Marco Rubio Wins GOP Nomination to Seek 2nd Term

In November, Rubio will face Democratic U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy

Sen. Marco Rubio has earned the support of Florida's Republican voters to seek a second term, a decision he made at the last minute after his failed presidential bid.

Rubio beat millionaire developer Carlos Beruff, the only major GOP candidate to stay in the race after Rubio decided to run for re-election two days before the deadline to make the ballot. He had said for months he wouldn't run again no matter what happened in the presidential race.

In Novermber, Rubio will face Democratic U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, who   defeated fiery liberal Rep. Alan Grayson on Tuesday.

Murphy appeared confident in the final weeks of the election, virtually ignoring Grayson and focusing instead on Rubio.

Murphy was first elected to the House in 2012, defeating incumbent tea party conservative Allen West.

While Grayson has more consistently voted for Democratic priorities and President Obama's agenda, many party leaders thought he was unelectable because of his brash demeanor.

Murphy has criticized Rubio as caring more about his political ambitions then his constituents, while Republicans have criticized Murphy for embellishing his resume and lack of experience.

Also on Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz turned back a strong primary challenge and will likely be re-elected to a seventh term in Congress.

The Associated Press declared that Wasserman Schultz won her Florida Democratic primary Tuesday against law professor Tim Canova, a Bernie Sanders-backed challenger, with more than 57 percent of the vote.

It was the first time Wasserman Schultz had faced a primary opponent in her heavily Democratic suburban Fort Lauderdale district. Canova had raised about $3.3 million, an extraordinary amount for a primary challenger with no political experience. She raised $3 million but got backing from a political action committee.

Wasserman Schultz was dragged down by her recent forced resignation as chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee after leaked emails. Sanders supporters say they showed that Wasserman Schultz had given preferential treatment to Hillary Clinton in the primaries

Copyright AP - Associated Press
Contact Us