Florida Republicans have found their next Pam Bondi.
Ashley Moody — one of two Republicans running to replace term-limited Attorney General Bondi — is smart, attractive and well-spoken. She’s a former prosecutor who lives in Tampa. And she’s passionate about fighting elder abuse, human trafficking and the opioid epidemic.
And oh, by the way, Moody has Bondi’s whole-hearted endorsement, along with a line of Florida Republican leaders past and present, including former Gov. Bob Martinez, Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera and dozens of sheriffs.
Yet here comes Moody’s flame-throwing opponent, State Rep. Frank White of Pensacola, trying to cast her as a liberal.
Hogwash.
Moody is cut from the same conservative cloth as Bondi, one that reflects the values of the Republican base, if not the values of this editorial board.
Like Bondi, Moody supports Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law. She supports Bondi’s lawsuit against Obamacare – though she wants people with pre-existing conditions to still be able to get health care coverage. She also opposes abortion, calls for “securing our borders” and pledges to fight “government overreach into matters of faith.”
Without question, Moody is the best choice in the GOP primary and Republicans should feel confident casting their votes for her on Aug. 28.
Moody, 43, grew up in Plant City. After graduating from the University of Florida law school, she joined the Holland & Knight law firm for a few years, before moving to Jacksonville to become a federal prosecutor. In 2006, she was elected to the circuit court bench in Hillsborough County, where she served 10 years. She’s also the wife of a DEA agent who previously was a cop.
“I felt very moved to offer not only my experience, but my perspective and passion,” Moody said during an interview this week with the editorial board editors of the Sun Sentinel, Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post. “I am the most qualified to do this job.”
Of that, there is no question.
Moody also had the courage to sit for an interview with us. Though we found some of her answers lawyerly and not always satisfying, we sensed her temperament is measured and her reflexes aren’t knee-jerk.
The same cannot be said for her opponent, State Rep. Frank White of Pensacola, who comes off as a bully in his over-the-top attack ads.
White, 39, is the general counsel and chief financial officer of a chain of car dealerships owned by his wife’s family. He moved to Florida from Texas in 2010 and was elected to the Legislature in 2016. There, he says he fought to protect Second Amendment rights, outlaw “sanctuary” cities and oppose government “overregulation.”
White declined our invitation for a joint interview with Moody, saying: “I believe my time is better spent talking directly with hardworking Floridians like those at the Americans for Trump meeting being held on the same day.”
Interestingly, Moody showed up to both events.
White also is busy spending about $3 million of his family’s money to attack Moody on television, suggesting she isn’t conservative enough or doesn’t sufficiently support President Trump.
Let’s take a closer look.
White notes that Moody registered as a Democrat when she first became a voter at 18. He fails to note that she became a Republican at 22 — more than 20 years ago. He also blasts her for having given $100 to Democrat Bill McBride’s gubernatorial campaign in 2001 when she worked for his firm. And he says that as a prosecutor and a judge, she went light on pedophiles.
Give us a break.
Eight years in prison for a 16-year-old boy who took a photo of a nude 6-year-old girl and uploaded it to a website frequented by pedophiles is hardly a slap on the wrist.
And 6½ years in prison for someone who quickly pleaded guilty to possessing and distributing child pornography was what was called for under federal sentencing guidelines.
And if a developer takes your money for a condo that never gets built, should you just walk away? Is it really so terrible that Moody’s family wanted their down payments back after Trump Tower Tampa fizzled during the recession? The president wasn’t even a candidate in 2009. Neither was he the developer. He’d just licensed his name.
Unlike White, at least Moody has a track record of standing up for people, tackling tough issues and showing some decorum.
White has never so much as prosecuted a case.
“He has no qualifications to be the attorney general,” Moody says. “He is running a campaign strictly on trying to attack me.”
Moody’s campaign released a letter signed by eight state attorneys saying White’s attacks show he is “unfit to serve.”
Moody is an honorable candidate, even if her conservative views are a little too far to the right for our tastes.
But Frank White is behaving more like a used-car salesman than someone who wants to be Florida’s top lawyer.
Republicans have only one credible choice: Ashley Moody.