WASHINGTON _ Democratic Rep. Alan Grayson alleged Wednesday that the father of his primary opponent in the Florida Senate race promised the Democratic Party $10 million to ensure his son won the nomination.
In an angry fundraising email, Grayson alleged a political operative with Rep. Patrick Murphy's campaign purportedly told one of Grayson's campaign workers that Murphy's father, Thomas Murphy Jr., had promised donations from him and friends to the Senate Majority PAC, along with the super PAC backing Murphy (Floridians for a Strong Middle Class), as long as Murphy won the primary election.
The proof is the money trail, Grayson claimed, pointing to the amount of money Senate Majority PAC had reserved in TV slots during the time between the primary and the general election and Thomas Murphy Jr.'s promised contributions _ $10 million.
"It's worth considering how utterly implausible it is that the Senate Majority PAC and the DSCC each would reserve $10 million for the last ten weeks of the Florida Senate race, without Tom Murphy's promised cash," Grayson wrote.
Neither Murphy's campaign nor Senate Majority PAC responded to requests for comment.
Murphy's bid to unseat Republican Sen. Marco Rubio is one of the key contests in determining which party will control the next Congress. Most polls show Rubio with a modest lead. The Rothenberg & Gonzales Political Report/Roll Call rates the race Leans Republican.
According to Federal Election Commission reports, the elder Murphy gave $200,000 to Floridians for a Strong Middle Class in December of 2015. Then, reports show he gave the Senate Majority PAC $1 million ahead of the Senate primary in July of this year.
In May of 2016, Thomas Murphy Jr. gave $19,400 through Joint Fundraising Committee contributions. Murphy's father had also given previous donations in 2015 to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
As of mid-October, Murphy's father had contributed roughly $1.75 million in donations to outside groups for his son's campaign, according to FEC records.
Grayson said when the elder Murphy failed to deliver on his promised $10 million, national Democrats started withdrawing support.
"And after that earlier $1 million purchase of the party endorsement ad on Aug. 13, Tom Murphy has given nothing to the Senate Majority PAC directly. Zilch," he wrote.
Grayson said the mere mention of the elder Murphy's money was enough to turn his party against him in the primary, that he said he was up by 8 points in polls before the super PACs went all-in for Murphy.
"All I know is that just getting a whiff of $10 million of Tom Murphy's money, just a glance at that mirage, was enough to turn my party against me _ in favor of someone contemptuous of my party and its principles," he wrote.
"Murphy is a second-term Congressman who has accomplished so little that he was named the least effective Member of the House," Grayson said.
And he sounded as if he wanted nothing to do with his party.
"I once told a national TV audience, 'you have only three friends in life: God, your mama, and the Democratic Party,'" Grayson wrote. "Cross that last one off the list."
