with the other terrorists, the Castro brothers. When Nelson supports the Castros, that only reinforces and encourages others, like it did with Chavez and now with Maduro. In 2005, Bill Nelson even visited Hugo Chavez in Venezuela. Here it says Nelson went to Venezuela to admire Chavez’s revolution. If Bill Nelson supports murderers, I can’t support Bill Nelson.”

In recent days, Nelson has called for more sanctions on the Maduro regime ruling Venezuela and has jabbed Gov. Rick Scott, who is expected to run against the Democrat, on the matter.

The Tampa Bay Times reported that Nelson needled Scott for backing off on his call for sanctions on the Maduro regime, insisting the governor was influenced by Goldman Sachs investing in Venezuela’s national oil company through almost $3 billion in bonds.

“Now they find out that Goldman Sachs is buying Venezuela’s bonds, and he wants to continue doing business with Goldman Sachs for the state of Florida, and therefore what he initially said he had to backtrack from,” Nelson said, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

This led to Scott’s team firing back in an email to the Tampa Bay Times.

"Instead of fighting to bring democracy to Venezuela during his long career in Congress, (Nelson) instead chooses to criticize a prohibition on Florida doing business with the Maduro Regime," Scott spokesman John Tupps wrote. "Governor Scott will continue to work to find ways to fight for freedom and democracy in Venezuela, and the Senator should do the same."

In the meantime, Nelson’s team is trying to link Scott to President Donald Trump and hitting him on environmental issues.

“July was Miami’s hottest month ever – and just the latest example of how climate change is already affecting our state,” Nelson emailed supporters last week. “South Florida may be ground zero for climate change and sea-level rise now – but if we don't do something soon to stop this trend, we're all going to be feeling the effects.

“Yet despite all the evidence in front of us, President Trump still refuses to take this threat seriously – and his understudy Gov. Rick Scott has even forbidden state employees from uttering the term ‘climate change,’” Nelson added.

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