Political Wire

Conservative Group Backs Grayson in New Ad

· 21 Comments

“In a rare encroachment into a Democratic primary, the conservative Club for Growth is airing a television ad that attacks Florida Senate candidate Patrick Murphy for supporting the Export-Import Bank and praises potential rival Alan Grayson for opposing the credit agency for American businesses,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“The ad is part of a $1 million advertising campaign by the Club for Growth, a free-market group that casts Ex-Im spending as corporate welfare and is best known for attacking centrist Republicans.”

Grayson Flips Out Over Disclosure of Offshore Investments

· 35 Comments

Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL), “the outspoken, populist Democrat who thunders against Wall Street fat cats,and used to to joke about Mitt Romney’s low tax bill, incorporated a couple hedge funds in the Cayman Islands so investors could avoid taxes,” the Tampa Bay Times reports.

But he wasn’t happy when asked about it by a reporter.

Said Grayson: “Are you fucking kidding? I set up a fund that might solicit foreign investors….I have no present intention of soliciting foreign investors. Your perception issue is bullshit. This is even worse than Grayson’s girlfriend might run for congress 18 months from now. This is a whole nother level of bullshit. Are are you some kind of shitting robot? You go around shitting on on people?”

He added that every time “some bullshit artist calls you up and tries to stick a knife in my gut” makes him more inclined to run for U.S. Senate.

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No Clear Leaders for U.S. Senate in Florida

· 10 Comments

A new Mason-Dixon poll in Florida finds Rep. Patrick Murphy (D) leads Rep. Alan Grayson (D) in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, 23% to 14%, though 63% are still undecided.

In the GOP race, Bill McCollum (R) leads with 20%, followed by Rep. David Jolly (R) at 8%, Vern Buchanan (R) at 7% and Tom Rooney (R) at 5% and 48% undecided.

Florida Senate Seat is a Toss Up

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Cook Political Report: “Florida Sen. Marco Rubio’s decision to seek the Republican presidential nomination and thus forgo a re-election bid creates the second open GOP seat of the cycle. It also becomes the first Republican seat in the Toss Up column. Had Rubio run for re-election, he would have started the race as the favorite, but an open seat in a swing state in a presidential year will be a much more competitive contest.”

Atwater Backs Out of Senate Bid

· 32 Comments

“Just as he looked like a front-runner to replace Sen. Marco Rubio, Florida CFO Jeff Atwater announced Saturday he would not run for the seat,” Politico reports.

“The Rubio and Atwater decisions are setting off the very type of nightmare scenarios Republican Party leaders were hoping to avoid in Florida, a state the GOP essentially needs to win to carry that White House but that trends Democratic in presidential election years.”

Crist Will Not Make Another Senate Bid

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Former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (D) has ruled out a Senate bid in 2016, the Huffington Post reports.

“Crist, who unsuccessfully challenged incumbent Rick Scott (R) in last year’s gubernatorial race, was reportedly considering jumping in the race for Sen. Marco Rubio’s (R) seat. (Rubio is widely expected to run for the Republican presidential nomination, and is barred from seeking re-election in the Senate if he does so since Florida law prohibits individuals from appearing on a ballot twice.)”

Crist Mulls Another Senate Bid

· 18 Comments

Charlie Crist (D) “might be back on the Florida ballot once again,” CNN reports.

“The former Florida governor, who lost his Republican-turned-Independent bid for Senate in 2010 and then fell short in his comeback attempt as a Democrat in last year’s gubernatorial race, is now considering running for Senate in 2016.”

Grayson Mulls Senate Bid in Florida

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Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) told The Hill he’s thinking of running for the U.S. Senate in 2016.

Said Grayson: “We have some very substantial advantages. I have over 100,000 individual contributors, no one else on the House Democratic side has anything like that. We have raised as much as $5 million in an individual cycle for a House seat, again there’s nobody [who has done that].”

“Grayson indicated that the only thing that might keep him from running is if Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-FL), the chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, enters the fray.”

Will Rubio Really Give Up His Senate Seat?

· 29 Comments

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) “is moving full throttle towards a White House bid, hitting the road hard to raise money and elevate his profile. While allies and advisors say he hasn’t made a final decision, most now privately expect he’ll take the plunge,” The Hill reports.

“It’s a gamble for the 43 year-old Rubio, who has to choose between running for another Senate term next year and undertaking a White House bid. Staying in the Senate is the surer bet, though reelection isn’t guaranteed in swing-state Florida.”

Rick Scott for President?

· 27 Comments

Insiders say Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) wants to become president, the Miami Herald reports.

“It’s anyone’s guess how a politician with such low favorability ratings who has never captured 50 percent of the vote in Florida can win nationwide (or in Florida in a presidential election year, when the electorate is more liberal-leaning).”

“There’s a small possibility he could run in 2018 for U.S. Senate against Nelson. Independently wealthy and a great fundraiser, Scott would be a force to be reckoned with in a federal race, where there are strict limits on raising outside campaign money.”

Rubio Not Letting Bush Push Him Out

· 5 Comments

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) “is planning to take a more active role on the national political stage next month, undeterred by his former mentor Jeb Bush’s moves toward running for president,” The Hill reports.

“Republican strategists predicted months ago that Rubio would not run for the White House if Bush waged a bid. They assumed Rubio’s fundraising base in Florida would migrate entirely to Bush, the state’s former governor.”

The Wall Street Journal notes Rubio “is facing a difficult decision about running for president or continuing to represent Florida in the Senate.”

Taegan Goddard

Taegan Goddard

Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.

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