With the race for control of the United States Senate closer than many experts thought it would be months ago, all eyes have turned to the Sunshine State – and a race between incumbent Republican Senator Marco Rubio and his challenger, Democratic U.S. Representative Patrick Murphy.
Rubio, a West Miami native who previously served as Speaker of the Florida House before being elected in 2010, initially announced he would not seek re-election while running for the GOP Presidential nomination – before reversing that decision in June. That move caused almost all of his challengers to drop out as the party through their support behind Rubio believing he could hold onto the seat.
Murphy, who was born and raised in Miami but represented the Treasure Coast and Palm Beach County during his two terms in the U.S. House, was a registered Republican before leaving the party in 2011, citing what he called a “dislike for the Tea Party” and their advancement in party leadership. At the time he took office, Murphy was the youngest member of the House.
While Rubio had a relatively easy path to winning his party’s primary, Murphy dealt with a negative campaign battle with challenger and fellow Representative Alan Grayson – who portrayed Murphy as someone who did nothing while in Congress and was, as a former Republican, too moderate for the Democratic Party.
Rubio has gone after Murphy’s past, including allegations that he lied about past professional experience and education. Murphy has attacked his opponent for Rubio’s support of Donald Trump in the upcoming Presidential election – the same Trump who got into several heated exchanges with Rubio when the two were competing for the nomination. Rubio has attempted to flip that issue, citing reports that the construction company owned by Murphy’s father did work with Trump on properties around Florida.
Rubio has also had to combat attacks of being an “absentee Senator”, having the worst attendance record when it came to votes cast since 2015. During their first debate, Rubio would not confirm he would serve a full six year term – leaving open the possibility that he would run for the GOP Presidential nomination in 2020.
