Hillary Clinton’s campaign, aiming to win over conservative voters in the Florida Panhandle, has recently begun airing an ad referencing Donald Trump talking about his inappropriate behavior with women, according to media monitoring firm Kantar/CMAG.
The spot – titled “Last Straw” – features Don McVaugh, a Republican Air Force veteran who decided to vote for Clinton after the 2005 tape of Donald Trump casually talking about sexual assault was made public.
“I spent 22 years in the Air Force and I was a Republican for every one of them. I was rationalizing Donald Trump’s behaviors until I heard that tape,” he says. “That was the last straw.”
He adds: “I don’t want my granddaughter thinking it is okay to be treated that way and my grandson growing up thinking that is how you should treat women. That scares me, that scares me a lot.”
While Clinton has regularly addressed the “Access Hollywood” video on the stump, her ads have used the video sparingly.
The new ad, however, mixes shots of McVaugh, in an Air Force hat and jacket, playing outside with his grandchildren and video of Trump getting off the Access Hollywood bus. Under Trump is the headline: “Trump Brags of Groping Women.”
“So Hillary’s got my vote,” he said. “We don’t see eye to eye on everything but she’s strong and I respect her and she is someone that my grandkids can respect, too.”
The ad is airing in the Mobile, Alabama, media market.
Clinton’s strategy in Florida has almost exclusively focused on Miami, Orlando and Tampa, but these ads show Clinton is trying to win over Republicans put off by Trump, especially in the most conservative area of the state.
Clinton aides said that while they don’t expect to win North Florida – Obama lost all counties but four in 2012 – the goal is to minimize the damage, allowing the heavily populated and Democrat Southeastern part of the state to put them over the top.
Clinton has not visited Florida’s Panhandle as a candidate, but the Democratic nominee has spent 10 days in Florida, more than any other swing state.
The Trump campaign did not respond to a request for comment on the ad.