Alan Grayson unleashes on Patrick Murphy, Democratic Party

@ByKristenMClark

U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson is holding on to his grudge against U.S. Senate candidate Patrick Murphy and the Democratic Party establishment that helped Murphy beat Grayson in the Aug. 30 primary.

Since that loss, the sometimes polarizing and notably bombastic Orlando congressman had largely kept a low profile. Grayson has maintained his campaign email list but has used it mostly just to send out fundraising pitches in support of like-minded progressive candidates across the country.

But on Tuesday night, Grayson unloaded to his supporters.

In a scorched-earth rant entitled "What $10 million buys from the Democratic Party," he vented his bitter frustration about Murphy and Democratic Party leaders. The piece is riddled with attacks and accusations against Murphy, his wealthy father and Democratic leaders and fundraising groups -- none of whom have responded to requests for comment from the Herald/Times.

MORE: Read Grayson's email here.

So given his clear disdain, whom is Grayson voting for this fall?

The soon-to-be outgoing congressman reiterated in an email to the Herald/Times: "I will be voting for Hillary Clinton for president. I haven’t decided who will get my Senate vote, but it will not be Patrick Murphy."

In his email blast, Grayson claims a "Murphy political operative" told someone within his own campaign earlier this summer that Murphy's father, Tom Murphy Jr., had made a promise wherein "the Democratic Party could expect to see $10 million if it delivered the nomination to [Patrick] Murphy."

What you need to know for Tuesday’s primary election

@alextdaugherty and @doug_hanks

Planning to vote in Tuesday’s primary election? We’ve provided answers to a list of frequently asked questions.

Numerous races are on the ballot, notably the election for Miami-Dade County mayor, along with Republican and Democratic primaries for U.S. Senate. Various state legislative, school board, county commission and judicial seats are also up for grabs in Miami-Dade and Broward.

I’m not a registered Republican or Democrat. Should I bother to vote?

For some offices, like U.S. Senate and Congress, only registered members of a specific party may vote. But in Miami-Dade County, all registered voters can cast a ballot for mayor, school board, county commissioner and judge. If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote, a runoff election will be held in November for the top two finishers.

In Broward, independents can vote in non-partisan races, including contests for judge, state attorney and school board. Voters in both counties are also voting on a constitutional amendment about solar energy.

So is the mayor’s race in Miami-Dade ending Tuesday or not?

That depends. If one candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote, the race ends. If not, the race heads for a November run-off on Election Day between the top two finishers.

That’s just for the mayor’s race?

No, that’s the rule for all non-partisan primaries, which is how most county-level and city-level races are decided. So school board races, judge races and other local posts could wind up on the November ballot if no winner is declared Tuesday.

What about the races for Miami-Dade County Commission?

Those three races would be eligible for a run-off, except each contest only has two candidates. A run-off is only a possibility with more than two candidates.

Read more here: What you need to know for Tuesday's primary election

Fact-checking the Florida Senate race

After months of being bombarded with campaign ads and mailers, Florida primary voters will decide Tuesday which U.S. Senate candidates will move on to the general election.

We’ve been tracking the most visible candidates in both parties on our Truth-O-Meter for months. Here’s a look at how some statements from the contenders -- Marco Rubio, Carlos Beruff, Patrick Murphy and Alan Grayson -- stack up.

Keep reading from PolitiFact Florida.

 

Poll: Trump, Clinton tied in presidential; Rubio, Murphy favorites in Senate primary

@ByKristenMClark

A new statewide poll released by Florida Atlantic University today shows the presidential contest between Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump essentially a toss-up in Florida this month.

Among 1,200 registered likely voters in the November election, Trump got 43 percent support while Clinton got 41 percent. That's within the margin of error of plus or minus 2.7 percent.

In Florida's nationally watched U.S. Senate race, the poll has Republican incumbent Marco Rubio and Democrat Patrick Murphy as the clear favorites in Tuesday's primary.

Rubio led the GOP field with 69 percent support, trailed by undecided voters at 15 percent and Manatee County home-builder Carlos Beruff at 8 percent. FAU said 327 registered Republican, likely primary voters were surveyed with results having a margin of error of plus or minus 5.4 percent.

