In an interview on WKMG TV in Orlando, U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Fla., announced on Thursday that he was entering the race to replace U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., in 2016.
Grayson will face U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Fla., in next year’s primary. Murphy has the support of much of the Democratic leadership including the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee (DSCC), almost 20 Senate Democrats including Bill Nelson of Florida, several Democratic members of the Florida delegation and the party’s last two gubernatorial candidates: former Gov. Charlie Crist and former state CFO Alex Sink.
On Wednesday, in an email to supporters, Grayson took a few shots at the Democratic leadership, including Crist.
“When there is no difference between the candidates, Democrats don’t vote, and Democrats lose,” Grayson wrote. Grayson turned his fire to Crist noting that the former governor could not defeat the “horrible” Gov. Rick Scott. “Democratic voters stayed home in droves, and the Democrats lost,” Grayson insisted.
Grayson then tipped his cards for how he will handle Murphy who is considered to be far more moderate than his new primary opponent.
“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. And we only hurt ourselves,” Grayson claimed. “The voters deserve a choice. In fact, they insist on it. Or they simply won’t vote.”
Murphy welcomed Grayson into the race on Thursday while insisting he represents the Democratic base.
"I look forward to a clean, honest discussion of the issues in this primary,” Murphy said. “I have built a strong record of working together to get things done, while remaining true to core Democratic principles like protecting Social Security and Medicare, fighting for a woman's right to choose, and strengthening the middle class. I look forward to sharing that record with Floridians across the state."
But while Murphy held his fire, Josh Wolf from his campaign looked to question Grayson’s credentials, noting that the conservative Club for Growth had recently run ads praising him.
“Patrick Murphy is the only true choice for Florida. He has a proven record of standing up for Democratic values like protecting Social Security, fighting for women's equality, and promoting LGBT rights,” Wolf wrote Murphy supporters on Thursday, accusing “deep-pocketed tea party Republicans” of supporting “gutting Medicare, slashing Social Security, and leaving hard-working folks out in the cold.”
“Our opponent is backed by these same right-wing groups, including the ultra-conservative Club for Growth,” Wolf wrote. “Patrick is the only Democrat who can turn Florida blue. Period.”
On the other side of the aisle, Republicans and conservative also took aim at the new candidate.
Taylor Budowich, the executive director of the Tea Party Express, came out swinging at Grayson on Wednesday.
“An electoral walloping, like the one the Democrats received in 2014, usually serves as a much-needed gut-check for a party embarrassingly out-of-touch with voters,” Budowich said. “But with Debbie Wasserman-Shultz still in charge, Democrats continue to pump out batty candidates like Alan Grayson
“Grayson is the epitome of everything that’s wrong with the Democratic Party,” Budowich added. “He is anti-women, having been caught calling a female he didn’t like a 'whore.' He is dishonest, running one of the most disgustingly deceitful political attack ads of recent memory. And he hypocritically preaches tolerance, unless you have an opinion different than his, in that case he compares you to murderous organizations like the Klu Klux Klan. Alan Grayson has proven throughout his career that he only has tolerance for people that agree with his offensive, extremist views -- eliminating nearly the entire electorate.
“Democrats had a chance to learn from 2014 and abandon the failed policy agenda of a party detached from America,” Budowich concluded. “Instead, they’ve doubled down on the past. If one of Hillary Clinton’s many scandals doesn’t grenade Democrats' 2016 prospects in Florida, Alan Grayson’s bigotry and chauvinism sure will.”
On the Republican side, U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., is already in the race and businessman Todd Wilcox entered the contest on Wednesday. U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., and Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera are also expected to enter the Republican primary. Republican strategist Roger Stone is a possible candidate on the Libertarian line.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
