In a year where good news for Senate Republicans is few and far between, Rubio’s primary win Tuesday is something for them to celebrate.
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Rubio and Murphy were already focusing on each other before the primary, with Rubio saying Murphy is a privileged son of a millionaire who has never earned anything himself, and Murphy saying Rubio cares more about political ambitions than the state. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) won her Florida primary race Tuesday night, while incumbents Sen.
Senator John McCain survived a Tea Party challenge when he won Arizona’s Republican nominating contest on Tuesday, enabling him to seek a sixth term as U.S. senator from the southwestern state, according to media projections.
In Florida, political watchers scoured primary returns in a bevy of House districts that were been redrawn just months ago by a court-ordered redistricting.
McCain, 80, defeated former Arizona state Senator Kelli Ward and is slated to defend his Senate seat against Democratic Representative Ann Kirkpatrick in the November 8 election.
In Florida, the former Democratic National Committee chairwoman, Wasserman Schultz, must stave off a challenge for her congressional seat from Bernie Sanders-backed Tim Canova. His disapproval ratings rose from 35 percent to 43 percent.
They both quickly tacked out of primary mode, looking toward November, wasting no time hammering each other during their respective victory speeches.
Many of those races have been marked by the familiar national dynamic pitting the party establishment vs. insurgents. If Democrats sweep all four seats seen as competitive in November, that Republican advantage could be reduced to 14-13.
And in the Orlando-area 9th District, a safely Democratic district, state Sen. It practically derailed his 2008 presidential candidacy. Bob Graham, a former senator, and his daughter, U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham.
Another longtime politician, who is also in his 80s and has received much media attention over his tough stance on immigration in the Grand Canyon State, won his primary easily.
Rubio’s comments aren’t all that surprising, given his obvious interest in the presidency and the flak he took for breaking his pledge not to seek a second term in the Senate. Shortly after the 33-year-old, two-term congressman declared his bid for U.S. Senate in March 2015, the party’s establishment showered him with high-profile endorsements – including one from President Barack Obama – and lucrative financial support. The revelations did little damage to Murphy in the primary because his chief opponent, Grayson, struggled under the scrutiny of an on-going Congressional ethics investigation into offshore hedge funds he managed while in office and allegations that emerged in July by his former wife that Grayson had physically abused her during their previous 25-year marriage.
But Mr. Grayson’s claim as a liberal firebrand was tarnished by a major ethics complaint and domestic violence reports, while Mr. Murphy has largely weathered unflattering scrutiny of his resume to build a significant lead in recent polls.
Arpaio had amassed a war chest of more than $10 million. Marco Rubio called on his Democratic rival, Rep. Patrick Murphy, to agree to a series of debates ahead of Election Day.
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Dozens of other sitting lawmakers also face primary challenges. McCain needs to beat Ann Kirkpatrick, who won her Arizona senate primary unopposed for the Democrats.
