Former U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Fla., is looking to get back to Congress and is challenging U.S. Rep. Darren Soto, D-Fla., in the Democratic primary.
While he had filed to take on old foe U.S. Rep. Dan Webster, R-Fla., Grayson filed to run in CD 9 and told WESH that he will challenge Soto.
“The polling indicates that among Hispanics I am actually more popular than Darren Soto because people know I have done useful things,” Grayson told WESH 2 News.
Over the past decade, Grayson has had something of a roller coaster career in Florida politics even as he won national attention for his liberalism and his caustic comments about Republicans. After losing in a congressional primary in 2006, Grayson bounced back in 2008 to edge U.S. Rep. Ric Kreller, R-Fla., in a good year for Democrats. Two years later, the GOP had momentum and Grayson, now a favorite of liberals across the nation for his pugnacious and confrontational style, was buried in an electoral landslide taking only 38 percent while Republican challenger Dan Webster cruised with 56 percent. Grayson rebounded yet again in 2012 to win an open Central Florida congressional seat which he held onto two years later. But, in 2016, Grayson flopped badly as a Senate candidate, barely edging Pam Keith out for second place and taking only 18 percent while then U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Fla., pulled 59 percent.
Grayson quickly set his eyes on a trying to get into the House for a third time, launching a campaign organization to challenge Webster but he moved over to take on Soto instead. In 2016, liberals split their votes between Susannah Randolph and Dena Grayson, the former congressman’s wife, letting Soto win the primary. Soto has been doing his best to ensure he is poised to survive a primary challenge from Grayson, including some big endorsements back in March including getting the support of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and unveiling the backing of every Democrat in the Florida delegation.
