New Scott ad hits Nelson as ‘party line voter’

Rick Scott looks to undercut Sen. Bill Nelson's moderate image with a new TV ad calling the Democrat a "party line voter."

The ad, which will run statewide and continues a blitz from Scott's campaign, tosses in a jab about Nancy Pelosi, too.

"That's what's wrong with our broken Congress. Everybody is a party line voter and Bill Nelson is one of those," an unidentified person says in the ad.

Says another, "I think Nancy Pelosi is a huge influence on the Democratic party and Bill Nelson."

Scott's campaign would not provide contacts for the people featured in the video, which appears to have been made at The Villages. The governor has already spent more than $5 million on ads, not counting this one or a Spanish-language spot released Monday. Allies, including a super PAC, have added roughly $3 million.

Nelson hasn't gone on TV. (Democratic groups have spent $185,000 on the race, according to ad tracking data published by NBC News.)

"For eight years, Rick Scott ran a one-party rule state and now, he's doing and saying anything to be part of the one-party rule in Washington," said Nelson spokeswoman Carlie Waibel. "Bill Nelson has a long record of working across the aisle and has been recognized for it, including passing legislation to keep oil rigs off Florida's coast, bringing back our space program and working to restore the Everglades."

He has long emphasized reaching across the aisle and has teamed up repeatedly with Republican Sen. Marco Rubio. He's been a reliable vote for major Democratic legislation — just as Republicans are for Republican issues.

Yet with other factors taken into account, Nelson lands somewhere in the middle of bipartisanship scorecards, ranking No. 37 in a 2017 study.

The ad raises the question of where Scott would break with his party. He made some shifts on oil drilling and guns.