Harry Reid, who has helped bankroll Murphy’s campaign, telegraphed just how worried Democrats are about Murphy’s inability to fight off attacks from the left.
After Alan Grayson earned endorsements from the Progressive Democrats of America and liberal icon Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., in just the last few weeks, Murphy’s Washington handlers are clearly spooked by their candidate’s inability to connect with his party’s base. Hillary Clinton’s bank-shot attack on Murphy for taking campaign cash from big banks only further cemented Murphy’s reputation as an ‘errand boy for Wall Street.’
Murphy’s supporters in the Democrat establishment have hit the panic button after his attempts to sprint left are undermined by his own record time after time:
"Murphy’s union scoop-up emerges even though the congressman’s roots are in the construction industry’s management side. His father is the millionaire owner of Coastal Construction, a prominent building firm, and the lawmaker is a former Republican whose voting record is moderate to conservative on many labor issues." (John Kennedy, “Murphy Gets Another Union Nod In U.S. Senate Race,” Palm Beach Post, 1/29/16)
Reid’s comments today – and Grayson’s quick response – are another clear sign that the Democrat primary in Florida is going to be a very long and painful slog for whichever candidate limps away from the wreckage.