Grayson Releases First Ad of Campaign for Florida 9th
Darren Soto swiped the former congressman’s seat while he ran for Senate

Former Florida Rep. Alan Grayson released his first ad in his attempt to take back his former House seat from the incumbent Democrat.
Grayson’s video shows liberal figures like filmmaker Michael Moore and actor Martin Sheen praising him and saying “we need that kind of courage.” It also features current MSNBC host Chris Hayes and former host Ed Schultz.
Grayson is challenging Rep. Darren Soto, who won Florida’s 9th District after Grayson left to run for Senate in 2016.
Grayson would lose the 2016 Democratic primary to former Rep. Patrick Murphy, who would in turn lose to Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.
But the footage in the ad is slightly dated.
The clips of Moore and Sheen were shot in 2010, when Grayson lost his first bid for re-election to Republican Rep. Daniel Webster.
After his loss, Grayson would win in Florida’s 9th District in 2012 and serve two more terms.
Grayson announced earlier this month that he would challenge Soto.
Soto spoke with WDBO about Grayson jumping into the race, saying he expected it to be a “classic uniter versus divider type of race.”
Soto also criticized Grayson for his inflammatory style.
“We see [Grayson] start off with his attacks and the similar smear-fest we saw during his failed bid for the Senate,” he said.
Soto beat Grayson’s wife, Dena, when she tried running for her husband’s seat in 2016 and called this matchup “Soto-Grayson matchup part two.”
“There’s a clear contrast here of a doer, somebody who’s accountable and works hard to get the job done, and someone who’s gonna make a spectacle — a circus — of this race again,” he said.