Addressing climate change is a top priority for Florida Latino voters

Tallahassee, FL  — LCV Victory Fund and Priorities USA Action today released the first round of Florida’s high-impact digital ads and unique direct mail in its previously announced $14 million paid media program to expose the truth about Donald Trump’s environmental record to voters in the battleground states of Arizona, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Florida’s ads will run in English and Spanish to a target universe of over 365,000 total swing voters who care about the environment. Latino voters make up 40% of the universe.

WATCH: “Risk” (English); “Risk” (Spanish)

WATCH: “Everyday” (English); “Everyday” (Spanish)

WATCH: “Believe”
WATCH: “Hoax” – Military; Scientists; NASA
MAILER: “Hoax” 

Recent polling shows that Florida Latino voters on both sides of the aisle care deeply about the environment. A March 2020 poll from Latino Decisions and EDF Action found that more than 70% of Florida Latino voters want the next president to aggressively combat the climate crisis and that more than 60% of Florida Latino voters have recently been impacted by climate change firsthand. In fact, support for climate action among Florida Latino voters is higher than average — a 2019 Public Policy Polling survey found that 77% of Florida Latino voters support moving to a completely clean energy economy by 2050, compared to just 58% support among all voters surveyed. 

“Donald Trump puts Floridians at risk because he doesn’t believe what scientists and experts say and thinks he knows best instead,” said Pete Maysmith, LCV Victory Fund SVP of Campaigns. “Trump’s refusal to listen to expert advice on the coronavirus and climate change, and his prioritizing of corporations over people is especially harmful for Florida’s communities of color and low-income communities that are already bearing the brunt of the impacts of the climate crisis. Voters need to know that Trump denies the threat of climate change just like he denied the threat of the coronavirus and it’s the public who pays the price.” 

One of the first ads that will run in Florida, “Risk,” shows how Trump’s refusal to listen to experts and denial of science in response to the coronavirus pandemic and the climate crisis puts us at risk.

The ad says: “Donald Trump won’t listen to experts and puts us at risk time after time. First he denied climate change, ignoring 97% of climate scientists — even the military. ‘All of this with the global warming, it’s a hoax.’ Now it’s a pattern. On coronavirus: ‘This is their new hoax.’ For months he refused to listen to warnings from medical experts on the threat of coronavirus. Climate change and coronavirus. Donald Trump’s denial is a painful reality for Florida families.”

Another ad, “Everyday,” points out the ways that Trump’s environmental rollbacks allow big corporations to pollute Florida’s drinking water with dangerous chemicals including lead, pesticide, mercury and arsenic that cause heart disease, cancer, and brain damage in children. 

“Floridians know firsthand how Donald Trump’s record on climate is not only self-serving, it’s reckless and dangerous,” said Priorities USA Executive Director Patrick McHugh. “Voters deserve to hear the truth about the existential threat that four more years of Trump represents.”

The paid media program in Florida includes a series of different digital ads and direct mail that use research-driven messaging about Trump’s record on climate, and its links to the coronavirus pandemic, as well as the environment, and the damage he’s doing to clean air and drinkable water.

In conjunction with the release of new ads, LCV Victory Fund named Donald Trump the “Dirtiest of All Time” on its 2020 Dirty Dozen list. This unprecedented dishonor is LCV Victory Fund’s first Dirty Dozen announcement this year and coincides with the 50th anniversary of the program. 

Scripts for the sample digital ads are below.

“Risk” (English)
VO: Donald Trump won’t listen to experts
And puts us at risk time after time
First he denied climate change
Ignoring 97% of climate scientists
Even the military
Trump: ‘All of this with the global warming, it’s a hoax’
VO: Now it’s a pattern
On coronavirus
Trump: ‘This is their new hoax’
VO: For months he refused to listen to warnings from medical experts 
On the threat of coronavirus
Climate change and coronavirus
Donald Trump’s denial is a painful reality for Florida families

“Risk” (Spanish)
Trump nos pone en riesgo 
e ignoró a los científicos del clima
Trump: ‘It’s a hoax’
Y sobre coronavirus…
Trump: ‘This is their new hoax.’
Lo que niega Trump es una realidad dolorosa

“Everyday” (English)
Everyday we rely on clean water
To drink, to cook, to clean, to live
But Donald Trump is letting dangerous chemicals seep in
He slashed protections for our safety 
And allowed big corporations to pollute our water 
Lead, pesticide, mercury, even arsenic
Toxic chemicals that make us sick
Causing heart disease, cancer, and brain damage in children
We shouldn’t have to worry about clean water
But Donald Trump is putting Florida families at risk everyday

“Everyday” (Spanish)
Todos los días necesitamos agua limpia 
pero Trump deja infiltrar sustancias químicas peligrosas: 
pesticidas, arsénico, causando enfermedades y daño cerebral
Todos los días Trump nos pone en riesgo

“Believe”
97% of scientists think climate change is a growing threat
Instead of listening, Donald Trump is firing them
And putting oil industry lobbyists in charge of protecting our environment
But he should be listening to experts
And he should be listening to us

“Hoax” – Military
VO: Our military says climate change is real
But Trump?
Trump: ‘It’s a hoax’
VO: Not for Florida

“Hoax” – Scientists
VO: Scientists say climate change is real
But Trump?
Trump: ‘It’s a hoax’
VO: Not for Florida

“Hoax” – NASA
VO: NASA says climate change is real
But Trump?
Trump: ‘It’s a hoax’
VO: Not for Florida

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Paid for by LCV Victory Fund, www.lcvvictoryfund.org, and Priorities USA Action, www.prioritiesusaaction.org, and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.