Jacob Ogles
Former U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson appears poised to make another run for U.S. Senate.
The Orlando Democrat filed to challenge U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, a Naples Republican running for a second term.
There remains no mention of a new candidacy on Grayson’s social media pages. His last posts date back to a run for U.S. House last year, when he lost the Democratic Primary in Florida’s 10th Congressional District to now-U.S. Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost.
Grayson has run for Senate before. He vacated his U.S. House seat in 2016 to run against U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio. But he didn’t have support at the time from party leadership. Then-Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid lambasted Grayson as having “no moral compass” and said he wanted the Orlando Democrat to lose the Democratic Primary. That wish came true in August 2016, when Grayson lost the nomination to then-U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy. Murphy went on to lose to Rubio.
The controversial former lawmaker remains a favorite of some more liberal Democrats, and Grayson has seen electoral ups and downs in Florida. He rode a blue wave in 2008, the year Democratic President Barack Obama first won election, to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. Ric Keller for an Orlando area congressional seat. But two years later, he lost re-election to Republican Daniel Webster, who remains in the House today.
Redistricting offered a new opportunity to Grayson, who won election to a newly drawn seat in 2012. He held that until his ill-fated Senate run in 2016.
Grayson has kept his House campaign from last year open. It reported $3.4 million in debt at the end of the first quarter.
But he filed a new statement of organization today for the committee to support a Senate run in 2024. Daughter Star Grayson is listed as campaign treasurer and filed the new paperwork. Grayson also filed a statement of candidacy.
Scott, a former Florida Governor, won election to the Senate in 2018, unseating Democratic incumbent Bill Nelson by a recount-slim 10,033 votes. But Florida in intervening years have seen Florida shift toward Republicans. Gov. Ron DeSantis also won by a narrow margin in 2018 but secured re-election in November by a 19-percentage-point landslide.
But Scott didn’t enjoy a great Midterm cycle. He headed the National Republican Senatorial Committee to a net loss in Senate seats for the GOP, then lost a challenge to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
This year, Scott has drawn a Republican Primary challenge from lawyer Keith Gross. Only minor Democratic challengers have filed for Senate with the FEC, including Matt Boswell, Donald Horan, Rod Joseph, Josue LaRose, Chase Romagnano, Matthew Sanscrainte and David Stern.
25 comments
Thomas Kaspar
June 22, 2023 at 5:46 pm
Alan Grayson is a not a Floridian , a sloppy , incoherent Democrat version of Santos .
tom palmer
June 22, 2023 at 6:13 pm
Could be an interesting campaign. if it happens.
Earl Pitts American
June 22, 2023 at 8:55 pm
Hasent this jerk face Grayson been elected once, 3ffed that up somehow, and tried again and failed 3 or 4 times. Its a wierd sometimes hobby for Grayson.
All I know is if the chump paid me some money I, Earl Pitts American, could even get Grayson elected.
EPA
PeterH
June 22, 2023 at 9:27 pm
Democrats or Independents need to find a better candidate! This dog won’t hunt.
Impeach Biden
June 23, 2023 at 5:53 am
How about Nikki Fried or Rebekah Jones? Those two are good at losing. Maybe Debbie Wasserman-Schultz? She couldn’t win anything outside her liberal enclave of District 25.
Steve Schwartz
June 23, 2023 at 8:41 am
Alan Grayson has had time off to reflect on his misdeeds and it’s time to forgive him. He was a GREAT legislator in the House, he’s a brilliant lawyer, a good orator, he gets important work done For The People, and has progressive politics. I’ll contribute to his campaign this time. I’m also thrilled to have Rep Maxwell Frost as my Congressmember – I contributed to Frost’s campaign and voted for him in the Primary and General.
LINDY WREN
June 23, 2023 at 12:40 pm
If Grayson is for a woman’s right to choose, he has my vote. Full stop.
FJB
June 23, 2023 at 12:44 pm
You already have the right to choose. Liberals are the cause of all your problems.
FJB2
June 23, 2023 at 12:48 pm
I second that!!!
Royal
June 23, 2023 at 2:22 pm
I third that except they are communists not liberals.
RMP
June 23, 2023 at 4:05 pm
choose what? to kill babies?
Ooooh!
June 23, 2023 at 6:39 pm
choose what – keeping her legs closed?
duggersd
June 23, 2023 at 12:56 pm
It appears to me this is just an opportunity to earn some money for his daughter, Star Grayson who is listed as the campaign treasurer. My guess is he knows he has no hope of winning, but wants to grift a little money over to his daughter. If even Harry Reid said he has no moral compass, he HAS to be bad.
Thomas Kaspar
June 23, 2023 at 2:39 pm
If you see him around you better count the silverware . https://www.thedailybeast.com/resistance-pol-alan-grayson-raised-dollardollardollar-to-probe-trump-and-kept-the-cash-for-his-pac
lambchops
June 23, 2023 at 1:28 pm
Choose vaccination?
Thomas Kaspar
June 23, 2023 at 2:41 pm
The “firebrand” former Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) convinced donors to fork over more than $150,000 to his The Resistance Political Action Committee, which vowed to “end the Trump regime.” But a Daily Beast analysis indicates the PAC was mostly dedicated to resisting Grayson’s own slide toward political irrelevance.
Mike
June 23, 2023 at 2:50 pm
Alan Grayson has a zero chance of winning any statewide election in Florida.
Coach
June 23, 2023 at 4:19 pm
This shows how totally out of ideas issues and voter fraud opportunities the Democrat/communists are in Florida.
Johnathan Galt
June 23, 2023 at 5:10 pm
This will probably ensure Scott wins by a greater margin than last election.
Maskot
June 23, 2023 at 7:15 pm
Omg! This dude must think he’s relevant AGAIN! Just when you think criminal dem politicians are done, they rise again like vampires. Sick man, this one. Research his history. It’s eye opening.
Jim1937
June 24, 2023 at 10:02 am
Alan Grayson appears to be trying to fail up like most democRATS.
Thomas Kaspar
June 24, 2023 at 11:05 am
Grayson is ultra toxic . His ex had a GoFundMe .
David Wamsley
June 24, 2023 at 9:39 pm
Grayson is a pathetic mess who should go back to chasing wambulances . anyone who would vote for this POS is nuts
It's Complicated
June 26, 2023 at 5:09 pm
It’s always entertaining to have a loon in the race. I suspect he’s making a run for Charlie Crist’s record for losing the most statewide elections.
Trublue
June 27, 2023 at 3:34 pm
I look forward to Alan running again! God knows Rick Scott is one evil person who has made enough $$$. Besides, one of the best moments on the House floor was conducted by Alan Grayson – Republican health care plan .https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-usmvYOPfco “Don’t Get Sick! And if You Do Get Sick, Die Quickly!”‘
We need Democrats like Alan. We cut through the Republican B.S. and then school them with the facts over and over again….
Comments are closed.