Ryan Nicol
With just over a week left until the Aug. 28 primary, Sean Shaw has picked up the endorsement of former U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy to be Florida’s next Attorney General.
Shaw, now state representative for House District 61, is competing with Tampa attorney Ryan Torrens in what has been a heated Democratic primary race.
Now, Murphy says he’s backing Shaw in that contest and all the way through the general election.
“Floridians need a battle-tested candidate who is ready to take the fight to special interests groups on day-one,” Murphy said.
“Whether Sean was holding BP accountable for the oil spill that threatened our way of life or pushing back against rising insurance costs for the elderly, Sean has always made protecting the rights of all Floridians his primary concern. I look forward to supporting him on the campaign trail.”
Murphy, a Republican turned Democrat, was elected to Congress in 2012 and served two terms. He decided not to pursue re-election to the House in order to run against Marco Rubio in the 2016 U.S. Senate race, which Murphy lost.
Nevertheless, Murphy has a national profile which Shaw thinks will help him come out on top in the AG contest.
“With the help of Democrats like Congressman Murphy, we will make history on Election Day, and return our government to the hands of the people who actually make this country great, the people,” Shaw said.
“The citizens of this state deserve an Attorney General who will fight for the rights of every single Floridian and hold rule-breakers accountable. That is exactly what I did as this state’s Consumer Advocate and exactly what I will do as this state’s next Attorney General.”
Shaw and Torrens have filed competing lawsuits against each other during the Democratic primary.
Shaw alleges Torrens received an illegal campaign contribution which would disqualify him from the race. Torrens countered with a libel suit, arguing the contribution was really a loan and Torrens simply made a mistake.
Late Sunday night, Torrens offered to drop his lawsuit if Shaw would do the same.
