The war of words is heating up in the Democratic primary to replace U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., after President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden threw their support to U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Fla.
After Obama and Biden backed Murphy on Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Fla., fired back, with his campaign spokesman slamming the "Democratic politburo” in an email to the Associated Press .
"The anti-Democratic Party establishment is desperate to drag Grayson's opponent, their do-nothing, errand boy for Wall Street, over the finish line,” Grayson spokesman David Damron emailed the AP. “But Florida voters in both parties are fed up with egregious manipulation by outside forces to dictate our candidates.”
Murphy’s team fired back on Thursday morning, insisting “it’s clear that Alan Grayson doesn’t care about the Democratic Party or President Obama— just himself."
Murphy also weighed in directly, pointing to Grayson facing a U.S. House Ethics Committee investigation over his role as a hedge fund manager.
"The choice before Democratic voters couldn't be more clear,” Murphy said on Thursday. “I'm honored to receive President Obama and Vice President Biden's endorsement, and look forward to campaigning shoulder-to-shoulder with them for Florida's middle class families. Meanwhile, Hedge Fund Manager Alan Grayson is attacking the president and is under ethics investigation for abusing his official position to line his own pockets.”
Biden will be campaigning with Murphy later this month. The Murphy team is also being helped by U.S. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., who is leading a petition process urging Grayson to get out of the race.
In the meantime, other groups are starting to wade in. The Senate Leadership Fund, a group backing Republican candidates, noted Murphy’s parents sent more than $110,000 to Obama and more than $30,000 to Reid over the years.
“Patrick Murphy should write a book and title it ‘How to Use Your Parents’ Money to Buy Endorsements and Influence Politicians.' Unfortunately for Murphy, all the endorsements his parents have bought for him haven’t given him an ounce of substance and haven’t helped him get within ten points of Alan Grayson,” said Ian Prior, a spokesman for the Senate Leadership Fund, on Wednesday.
The Democratic Progressive Caucus of Florida (DPCF), which endorsed Grayson earlier in the contest, went after Murphy on Thursday as DPCF President Susan Smith urged Obama to reconsider his support.
"As someone who worked hard to help President Obama win Florida in 2008 and 2012, I am profoundly saddened and disappointed by his apparent lack of trust in Florida Democrats to choose our own U.S. Senate nominee," Smith said on Thursday. “In fact, poll after poll has shown that Florida Democrats tend to prefer Alan Grayson over former Republican Patrick Murphy.
"As much as it breaks my heart to see President Obama attempt to put his thumb on the scale for Patrick Murphy, it's even more worrisome that the president seems to have done so with bad information,” Smith added. “Patrick Murphy has said he wants to look at cuts to Social Security, and he supported the so-called Bowles-Simpson plan that would have cut benefits for the vast majority of Social Security recipients.
"Patrick Murphy was a Republican until he decided to run for office in 2011, and before he decided to run for Senate, he voted like one,” Smith continued. “It's one thing if the president is willing to look past Murphy's support for the Republican's Benghazi witch hunt and the Keystone XL pipeline, but it is another thing entirely to make an endorsement based on bad information. I hope the president will read up on Murphy's real record and reconsider his decision to throw the weight of the White House behind someone who will do Wall Street's bidding."
As both Smith and Prior noted, Grayson is ahead in most polls, including one from Public Policy Polling (PPP) released earlier in the week. The PPP poll had Grayson with 33 percent, Murphy with 22 percent and 45 percent of Florida Democrats not sure. Attorney and Navy veteran Pam Keith and life coach Lateresa Jones, who are also running for the Democratic nod, were not included in the poll.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
