Lincoln Project hits DeSantis with ‘electile dysfunction’ parody ad

‘Are your poll numbers sagging? Has your campaign lost that spark?’ the ad’s narrator asks

The Lincoln Project, an anti-Trump super PAC, has released a new ad slamming Florida Governor Ron DeSantis with a spoof of an erectile dysfunction commercial.

The one-minute video opens with a close-up of a smiling Mr DeSantis as a narrator says, “This is the face of electile dysfunction.” The frame changes to a clip of the Florida governor laughing as the narrator says, “So is this…and this,” showing a clip of Mr DeSantis licking his lips.

“Are your poll numbers sagging? Has your campaign lost that spark?” the narrator says with clips of Mr DeSantis posing with his wife Casey DeSantis.

“Do you find yourself compensating for your shortcomings in other ways?” the narrator continues, as the screen captures the Florida Governor walking in aviator getup from his “Top Gun” ad, then pans to a photo of him wearing clunky cowboy boots, before showing the now viral clip of him being touched up with makeup during a break from the first GOP primary debate.

“The fact is, one in three GOP candidates has some form of electile dysfunction, a political condition also known as failure,” the narrator adds. A clip of Mr DeSantis appears as the word “failure” in a bright red font pops up in front of his face.

“Luckily there’s hope. Byeagra” — which is pronounced like the ED treatment Viagra — “the one-stop solution for those experiencing electile dysfunction,” the ad continues before addressing the governor directly: “Ron, try Byeagra and save yourself from further humiliation.”

Brutally, the ad spot then shows a flustered Mr DeSantis fumbling: “My mommy — er, my wife.”

Cutting back to the fake prescription, the narrator says, “Byeagra: for when your campaign’s performance is more flaccid than fantastic.”

Mr DeSantis has been trailing the former president in the polls for most of the race so far. As of 30 August, the Florida governor had 14.8 per cent, according to FiveThirtyEight’s polling averages, compared to Mr Trump’s 50.3 per cent.

The Florida governor was recently criticised for his handling of the racist shooting in Jacksonville, in which the suspect killed three Black customers at a Dollar General before turning the gun on himself.

He now battles with handling a tropical storm hitting his home state.