He’ll be challenged by Democratic U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, who defeated Congressman Alan Grayson in the primary.
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“Who are these outside owners?”
Just a few months ago, the Florida Senate primaries looked to be marquee contests as each party maneuvered to fill the seat that Rubio pledged to vacate.
Wasserman Schultz dispatched a challenge from law professor Tim Canova, who sought to capitalize on the controversies surrounding her tenure at the DNC and ride on the popularity of Sanders’s Democratic presidential campaign. He hasn’t. Canova doesn’t have almost as many roots in the district, which Wasserman Schultz has represented in either Congress or state government since 1992.
Former Democratic National Committee Chair, Debbie Wasserman Schultz won the party’s nomination for her house seat. Ros-Lehtinen is one of the leading pro-Israel voices in the House, and has a good relationship with Wasserman Schultz. Kelly Ayotte, who faces a September 13 primary challenge, is favored.
Still, as Canova told reporters at Kasa Champet, a Haitian restaurant in Pembroke Pines on Tuesday, “Life knocks us on our ass a lot of times”.
But they are potentially vulnerable if the presidential election turns into a landslide. And like Sanders, Canova posted an impressive fundraising haul of more than $3.5 million, with an average donation of $22.
“Nobody cares about these emails right now”, Canova joked, in a line reminiscent of Sanders telling Clinton during a Democratic primary debate that “the American people are sick and exhausted of hearing about your damn emails”. No matter what is thrown her way, Debbie gets back up and keeps fighting.
Despite his efforts to distance himself from Bernie Sanders, Tim Canova remains inexorably tied to the Vermont Senator, NBC News noted.
The fact that insiders are likely headed for big wins on the GOP side is one of the more surprising outcomes in a year that has seen Republican voters seemingly eager to uproot the establishment.
Rubio is seeking to secure the Republican nomination for a second term, despite declaring during his failed presidential campaign that he would not run again for Senate.
Arizona and Florida are holding primaries, and the two Republican senators and former Democratic National Committee chairwoman are looking to turn their attention to the general election.
“I’m not going to be endorsing Patrick Murphy for sure”, Grayson told The Orlando Sentinel.
“Tuesday’s results are further proof that well-run campaigns can win elections despite environmental head winds”, said John Ashbrook, a former McConnell aide and GOP strategist whose firm, Cavalry LLC, has worked for several winning GOP Senate primary campaigns this season. But Wasserman Schultz is well known in her district, and it went overwhelmingly for Hillary Clinton in the primary. Broward County, which contains Hollywood and Fort Lauderdale, has large parts in Wasserman Schultz’s district.
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“This race is very important for Our Revolution because if we can win this tough fight in Florida, it will send a clear message about the power of our grassroots movement that will send shockwaves through the political media establishment”, the group noted.
