First elected in 2008, Grayson is currently in his second stint in Congress. Despite losing to Republican Dan Webster in 2010, Grayson bounced back to win a new congressional seat in 2012 after redistricting. Democrats have a substantial registration advantage over Republicans in this Central Florida district which contains parts of Orange, Osceola and Polk counties. In 2012, Grayson blew out Republican Todd Long, routing him 62.5 percent to 37.5 percent.
Ignoring Platt, Grayson is painting the race as a contest against conservatives at the national level. On Monday, his team characterized the election as a contest of Alan Grayson vs. the tea party. Over the weekend, Grayson called out U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, for supporting bombing positions held by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Iraq. Grayson, a vocal opponent of American military operations in the Middle East, called Cruz Dick Cheney Jr.
But, if Grayson is ignoring Platt to focus on national targets, he shows no signs of taking his foot off the gas. Grayson beat the drums for support across the district, playing up the importance of campaign fieldwork.
Two years ago, we had 50 paid canvassers going door to door in my district from March to November, Grayson explained on Tuesday. The result? There was only one area in Florida where President Obama did better in 2012 than he did in 2008: my district.
As Grayson focuses on field operations and lashing out at national Republicans, Platt unveiled the support of a Central Florida congressman.
At the end of last week, U.S. Rep. Bill Posey, R-Fla., announced his support for Platt. Posey pointed to Platts background in the private sector as a reason why she will do well in Congress.
Carols experience in business, balancing budgets, making payroll and having to make tough decisions will serve her very well, Posey insisted. We need more representatives like Carol with real-world experience and the guts to make Congress accountable.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