Meanwhile in the Democratic race, the poll found Murphy with 54 percent support, with 22 percent still undecided. Alan Grayson got 7.6 percent in the poll, while Pam Keith received 7.4 percent. The university surveyed 364 registered Democratic, likely primary voters; the results had a margin of error of plus or minus 5.1 percent.

The poll results for the Democratic primary reflect either a recent, drastic decline in voters' attitude toward Grayson or an anomaly. Most other polls for the U.S. Senate race have consistently shown Grayson with at least 17 percent support, including one done by Suffolk University a couple weeks prior.

FAU conducted its survey Aug. 19-22 using automated telephone polling. Find the full results here.

In a potential general election match-up between Rubio and Murphy, the poll found Rubio leading Murphy, 44 percent to 39 percent, with almost 12 percent undecided. About 5 percent preferred someone else.

Rubio would have a stronger chance against Grayson, according to the poll. In that match-up, Rubio got 45 percent support to Grayson's 34 percent, with 11 percent undecided. About 10 percent preferred an alternative.

Image credit: FAU poll of 1,200 likely general election voters in Florida, Aug. 19-22. Margin of error: +/- 2.7 percent

Alan Grayson's latest supporter? Actor, activist Danny Glover

@ByKristenMClark

Actor and political activist Danny Glover is encouraging Florida voters to support Democratic U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson's bid for U.S. Senate.

With a week to go before the state's contentious party primary, Glover filmed a video endorsement and penned a fundraising email to Grayson supporters today.

He praises Grayson as "someone who I believe is a brilliant, extraordinary Congressman, and will be a brilliant, extraordinary Senator, when elected to the Senate from Florida."

"He is a man who is about the truth -- who is talking about the issues, the issues that affect your life, the issues that affect your communities," Glover said. "Democracy is in desperate need for clear voices, voices that are not afraid to tell it like it is. Voices that will bring people out, and make them accountable as well. Voices that are responsible to those communities – [responsible to] everyone, not just the special interests, not even the special interests, but voices that are accountable to everyone. Alan Grayson is that kind of voice."

Grayson, of Orlando, posted Glover's video message on both his YouTube page and on a campaign webpage soliciting contributions from supporters.

In the Aug. 30 election, Grayson faces fellow U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy of Jupiter and Pam Keith, a Miami labor attorney and former naval officer. Murphy is considered the front-runner, thanks to favorable polling and aggressive support by the Democratic establishment.

Grayson's campaign suffered a setback last month, after his former wife accused Grayson of domestic abuse during their 25-year marriage that was annulled last year. Grayson has disputed the allegations, but he nonetheless lost a couple high-profile progressive endorsements over the controversy.

In tough editorial, Miami Herald recommends Marco Rubio and long-shot Pam Keith for Senate

From the Miami Herald editorial board:

Democratic and Republican leaders have displayed a damn-the-voters attitude in this year’s Florida Senate primary races that discredits both parties. They’re doing their best to rig the outcome before a single vote is cast.

In the Democratic race, the leadership has placed its bet on U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, who narrowly beat firebrand GOP incumbent Allen West in 2012 in a district that leans slightly Republican. Both President Obama and Vice President Biden have campaigned with Mr. Murphy, with the president featured in a frequent Murphy TV commercial.

The party leadership sees Rep. Murphy as more palatable to voters than primary challenger Alan Grayson, a feisty, mince-no-words congressman from Orlando. But that should be up to the voters to decide. That’s why we have primaries instead of appointed nominees. Stacking the deck against Rep. Grayson corrupts the process.

On the Republican side, party leaders are scared to death of losing the seat held by Sen. Marco Rubio. They persuaded him to go back on this word after he’d said No to this race countless times. Three candidates dropped out of what had been a five-person race, including Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera, a proven vote-getter in Miami-Dade County, and newcomer Todd Wilcox, a conservative military veteran who made a good impression before exiting.

When a party leaves its own members with fewer choices, or abandons neutrality to favor one candidate over another, voters lose. It’s an insult to anyone who wants fairness in the electoral system. And it’s one more reason so many voters despise partisan politics.

More here.

