Congressman Alan Grayson, a Democratic gentleman from Orlando who is known for his outspoken ways, has entered the race for the Senate seat now held by Marco Rubio, a Republican gentleman who is apparently trying to be president. That’s the same establishment who have brought you election loser after election loser.
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“I am un-bought and un-bossed”, Grayson declared. “I look forward to a clean, honest discussion of the issues in this primary”, the statement reads.
Grayson said he’ll run on the platform of expanding Medicare and getting a raise for seniors through a cost of living increase in their social security. Eleanor Sobel, endorsed Murphy this week and attacked Grayson for his “profane tirades” against reporters and others who have tangled with the sharp-tongued Orlando congressman.
Grayson has built a national support base through his blunt assessment of the Republican Party and the tea party movement, the latter of which he once compared to the Ku Klux Klan.
Grayson made his scorn for the DSCC and its shoddy record clear, saying, “They need a great deal of self-examination at this point…In the last cycle the DSCC lost every single open seat in the entire country except for one”. Murphy, who entered the race in March, has received backing from a long list of party leaders — and also has the support of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. In the months leading to Grayson’s announcement, their supporters clashed, foreshadowing campaigns likely to be defined by what Murphy’s camp calls a battle for political legitimacy, and that Grayson’s characterizes as a contest for the soul of Florida’s Democratic Party.
Grayson’s staff has denied the congressman broke any rules and say the complaints are political.
Grayson and Murphy are set for an August 2016 primary.
Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera and Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Chumuckla, are also expected to join the GOP race. The Dems have got their work cut out for them. A dozen more Republicans are considering it, including ex- Melbourne state Senate President Mike Haridopolos, who represented Indian River County. The key is Murphy should not muckrake, he said.
“Democratic voters were appalled”, Grayson wrote.
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Schale added having to win a primary might be good for Murphy because it would give him statewide media coverage early in the race, Schale said. But after Democrats heard negative messages about Murphy’s votes in Congress and his prior GOP affiliation, Murphy trailed Grayson by a wide margin. While his headline-making comments will certainly be discussed in during the campaign – as well as his messy divorce and some ethical questions about hedge funds – Grayson says his record of accomplishment and not his rhetoric will be what’s measured in the election.
