Alan Grayson

Report: Grayson Raised $850,000 In Last Quarter

Eric Kleefeld | January 8, 2010, 1:12PM

Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL)

Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL), the freshman Congressman best known for his bombastic attacks against the Republican Party, had a very good fundraising quarter in the last three months of 2009, taking in $850,000.

The last three months have really been the period when Grayson's fame took off among the liberal blogosphere, and much of his money came from online. His fundraising immediately picked up after he declared that the Republican health care plan was for people who get sick to "die quickly," which happened just as the third quarter was about to end. He also heavily promoted a one-day "money-bomb" fundraiser in November, which brought in over a half-million dollars.

Grayson now reportedly has roughly $1 million cash on hand. Grayson's re-election is not assured, as he represents a swing seat that narrowly voted in 2008 for Grayson and Barack Obama after years of favoring Republicans.

Alan Grayson

Florida GOP State Rep. Plans Run Against Alan Grayson

Eric Kleefeld | January 5, 2010, 3:47PM

Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL)

Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL), the fiery liberal best known for his frequent insults against the Republicans, has just attracted another GOP opponent, with state Rep. Kurt Kelly getting into the race this morning.

Republicans have had some problems finding a candidate to run against a high-profile liberal in what is very much a swing seat, with previous top prospects ultimately deciding not to run. One possible factor could be the need to raise a lot of money against Grayson, who self-financed with $2.6 million of his own money in 2008, and on top of his own wealth has been able to raise quite a bit of money from liberals across the country.

The only significant candidate so far has been real estate developer Armando Gutierrez, who moved from Miami to Orlando just to run against Grayson and is opposed by many in the GOP. With Kelly, however, Republicans could finally have what they want -- a credible candidate from the local area.

The St. Petersburg Times points out that Kelly comes in with high name recognition in Ocala, but most of the district is in Orlando -- so he still has a lot of work to do.