Drew Wilson
Democratic US Rep. Patrick Murphy snagged an endorsement for his US Senate campaign Tuesday from a Wellington-based senior citizen advocacy group.
Florida Alliance for Retired Americans, or FLARA, head Tony Fransetta said the first-term representative’s record of fighting Social Security and Medicare cuts made him “without a doubt, the best choice for Florida’s seniors.”
“Patrick Murphy is a strong, persistent fighter for Florida’s seniors,” Fransetta said. “When Florida’s seniors need him, from Social Security to Medicare to clean air and water, Patrick has always been there for us — always.”
Murphy said he was honored to receive the endorsement and pledged to continue fighting changes to those programs, including proposed hikes to the retirement age and means testing.
“Social Security and Medicare are solemn promises to our nation’s seniors, and it’s my honor to fight for our seniors’ high quality of life in the Sunshine State,” he said.
Murphy’s record on those programs has been under fire from Congressman Alan Grayson, his biggest Democratic opponent in the crowded race to replace Marco Rubio in the Senate. Murphy’s campaign has been proactive in rebutting those claims and others from the Grayson camp, though he trails the Central Florida congressman, who has marketed himself as “the real Democrat” in the race, in recent polls.
The FLARA nod comes a day after Murphy picked up endorsements from five Florida House Democrats: Amanda Murphy, Mia Jones, Reggie Fulwood, Cynthia Stafford and Richard Stark. Previous endorsements include US Reps. Ted Deutch, Lois Frankel, Alcee Hastings and Fredrica Wilson, with Tampa mayor Bob Buckhorn, former CFO Alex Sink and former Gov. Charlie Crist also putting their weight behind him.
