Rep. Alan Grayson’s public divorce from Lolita Grayson made headlines last year, and his weekend marriage to Dr. Dena Minning has raised questions.
Grayson is not running for U.S. House reelection. He is running for the U.S. Senate seat.
On Sunday, he married one of the candidates, and longtime girlfriend, running to replace him.
As of Monday, Minning’s campaign website and social media accounts list her last name as Grayson.
It's a move some said gives Alan Grayson a chance to protect his House seat while running for the Senate.
“I have not seen anything like this," said WFTV political analyst Dr. Rick Foglesong.
Foglesong said the marriage gives political newcomer Dena Grayson a better name ID in the Democratic race.
It also, in theory, protects the seat for Alan Grayson if Dena Grayson wins and Alan Grayson loses his bid for the Senate.
"I think the question raised here is whether Dena Grayson is a seat holder or whether she is a serious candidate," said Foglesong.
For his part, Alan Grayson has been a serious candidate in central Florida for a decade, with Democratic voters seeing his name on the ballot in every election since 2006.
Kathy Putnam has run political campaigns in Florida for more than two decades.
"Name recognition is critical," said Putnam. Certainly, it is a leg up to have a well-known name.”
A quick check of Dena Grayson's campaign website shows she's already started to make the change, with the graphics in the middle reading “Grayson,” but the banner at the top reading “Minning.”
As for what will appear on the ballot for voters, Dena Grayson would need to file paperwork with the state in order to change her name on the ballot.
Her deadline to do so is June 24.
Cox Media Group
