Perry McGriff, State Senate Dist 14 (Alachua Co. +)

[ima_sinnic]

Perry McGriff is running against Lee Jennings in the Dem primary for state senator -- but I thought I distinctly remembered McGriff being a Republican. Sure enough, 2 days in a row I received mailers from a mysterious group called Florida Residents for Responsible and Responsive Government, Ft. Lauderdale, warning that McGriff "only recently joined the Democratic Party -- McGriff once ran for office as a Republican. He delivered for the insurance industry by voting to cut minimum employee benefits like mammograms.
There's more. Perry McGriff contributed the maximum legal limit to Jeb Bush!"

I just received a polling phone call asking whether I'd vote for Ed Jennings vs Perry McGriff. The woman kept saying "the Democrat primary." I asked when McGriff became a Democrat & she said she didn't know. I said I didn't know what to think of him and would probably be voting for Jennings.

I find just about nothing on google about Florida Residents for Responsbile and Responsive Government, except that it is a brand new 527 and this brief blurb on alachuapolitix blog:
http://alachuapolitix.blogspot.com/2006/08/more-soft-money_24.html
apparently it is headed by a trial attorney. The group also did a mailer against Irv Schlosberg, whoever that is.

Anybody know anything about Perry McGriff? Is he just a repub in dem clothing? He's been my insurance agent for 8 years and just seems like a noncontroversial, status-quo kind of guy, okay but he WAS a Repuke!

[ima_sinnic]

1. reply to myself: can find no evidence online that McGriff was a repuke

Going back to news items from about 2000--I don't know where I got that idea, maybe it is just the image he projects. But this organization that put out the mailer seems to think so--they need to provide some facts.

[seasat]

2. You can check out the part about contributions here.

(LINK) I did a quick search for McGriff contributing to Jebbie and only got some folks from Jacksonville in 2002 none named Perry and no one with a last name of McGriff contributed in 1996. If he contributed, it was directly in his name.