A long night for the newlywed Graysons
Back in May, recently divorced Congressman Alan Grayson, who was running to be the Democrat candidate for the U.S. Senate in Florida, married Dena Minning, one of the candidates running for his congressional seat. She immediately changed her last name to capitalize on his name recognition. On Tuesday night, both were crushed. Alan Grayson came in a distant second in a five-man race with only 18% of the total votes cast. Dena Minning Grayson came in third in her race with almost 28% of the vote.
So what is next for the political newlyweds? Alan Grayson is a polarizing figure. He infuriates his political rivals and embarrasses his political friends. But no one seems to be ready to predict that this crushing defeat means Florida voters have seen the last of him.
Grayson once said the GOP alternative to Obamacare was to have people “die quickly,” called a reporter a “shitting robot,” branded a lobbyist a “K Street whore,” likened the tea party to the Ku Klux Klan, accused a Christian conservative opponent of being a member of the Taliban, and got into testy exchanges with Senate leaders. During the Senate campaign, Grayson was rocked by a House ethics investigation into his offshore hedge funds and a POLITICO report concerning allegations from his ex-wife that he physically abused her. He denied the charges.
Though Alan Grayson’s defeat was huge, many expect him to return.
“We have a saying in Puerto Rico: ‘yerba mala nunca muere’ — bad weeds never die,” Bonilla said.
Jackie Lee, a Democratic political consultant, wasn’t as harsh in criticizing Grayson but predicted a comeback as well.
“He’s ornery and he’s determined,” she said. “So I wouldn’t be surprised to see him return. I don’t expect to see Dena Grayson again.”
The Graysons’ marriage had a political hue. According to numerous sources, Alan Grayson repeatedly boasted that he would marry her, give her his name and that she would win as a result. After the two were married, he appeared in commercials with her and at tele-town hall forums.
“If we’re elected, we’ll be the first husband-wife team in the history of the United States to be in the Senate and to be in the House of Representatives,” Alan Grayson said in June during one forum.
Dena Grayson didn’t comment on her political future in a post-election interview with WFTV-9 in Orlando, but expressed contentment with her marriage.
“You know, we’re a great team. He’s my best friend. So, we’re always in this fight together, win or lose. It feels great to know that I’m in love with my best friend,” she told the television station. “We’re hopefully going to go on a honeymoon….”