We have to take issue with election campaign material recently circulated by Truth Matters, a Tallahassee big-money nonprofit, that mentions the Osceola News-Gazette. Apparently, truth does not matter for this group, run by Richard S. Cole, of Miami.

The recent election mailer attacked House district 79 Republican candidate Thomas Chalifoux Jr. and used an editorial we wrote in August of 2008 to do it. The problem is that the mailer uses portions of the editorial taken out of context and also suggests that the so-called negative campaigning has taken place this year, not two years ago. You have to read the fine print to make that determination.

In 2008, we did indeed criticize a mailer sent out by Doug Guetzloe, of Ax the Tax, that urged voters in the primary election to vote for Chalifoux even though the candidate had been bounced from the ballot on a technicality (he didn’t resign soon enough from the Osceola County School Board to run for the House seat). We also criticized Guetzloe’s negative campaigning at the same time as it related to Chalifoux, the candidate he was supporting in his mailers. Chalifoux, who was running against Mike Horner as he is now, at the time said he had not approved the Guetzloe mailer.

Fast forward to 2010. The recent electioneering communication paid for by Truth Matters that arrived in some mailboxes over the weekend urges voters to “Call Thomas Chalifoux and tell him to keep his mudslinging campaign mailers where they belong – on the garbage heap.” This mailer – because it is misleading and does not mention one single issue relevant to the district 79 campaign – truly belongs on the garbage heap.

And then there is the mailer sent out recently by Florida Federation for Children, of Lutz, which also alludes to editorials we wrote in 2008 regarding the same negative campaigning. This mailer is just wrong pure and simple in that it mentions us as a newspaper that wrote, “Chalifoux has consistently resorted to running negative attacks in an attempt to hide from his liberal background.” We never said that in any editorial or news story, period.

To voters, we urge you to ignore these two mailers and make your ballot decision based on issues. And to the two entities that sent out the mailers, shame on you.