Implodes..

Grayson implodes

The fallout from a POLITICO story on domestic violence allegations was immediate and severe.

By Kevin Robillard and Marc Caputo

Rep. Alan Grayson’s Senate campaign began disintegrating Tuesday as supporters and a top consultant abandoned him in the wake of a POLITICO report detailing decades of domestic-abuse allegations from his ex-wife.

The fallout could have the effect of drying up hard-to-come-by cash for the struggling campaign, just as vote-by-mail ballots are about to go out for Florida’s Aug. 30 primary. The candidate has already seen one set of campaign staffers quit en masse, and he has been dogged by an ethics investigation into his ownership of a Cayman Islands hedge fund and ties to slave labor in Africa.

The congressman, through a spokesman, denied his ex-wife's claims of battery, which were detailed in police and court records dating to 1994. But the political damage was severe nonetheless.

“Unfortunately, this deeply disappointing revelation means progressives have no great options in the Florida race for Senate," Democracy for America and the Progressive Change Campaign Committee said in a written statement that announced they were pulling their endorsements.

Revolution Messaging, the progressive digital consulting firm that powered Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders' insurgent presidential campaign, has dropped Grayson as a client and isn't allowing him use of its email technology, potentially a major blow to a candidate who has relied on small-dollar donations.

The Communications Workers of America, a union that also endorsed Grayson, said it will need to examine what happened before deciding whether to pull its endorsement.

“We are just learning about this and are looking into the allegations. We'll decide next steps over the next couple of days,” said CWA spokeswoman Candice Johnson.

Grayson’s campaign finance reports indicated he was struggling. He reported having raised a paltry $55,000 and had $484,371 on hand at the end of the second quarter. He reported spending no money over a three-month period, an impossibility; when POLITICO raised the issue, his campaign said the report was in error and that it would file a new one. Grayson’s campaign then said it raised about $1 million and had $400,000 banked.

Grayson’s Democratic primary opponent, Rep. Patrick Murphy, raised $2.4 million and has $7.2 million on hand.

Grayson’s fundraising woes are partly the result of his poor relations with members of the Democratic establishment, many of whom have raised concerns about his temperament. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid and President Barack Obama have lined up behind Murphy.

After these recent revelations, Democrats say more leaders might join with Reid, who previously called on Grayson to quit the race.

“Sen. Reid didn't think his opinion of Grayson could get any lower, but it has,” a spokeswoman for Reid said.

Grayson added fuel to the fire on Tuesday when he attended a POLITICO event during the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia at which he refused to answer questions and then falsely accused POLITICO reporter Edward-Isaac Dovere of pushing him. Grayson then threatened to have Dovere arrested.

“You’re getting in my way, my friend. You’re assaulting a member of Congress. You’re pushing me. Have this guy escorted out, please,” Grayson said. A spokesman later said Grayson told Dovere to contact his staff with questions, but Dovere instead confronted the congressman in a tense exchange captured on video.

After the report about the abuse allegations was published, two former Grayson staffers contacted POLITICO to point out that the congressman forbade his campaigns from engaging in "self-oppo" — internally generated opposition research to spot weaknesses in the candidate.

"Now we know why," said one former staffer.

Grayson has refused to answer questions about the domestic abuse charges leveled by his ex-wife, Lolita Grayson. He earlier called the questions “ridiculous.” But four years ago, Grayson had accused a Republican opponent of domestic abuse and said the news media was “disgusting” for not drawing more attention to the issue.

For the story on his ex-wife's battery claims, Grayson issued a statement through a lawyer.

"It is unfortunate that these discredited and utterly false allegations have had their intended effect — to smear an innocent victim in a vain effort to derail a Senate campaign and distract voters from the issues that matter to them," the attorney, Mark NeJame, said. "Over the years Alan has been a good father and tried to protect his five children, the oldest three of whom have all sought refuge from their mother by choosing to live with their dad. We're confident that the voters will see through this deception just as they did in 2014.”

As the drama unfolded, Kevin Franck, Grayson’s former Senate race spokesman who left in the last staff shakeup, took to Twitter with a pithy comment: “Career choices, validated.”