Congressmen Alan Grayson, Patrick Murphy (D-FL)
With the apparent demise of Marco Rubio’s political career, Florida is now a prime target for a Democratic pick-up in the U.S. Senate. The state is key to Democrats’ hopes of regaining power in the Senate. And Democrats turn out in higher numbers during presidential election years (Obama carried Florida in both 2008 and 2012.), and the open seat gives the party a better chance than if Rubio were seeking a second term.
While its presidential primary went down this past Tuesday, the state’s primary election for U.S. Senator and other offices is scheduled for August 30th. On the Democratic side, the race pits the firebrand, progressive Orlando Congressman Alan Grayson, who gained national fame when he said the Republican health care plan was “to die quickly”, and the much more moderate Miami Congressman Patrick Murphy, who has the endorsements of Obama, Biden and Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid. (Reid, in fact, wants Grayson drop out of the race.)
The race appears to be a toss-up at this time. According to Politico:
The Democratic primary is essentially a tie, with Rep. Alan Grayson pulling 33 percent support to Rep. Patrick Murphy’s 32 percent, according to the Mason-Dixon Polling & Research survey of 500 registered Florida Democratic voters. The poll is better news for Grayson because, compared to an April Mason-Dixon survey, Grayson’s numbers have improved by 19 percentage points, while Murphy has lost his front-runner status and has seen only a 9-point improvement.
As a registered Democrat and relative newcomer to Florida (who isn’t? lol), I find the prospect of turning this seat blue quite encouraging.