Get to know Florida's U.S. Senate contenders in the August primary

@ByKristenMClark

In Florida’s closely watched and highly competitive U.S. Senate race, four Republicans and five Democrats are competing in the Aug. 30 primaries for coveted spots on the general election ballot.

Incumbent Republican Marco Rubio and Democratic U.S. Reps. Alan Grayson and Patrick Murphy are the most well-known names on each party’s ballot, but they face resilient challengers hoping to edge out a come-from-behind victory.

After a failed presidential run, Rubio wants to stay in office for another six-year term, while Democrats are pulling no punches to unseat him — pouring money and high-profile endorsements behind Murphy’s bid, in particular. Democrats hope a victory in Florida’s race will help them win back control of the U.S. Senate in 2017.

Click here to learn about the top contenders for Florida’s U.S. Senate contest.

MORE: Miami Herald's Voters Guide

Marco Rubio: Patrick Murphy is 'lazy' and 'feels entitled' to U.S. Senate seat

@ByKristenMClark

Speaking on a conservative talk radio show this morning, incumbent Republican Sen. Marco Rubio gave blistering criticism of his potential Democratic opponent, U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy -- foreshadowing Rubio's attacks for a likely general election match-up.

"Lazy." "Privileged." "Entitled."

Those are the words Rubio used to describe Murphy during an interview with John Hinderaker on "The Laura Ingraham Show." They are some of Rubio's harshest descriptions to date of Murphy -- the leading Democrat in the Aug. 30 primary for U.S. Senate.

For his part, Murphy, a congressman from Jupiter, has been directly attacking Rubio for weeks -- emphasizing Rubio's poor attendance record in the Senate and his support for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. Both Rubio and Murphy have largely ignored their primary opponents.

Hinderaker asked Rubio about the two Democratic front-runners in this month's primary, Murphy and fellow U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, and Rubio acknowledged Grayson only briefly.

"Alan Grayson, as I've said before, is not well," Rubio said. "I don't say this lightly because it's a term that's thrown around loosely -- but Alan Grayson is an unstable person."

Rubio then laid into Murphy at length -- attacking his work ethic, his affluent upbringing, his voting record, and for embellishing his resume.

"Patrick Murphy is an unreliable person," Rubio said. "He’s lazy; he’s not a very hard worker. He’s not a guy that you can see his campaign. He barely does events, he kind of just is phoning it in, and I think he feels entitled to it."

Video: Patrick Murphy backer Alex Sink says he should debate Alan Grayson

via @adamsmithtimes

Former CFO and Democratic candidate for governor Alex Sink appeared as part of another star-studded panel on WEDU's Florida This Week in Tampa Bay last week and said it was "bad for democracy" that her favored U.S. Senate candidate Patrick Murphy refused to participate in a televised debate with Democrat Alan Grayson.

"The optics look bad, I believe, for our candidates not to be willing to get up in front of the public and let the voters decide for themselves," Sink said. "I wish Patrick would get up and make his case for why he should be the nominee for the Democratic side, and likewise, I believe Marco Rubio ought to be out there debating Carlos Beruff."

Hillsborough GOP Chairman and former state Rep. Deborah Tamargo agreed that both Rubio and Murphy should debate their primary opponents. The segment starts at about 10:20:

Broward activist ejected from Democratic club meeting for confronting Patrick Murphy

@ByKristenMClark

A liberal activist in Broward County was booted from a local Democratic club meeting Tuesday night after confronting U.S. Senate candidate Patrick Murphy about why Murphy won’t debate his primary opponent, Alan Grayson.

Joe Kreps, a Grayson supporter from Plantation, challenged Murphy to explain why he backed out of the debate with Grayson this week, the only one planned ahead of the Aug. 30 primary.

“All I wanted was an answer to my question.... It’s got to stop. Somebody’s got to stand up and say, ‘stop hiding,’” Kreps said.

But others at the Plantation Democratic Club’s meeting — which included a friendly audience of Murphy supporters — said Kreps was out of line for forcing his question on the Jupiter congressman. The club’s acting president, Ralph Rickel, on Wednesday admonished Kreps as “a real wackadoo” and an embarrassment.

More here.

Photo credit: Patrick Murphy U.S. Senate campaign