One of the most powerful Democrats in Washington D.C., took an active role in the Democratic primary as his party looks to flip the U.S. Senate seat currently held by U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.
Earlier this month, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., urged U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Fla., drop his Senate bid. After the New York Times published a story earlier this month focused on Grayson’s work as a hedge fund manager, Reid called out for Grayson to get out of the race. Reid is backing U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Fla., in the Senate race.
After the U.S. House Ethics Committee announced on Monday that it would investigate Grayson, Reid doubled down on his position.
The Murphy team released an email from Reid on Tuesday as the Nevada Democrat launched petitions urging Grayson to end his Senate bid.
“We need strong leaders in the Senate -- middle class champions dedicated to working hard and getting things done,” Reid insisted. “People just like Patrick Murphy. What we don’t need is a disgraceful hedge fund manager masquerading as a ‘progressive.’
“Reports indicate that Alan Grayson may have used his position as a congressman to unethically promote his Cayman Islands hedge fund,” Reid added. “Grayson claims to be a ‘progressive,’ but it seems he has no moral compass. These deeply troubling allegations should disqualify anyone from a seat in the U.S. Senate. Alan Grayson should drop out of the U.S. Senate race immediately. I’m calling on Alan Grayson to drop out.
“Alan Grayson’s actions aren’t just disgraceful to the Democratic Party, they’re disgraceful to the halls of Congress," Reid continued. “He does not belong in the Senate.”
Grayson fired back on Tuesday, noting polls show him ahead and that the Democratic leadership was against him.
“When we first announced this campaign, the Washington establishment, the party politburo and the corporate lobbyists wrote us off,” Grayson insisted. “The media pundits said that we couldn’t win. They told us we shouldn’t even try, for the worst reason in the world: because they didn’t want to believe that a true progressive – one who is unbought and unbossed by them– could win statewide in Florida.”
Grayson labeled Murphy as a “Wall St. errand boy” before turning his fire back to the Democratic leadership.
“They think they can destroy us – frag us – through smear campaigns and dirty tricks,” Grayson maintained. “That the power of sewer money from Super PACs and Big Money is more powerful than the People. They’re still trying to stop us right now, in fact, by throwing major shade through their corrupt party bosses and their media toadies.”
Grayson claimed the “corrupt establishment” doesn’t “own me, and they hate that.” The Central Florida Democrat pointed to his opposition against Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), Social Security cuts, superdelegates helping determine the Democratic presidential nominee and support of campaign finance reform.
“The corrupt DC establishment , addicted to sewer money, has thrown everything but the kitchen sink at me, to drag their callow Wall Street errand boy over the finish line,” Grayson added.
Life coach Lateresa Jones and attorney and Navy veteran Pam Keith are also running for the Democratic nomination.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
