José Andrés endorses Nelson in Florida Senate race

Celebrity chef José Andrés on Tuesday endorsed Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) over Gov. Rick Scott (R) in the closely watched Florida Senate race, blaming Scott for the state’s lack of cellphone signal following Hurricane Michael.

“To be clear People of Florida! You don’t have phone signal yet? You don’t have access to @fema web page? Because you have no cell access? Blame no other than @FLGovScott @realDonaldTrump,” Andrés tweeted

“The people of Florida don’t deserve him as your Senator! Vote @SenBillNelson,” he added.

To be clear People of Florida! You don’t have phone signal yet? You don’t have access to @fema web page? Because you have no cell access? Blame no other than @FLGovScott @realDonaldTrump The people of Florida don’t deserve him as your Senator! Vote @SenBillNelson https://t.co/2KrM0GYc6v

— José Andrés (@chefjoseandres) October 30, 2018

{mosads}Andrés tweeted the message along with an article blaming Scott and Trump’s Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai for many Floridians still lacking cellphone service in the wake of Hurricane Michael. 

The hurricane made landfall in Florida at the beginning of the month as a Category 4 storm, killing 35 people in Florida and devastating infrastructure in the state’s Panhandle. The storm left some neighborhoods completely submerged in water.

The hurricane quickly became a central issue in the Florida’s midterm elections, particularly in the neck and neck race between Scott and Nelson.  

Andrés, who was born in Spain, owns restaurants in multiple states, including Florida. He emerged as a leader of disaster relief efforts for Puerto Rico following the devastation from Hurricane Maria last year, providing food and supplies to Puerto Ricans after the storm.

Andrés has been a vocal critic of President Trump’s throughout his administration.

The celebrity chef pulled out of an agreement in 2015 to open a new restaurant in Trump’s Washington, D.C., hotel, saying Trump’s anti-immigrant remarks made it “impossible” for him to move forward with the deal.