PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – A South Florida congresswoman elected just four months ago is already the target of a tough attack ad. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, R-Miami, is being targeted by Democrats who accuse her of supporting QAnon and the mob that attacked the U.S. Capitol.
We subjected this ad to our “truth test” and found it full of half-truths, exaggerations and outright lies. It’s par for the course these days, but it is surprising that it’s coming right on the heels of Salazar’s election.
A veteran TV personality, Salazar pulled off an upset in November, beating incumbent Democrat Donna Shalala, who has indicated she’ll run again.
Shalala is now getting help from the ad from congressional Democrats, which has aired on Local 10 and other South Florida TV stations.
The ad tries to tie Salazar to QAnon, the shadowy group that promotes baseless internet conspiracy theories.
But Salazar has no known ties to QAnon and has denounced the Capitol attack.
“Republicans like Maria Elvira Salazar voted to protect Trump, letting the QAnon mob win,” the ad says.
That’s false. QAnon didn’t win, it just gained more notoriety.
As for voting, Salazar was sick with COVID-19 in January and missed the vote on electors. Later she did vote against impeaching Trump.
“Congresswoman Salazar should have stood with us, but she was a coward. She stood with Trump and the lies,” the ad says.
The lie they’re referring to is probably Trump’s false claim that he won the election. Salazar voted for Trump but has recognized Joe Biden as the winner.
“Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar: She stood with Q, not you,” the ad says.
Another new congresswoman, Georgia’s Marjorie Taylor Greene, stood by QAnon — and Salazar went against GOP leadership and voted to strip Greene of her committee assignments Thursday.
We asked Salazar’s office for a comment about the ad. They referred us to the Republican Congressional Campaign Committee, which says it’s full of “disgusting false smears.”
Rep. Salazar will be our guest Sunday morning on “This Week in South Florida,” which airs at 11:30 a.m. on Local 10.