Jeb Bush Goes After Alan Grayson: Stay Out Of Florida GOP Primary

WASHINGTON -- Former Democratic Rep. Alan Grayson has taken an unconventional approach to boosting his bid for Florida's 9th congressional district seat, spending more than $100,000 to attack the man who could be his strongest GOP competitor -- even though Republicans haven't chosen their nominee yet. By weakening John Quiñones, Grayson could help ensure that one of the other three GOP opponents could instead get the party's nomination on Tuesday, likely setting up an easier election for Grayson in November.

This approach, however, has raised the ire of former Florida Gov Jeb Bush (R), who sent a stern warning to Grayson on Friday to stay out of the GOP race.

"I encourage Mr. Grayson to take down his ads, stay out of the Republican primary and let the voters of Central Florida to choose their nominee without his help," Bush said in a statement Friday. "There will be plenty of time for Mr. Grayson to defend his liberal tax-and-spend record in the fall."

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Grayson's campaign recently sent out a mailer labeling Quiñones as the "Tax Man," saying he raised taxes as a state lawmaker and as a current member of the Osceola County Commission.

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The mailer even invokes Bush, reading, "Gov. Jeb Bush vetoed the Quiñones Plan because it was 'taxation without representation on a large scale.'"

The Orlando Sentinel notes that the issue is "a local-option tax on rental cars that Orange County officials had urged to help fund road and transit problems. It passed the Legislature, but then-Gov. Jeb Bush vetoed it, calling it -- as the mailer accurately noted -- 'taxation without representation.'" Voters would have had to approve the tax in a local referendum before it went into effect.

In his veto message, Bush said, "While I appreciate the inclusion of voter approval as a prerequisite to implementing the new tax, these taxes will be paid disparately by tourists visiting Florida, consequently creating taxation without representation on a large scale. Philosophically, I cannot support this."

Bush, however, accused Grayson of misquoting him on Friday.

"I find it in utterly poor taste that Alan Grayson would use my statements, misquoted and out of context, for political gain," he said in his statement.

"The one thing that Jeb Bush and Congressman Grayson agree on is that the Quiñones Plan to raise taxes was, and is, a bad idea," Grayson campaign manager Todd Jurkowski replied in an email to The Huffington Post. "The same is true of Quiñones's votes to raise taxes and fees on driving, haircuts, insurance, hunting, fishing, firefighting, 9-1-1 calls and churches. He has imposed on Osceola County the highest taxes in Central Florida. As the JohnQRaisesTaxes.com website demonstrates, John Quiñones truly is 'The Tax Man.'"

Quiñones consultant John Dowless recently told the Orlando Sentinel that Republicans were taken totally "off-guard" by Grayson's attack ads, which could benefit long-shot candidate Todd Long.

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Dick Morris was on Hannity tonight and he said to help John Quinones in today’s primary!!!! He talked about 3 Republican candidates in Florida including John Quinones who are in tough primaries. Morris went on to say “Some of those Republicans are facing Republicans funded by democrats.”

Anyone living in the new congressional district 9 - Please vote today and join my family in voting for John Quinones! He is the only NRA endorsed candidate with 100% prolife rating. Even Dick Morris realizes that John is the man who can take on Alan Grayson in November and win! And we NEED the conservative Republican who has promised to listen to us and that man is John Quinones! Alan Grayson has spent between $300,000 and $500,000 to knock John out of the race. In a low turnout election every vote counts!! Please get all of your family, friends and neighbors living in D9 to the polls TODAY to vote for John Quinones and together we STOP Alan Grayson!