Adam Putnam Limps Through Memorial Day Weekend

Putnam’s a Proud NRA Sellout, But Wishes We’d All Forget That

Adam Putnam has been having a rough few weeks trying to wash off the stench of being a proud NRA sellout. From protests to columns to social media, Putnam’s entire brand is being defined by that infamous tweet. He only made it worse when agreeing to hold a fundraiser at the home of a man who shoots dogs on videotape.
Across Florida, reporters, columnists, and political observers agreed the last week has been nothing but terrible for Adam Putnam forcing him to limp his way to the post-Memorial Day stage of the campaign.
Adam Smith of the Tampa Bay Times dubbed Putnam “Loser of the Week,” writing, “The agriculture commissioner has not had a tough race in two decades, and there is valid evidence to wonder if he’s ready for the big leagues.”
Marc Caputo of Politico Florida tallied up the political cost making the obvious point Putnam seems to have missed, “If you work in politics, this should be easy: Don’t sell out. And try not to call yourself a ‘sellout.’”
The Tampa Bay Times editorial board went looking for the real Adam Putnam and came back empty. However, in the process they learned “Being a proud NRA sellout, dismissing the value of higher education, dividing Floridians and schmoozing with a dog shooter is not the road to the Governor’s Mansion.”
The Sun Sentinel editorial board out of Broward County opined that Putnam’s favors for a “major donor smells like rotten potatoes.”
Last, but not least, longtime columnist for the Miami Herald, Carl Hiassen, speculates that Putnam’s campaign might be one elaborate joke dripping in irony since he makes so many hypocritical claims. His new ad blames ‘liberal elites’ for rising college costs, but makes no mention of his vote against the “College Student Relief Act after receiving donations from student loan companies. He says he supports people who “work with their hands,” but voted against a raise in the minimum wage. He wants to deport the workers that make up large portions of Florida’s agricultural industry. And the kicker? Putnam’s “selling himself hard as a fifth-generation rancher and citrus farmer, but it’s been awhile since he picked much fruit.”
Ouch. Of all the ways to get burned over Memorial Day weekend, this may have been the least pleasant for Putnam.

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