Grayson fails to file for Senate in time

Florida Senate hopeful Alan Grayson didn’t file his official candidacy with the Federal Election Committee by the deadline, the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Rep. Grayson (D) had 15 days to file the paperwork from when he announced his campaign on July 9 or after spending or receiving more than $5,000, but the FEC website does not show any filing as of Tuesday night.

The campaign told the Times that the mistake was due to a “staff error.”

Grayson’s campaign spokesman, Kevin Franck, said the form would be sent in “today.”

The congressman is popular among progressives and touts his ability to raise a significant amount of money from small donors.

But his penchant for controversial comments and his public divorce proceedings have at times thrown him unexpectedly into the spotlight.  

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has endorsed Grayson’s opponent, Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-Fla.), who is seen as the establishment favorite for the seat.

Grayson and Murphy are essentially tied in recent polling, with a Mason-Dixon poll from earlier this week showing Grayson ahead 33 percent to 32 percent, within the margin of error, according to multiple reports.

The seat is being left open by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who is running for president.