Vice President Biden thinks the Republican attacks against Florida Democratic House candidate Alex Sink are “a whole lot of malarkey.”
{mosads}That’s what he called them in a new fundraising pitch from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee warning that GOP outside groups are outspending the Democrat, and pleading for $3 or more in donations to help combat those attacks.
“I don’t have to tell you about what kind of nasty attacks are being aired against Alex. It’s straight out of the Tea Party playbook: misleading facts, distortions, and yes — a whole lot of malarkey,” Biden says in the email.
The vice president is known for his “Bidenisms” and his penchant for the colorful word “malarkey” went viral when he used it against Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) during the vice presidential debate in 2012.
Biden has jumped in for Sink in the competitive special election before, headlining a fundraiser for her. She’s facing Republican David Jolly for a district that became more competitive for Democrats with former Rep. Bill Young’s (R-Fla.) passing, but is by no means a slam-dunk for the party.
Multiple polls, both public and internal, have shown a tight race.
Sink entered the race at a significant fundraising advantage, but outside GOP groups have helped Jolly close that gap. More than $4 million has been spent in the district by groups on both sides looking to sway the outcome.
Democrats have targeted Jolly for his lobbying background and accused him of supporting Social Security privatization, while Republicans have attacked Sink on ObamaCare and for her time as chief financial officer of Florida.
According to a Center for Responsive Politics analysis, Republican-aligned groups have spent more than $2.8 million to help Jolly, while Democratic groups have spent nearly $1.5 million.
The party campaign committees have been the biggest spenders on both sides in the race so far, according to the CRP analysis.
Biden noted in the email that the special election is less than a month away.
“Tonight marks the most important fundraising deadline yet for Alex’s campaign. With only 20 days to go until the special election, we can’t let Alex fall short,” he said.
National Republican Congressional Committee spokeswoman Katie Prill in response said Biden’s support of Sink is an indication she’ll vote the Democratic party line.
“Alex Sink and Joe Biden have a lot in common including their love for President Obama’s dysfunctional health care law which guts Medicare and is costing our country jobs. It’s very clear that Alex Sink has already aligned herself with the most liberal Washington Democrats so it should be no surprise to Pinellas families that she will vote with the most liberal Democrats in Congress,” she said.
—This piece was updated at 2 p.m. to reflect comment from the NRCC.