Peter Schorsch
A Spanish-language website page for Alan Grayson’s foray into the U.S. Senate race loses something in translation.
Or, more accurately, it gains something: Lolita Grayson, his former (or never was) wife.
On the website senatorgrayson.com (more on that in a moment), the Orlando liberal, who entered Democratic primary for Marco Rubio’s open Senate seat, offers Hispanic voters a brief bio in Spanish (“Acerca de Alan Grayson”).
Grayson’s bio touts his background, his education at Harvard University, and even membership “de la fraternity Phi Beta Kappa.”
At the end, Grayson – who faces moderate Democratic U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy in the 2016 primary – also adds one last, curious “fact”:
“Alan y su esposa, Lolita, viven en Orlando, Florida, con sus cinco hijos: Skye, Star, Sage, Storm y Stone.”
For those who do not speak Spanish (or don’t have Google Translate handy) the phrase translates to:
“Alan and his wife, Lolita, live in Orlando, Florida, with their five children: Skye, Star, Sage, Storm, and Stone.”
Promoting Grayson’s marital status is of particular note, especially in light of the recent annulment of his 25-year marriage by a Florida court after a protracted, bitter legal battle. A two-page order by Judge Bob LeBlanc voided the marriage because Lolita Grayson was already married in 1990 when she wed Alan Grayson.
The couple agreed to the annulment in April, well before Grayson entered the Senate race.
Some could brush off the misrepresentation as an oversight, except for one thing: the English language page of the bio provides updated information – without the phrase “and his wife, Lolita.”
The edit – intentional or not – hasn’t made it yet to the Spanish language version.
As for the website itself – SENATORgrayson.com – it already anoints the candidate to the elected post. Beyond its ostensibly named Web address, two fundraising pitches also proclaim Grayson as a “Senator with Guts” and “A Fighter. A Senator for Us,” seemingly bypassing the entire electoral process.
Of course, Grayson is well-known as confident, brash and outspoken, and securing the Hispanic vote is crucial in any Florida race.
However, in Grayson’s case, brashness can easily cross a thin line into arrogance, which can quickly turn off a valuable voting bloc – bilingual Floridians (and there are many of them).
