Murphy is also not wasting time.
Advertisement
After waffling about whether he would actually run for Senate in Florida again after his unsuccessful presidential bid, Marco Rubio won the Republican primary on Tuesday night. Newcomer Pam Keith came in third with 15.45 percent.
Grayson’s campaign was plagued by a history of controversial statements and actions, including his management of a hedge fund and allegations that he abused his ex-wife – something Grayson has denied. The candidates in the running on the Democratic side are U.S. Reps.
Likewise, Rubio was fixated on Murphy in the closing days, calling him “one of the most unaccomplished members of Congress”.
Murphy mentioned gun restrictions, abortion rights, protecting the middle class and Social Security and Medicare, but mainly positioned himself as an opponent of the dysfunction and gridlock in Washington.
Rubio treaded lightly in terms of embracing GOP nominee Donald Trump, who has been struggling to gain traction in the state, ahead of election day.
Florida is a competitive presidential race, with an edge to Clinton, but Rubio’s candidacy gave Republicans a shot in the arm to hold that Senate seat.
Well, that didn’t exactly work out as planned.
But under pressure from a Republican Party desperate to retain control of the Senate, he reversed course and in late June and announced he would seek to retain his seat in the body he once called “dysfunctional”, saying the future of the Supreme Court, the direction of fiscal and economic policies and the fate of the Iran nuclear deal hang in the balance. “I have a counter-challenge: Sen, Rubio, commit to serving a six-year term”. He earned the worst voting attendance record of any senator in Florida in almost 50 years. “Floridians are ready for a Senator who puts them first, and we’re going to make that a reality this November”. In the redrawn 2nd District, surgeon Neal Dunn and lawyer Mary Thomas are clashing over their ties to former Gov. Charlie Crist – the Republican-turned-independent-turned Democrat who is a reviled figure among Florida conservatives.
“Senator Rubio is trying to distract from his bad record”.
“Marco’s opponent is a pisher from Fischer Island, who was the subject of a devastating investigative report from a local CBS affiliate revealing he lied about his college degree, a CPA license, and his business experience”, Martin Sweet, Rubio’s director of Jewish outreach in the 2016 presidential primary, told Jewish Insider. “Patrick will be that Senator, and we’re proud to continue to support him in his campaign”.
During their re-election efforts, both McCain and Rubio have offered support for Trump as the party’s White House nominee and steered clear of attacks on that might antagonize Trump’s core supporters.
Advertisement
“He can be a very condescending, rude person to people who are trying to help”, said Eric Jotkoff, former communications director for the Florida Democratic Party. Who can forget Rubio’s below-the-belt jab about Trump’s “little hands”, or Trump repeatedly referring to the not-too-tall Rubio in one debate as “little Marco”? “Patrick has always fought hard for our constitutionally protected right to access abortion care, while Senator Rubio continues to campaign on eliminating abortion access, even for women facing the Zika virus”.
