TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Democratic Rep. Alan Grayson is running for the Florida Senate seat that Republican Marco Rubio is giving up to run for president.
Grayson made the announcement on Thursday.
"This is the it campaign of 2016. Just like Elizabeth Warren was the it campaign in her race," Grayson said. "I'm going to be running a Barack Obama style campaign. I am going to try and wake up and electrify the electorate with all the good we can do for each other."
When WFTV asked Grayson how he is going to win, he replied, "By being the champion for a raise for seniors, for expanding Medicare, for being a champion for paid sick leave, and for seeing that everybody who is sick can see a doctor and get the care they need to stay healthy and alive. These are the issues. As soon as you start talking about the issues, people realize I'm the right person for the job."
Interview: Rep. Alan Grayson sits down with anchor Greg Warmoth
Grayson is known for his brash, unapologetic criticism of Republicans, despite passing more amendments than any other congressman. While he is popular with the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, some party leaders are concerned he's too politically divisive to win a general election.
He is challenging U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy in the primary. Murphy is a former Republican and moderate who has already received the support of many party leaders.
Republican Rep. Ron DeSantis is also running with other GOP candidates expected to get in the race soon.
Grayson has built a national support base through his blunt assessment of the Republican Party and the Tea Party movement, the latter of which he once compared to the Ku Klux Klan.
"Many Tea Party members have a history of racism and discrimination and bigotry," said Grayson. "I'm calling them out for their hate."
His supporters are loyal and like that he speaks his mind instead of carefully scripted words.
"I am the only member of Congress, one out of 435, who raised his campaign funds mostly from small contributors, and these people want me to run for the Senate, because I am unbought and unbossed,” Grayson said.
"People are hungry for that kind of bold leadership and outspoken, not cautious representation," said Susan Smith, president of the Democratic Progressive Caucus of Florida. "That's what Grayson has always represented. When it happens, I think he always gets a good response from the grass-roots Democrats."
Grayson, 57, first made national headlines during the debate on President Barack Obama's health care overhaul. He described the GOP health plan as "don't get sick, and if you do get sick, die quickly." He continues to remind supporters of that debate.
"We need to make sure people are compensated properly for the work they do and everyone needs to have health coverage," Grayson said.
But that type of rhetoric is sometimes a turnoff to key swing voters in a state that tends to support politicians who are more moderate.
"Grayson doesn't necessarily fit the demeanor that people have elected as senators or governors. That's just not what the state looks for," Democratic pollster David Beattie said. "He's outspoken and takes unequivocal positions and is unafraid of controversy."
He's also been involved in a messy divorce that has created unflattering headlines, and recently, critics have raised ethical questions about three hedge funds he created.
"I'll sum it up for you: gold diggers got to dig. That's all I got to say," Grayson said.
His estranged wife, Lolita, admitted to duping Grayson into believing she was divorced from a previous husband, before beginning their 24-year marriage.
Grayson was first elected in 2008, but then lost his seat to current U.S. Rep. Dan Webster. Grayson returned to Congress two years later running in a new, safely Democratic district.
Grayson will continue to serve in Congress and has until late April 2016 to declare what he plans to do with his seat.
State Sen. Darren Soto is expected to announce his plan to run for Grayson's seat in Congress. Party insiders have also pointed to Susannah Randolph, wife of Orange County tax collector Scott Randolph, as another possible candidate for the seat.
On the Republican side, U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis has announced he is running, and Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera and U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller are considering runs.
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