The two Florida congressmen running to replace U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., in the Senate next year continue to exchange attacks against each other as they maneuver for position.
On Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy’s, D-Fla., team noted to media reports that primary rival U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Fla., changed the names of two hedge funds that had his names on it. Grayson had insisted that having his name on the funds did not violate House rules.
"By renaming his hedge funds after three months of vehement denials, Alan Grayson has exposed his own shameful lies and hypocrisy,” insisted Josh Karp, a spokesman for the Murphy campaign. “It's obvious Alan Grayson owes his real loyalty to the investors in his unethical Cayman Islands hedge funds. Democrats -- and all Floridians -- have a right to be deeply disappointed in Alan Grayson.”
Grayson’s team promptly fired back, noting Murphy had backed the Keystone XL Pipeline and was one of only a handful of congressional Democrats who joined the GOP to set up the Benghazi Select Committee which is looking at the favorite for the Democratic presidential nomination, former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's handling of a terror attack which killed four American State Department employees in Libya four years ago.
"Patrick Murphy's record lines up better with many of the Republican presidential candidates than it does with anyone on our side," said Doug Dodson, Grayson’s campaign manager, on Tuesday night. "The former Republican stands with current Republicans on the Keystone pipeline, the Benghazi witch hunt, delaying Obamacare, weakening Wall Street reform and so many other issues that matter to Democrats, that he could become a real source of embarrassment to our eventual presidential nominee in Florida."
The rumble continued on Wednesday as Murphy’s camp noted that Grayon said, earlier in the week, that the Democratic establishment was "some kind of gang, like Crips or the Bloods." Murphy’s team insisted this was insensitive to African-Americans and brought out U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Fla., to demand Grayson apologize for saying it.
"Some things must never be politicized," said Hastings. "The gang violence that has torn apart communities for too long has affected countless people across our country. The Democratic Party must always reject this kind of language, and I call on Mr. Grayson to apologize."
Attorney Pam Keith is also running for the Democratic nod but as an underdog she has stayed out of the fray between the two congressmen. Last week, Keith appeared with Grayson at an event held by the Democratic Women's Club of Florida (DWCF) as she continues her campaign.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
