The tornado of libelous claims packaged in mass mailers has begun.

Carol Whitmore has resorted to paying for and approving a false statement that claims: “Terri Wonder has voted only twice in her life.”

What is she afraid of?

Whitmore also made the same false claim in debates on October 1st and 2nd. I twice corrected her during these debates, but she has refused to stop. She then sent out a postcard with the same false claim on it.

From the outset of this campaign, I have maintained that I have lived in Manatee County for most of my adult life, with one recent exception being my time away from home as a US Army Civilian working for our military in other parts of the country and deployed in Iraq.

I have voted in other counties and more than the two times in Manatee County that Whitmore claims. During my work with the military, I lived in Virginia for a long period of time. I also have trained in other military installations around the country. I had registered to vote in Virginia but was later transferred back to Florida, where I re-registered to vote in 2012.

I have endured many disruptions to my personal life in order to serve our country. Is Whitmore impugning my patriotism? Is she trying to damage my reputation in her quest for a third term?

Evidently, Whitmore did not do her homework, or she would have seen from the resume posted on my website that I have lived in other places. She should have checked.

I was warned the smear campaign would be mean-spirited, but I did not think my opponent would make libelous claims in print. My mass mailers don’t even mention her name at all.

For the record, I’m not AWOL. I’m standing tall for the masses of disenfranchised citizens who deserve respect from their elected leaders.