After His Vote To Default & Keep Government Closed, House Majority PAC Launches New Ad Targeting Rep. Steve Southerland

Washington, D.C. – After voting to keep the government closed and let the United States default on its obligations, Steve Southerland will now face a new hard-hitting TV ad from House Majority PAC calling out Southerland for an inexplicable decision for which the Tallahassee Democrat said Southerland “should be ashamed.”

The spot, entitled “Their Games,” will run for two weeks in Tallahassee at a cost of more than $70,000. “Their Games” is available here.

“Their Games” accuses Southerland of playing politics in choosing economic chaos, job losses and the obliteration of retirement accounts over a bipartisan plan to reopen the government and prevent the U.S. from becoming a deadbeat nation. It also points out that despite the economic damage Southerland’s decision would have wrought, he was still entitled to his $174,000 taxpayer-funded salary, even though he derided it as “not so much.”

“Steve Southerland’s reckless Tea Party government shutdown cost our economy $24 billion, yet rather than back a bipartisan plan to end this manmade debacle, Southerland actually voted to drive our nation off an economic cliff,” said Andy Stone, Communications Director for House Majority PAC. “The jobs, retirement accounts and wellbeing of families, seniors and veterans in north and northwest Florida apparently didn’t merit Steve Southerland’s concern – even though Southerland was still getting his taxpayer-funded salary.” 

All across north and northwest Florida, Southerland is getting heat for his vote against the bipartisan compromise that reopened the government and ensured the U.S. would be able to pay its bills. In fact, the Tallahassee Democrat wrote that Southerland “put our nation’s economy and good standing in the international community at risk.” And the Panama City Herald wrote that “You don’t have to be a Jedi master to have foreseen” an outcome from the GOP shutdown the paper compared to the Titanic.