U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson announces run for Rubio's U.S. Senate seat

Brendan Farrington, Associated Press
9:21 AM, Jul 9, 2015
2 hours ago



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TALLAHASSEE — Democratic congressman Alan Grayson announced Thursday he will seek the Senate seat Republican Marco Rubio is leaving to run for president.

The decision guarantees a feisty primary between the unabashed liberal and U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, a former Republican who is running as a moderate and who has garnered the support of many party leaders. Rep. Grayson, who represents a Central Florida district, made his announcement on Orlando television station WKMG.


Grayson, 57, is a wealthy lawyer who’s proud of being non-establishment. He calls himself a congressman with guts who answers to no one but voters. While his headline-making comments will certainly be discussed 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.


“That’s what people care about — what are you doing for them,” Grayson said in an interview with The Associated Press last month as he was considering the run. “Elections are about something and politics are about something. It’s about doing good things for people.”


He’s also convinced that a liberal Democrat can win in a statewide election in Florida, despite what other political observers believe. He made that point in a blog post Wednesday evening, headlined in all capital letters, “WHY DON’T DEMOCRATS VOTE? I’LL TELL YOU WHY.”


“When there is no difference between the candidates,
Democrats don’t vote, and Democrats lose,” he wrote. “When we put up a pseudo-Democrat or a neo-Democrat or a quasi-Democrat or a semi-Democrat for Team Blue, our voters are not amused. They are not fooled.”


Expect that to be a theme. His primary opponent, Murphy, is a former Republican who donated money to Mitt Romney.


Grayson wrote Wednesday that the reason Democrats lost last year’s election to unpopular Republican Gov. Rick Scott is because the party coalesced around Republican-turned-independent-turned-Democrat former Gov. Charlie Crist.

“Democratic voters were appalled,” Grayson wrote.

“Democratic voters stayed home in droves, and the Democrats lost.”


Murphy issued a statement shortly after Grayson’s announcement.


“I look forward to a clean, honest discussion of the issues in this primary. I have built a strong record of working together to get things done, while remaining true to core Democratic principles,” he said.


Don’t expect party leaders to suddenly change their thinking that Murphy is the better general election candidate in a state that is politically more toward the middle, having elected a Republican governor five straight elections but supported President Barack Obama twice.


“Grayson has a following, he will work the progressive wing of the party very hard, but in the end I think Murphy will be the more formidable candidate,” said Rod Smith, a former state Democratic Party chairman who sought the Democratic nomination as a moderate in 2006. “If we’re going to win the general election, Murphy is the more likely candidate.”


Republican U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis has already announced he’s running for the GOP nomination, as has little-known businessman and veteran Todd Wilcox. Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera is expected to enter the race next week and Republican U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller is strongly considering a run.


As Grayson enters the race, he has a stronger social media following than Murphy. Here are the numbers as Grayson prepared to make his announcement:


Facebook: Grayson, 127,458 likes; Murphy, 31,350 likes.


Twitter: Grayson, 59,646 followers; Murphy, 4,174 followers.


YouTube: Grayson, 11,175 subscribers and 10,756,712 views; Murphy, a combined 155 subscribers and 51,080 views between his congressional and campaign accounts.


Both men are formidable fundraisers and Murphy has also proved he can win a tough fight against a partisan favorite, though in his case it was tea party star and then-Congressman Allen West whom he defeated, not a fellow Democrat. He beat West in 2012 in a close race and easily won re-election last year in a slightly Republican-leaning district.


Murphy, 32, has already wrapped up the endorsement of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, as well as a long list of Florida legislators, mayors and members of Congress.

Grayson has scoffed at the support Murphy is receiving.

Leading up to his announcement, Grayson posted on Facebook and Twitter a question asking voters who else in Congress can make this statement: “I am unbought and unbossed. I owe nothing to anyone but The People.”

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