Congressional candidate Patrick Murphy switching districts to continue race against Allen West

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Democratic congressional candidate Patrick Murphy announced today that he will continue his campaign to defeat Tea Party darling Allen West in the newly proposed district 18. 
As of last quarter, Murphy had raised over $1.4 million and had amassed over 15,000 online supporters in his bid to unseat Allen West.
“I got into this race for two main reasons:  First, I believe the biggest threat to America, our troubled economy, is best addressed by having more people with my experience as a CPA and small business owner in Congress.  Secondly, Allen West and the Tea Party represent an enormous threat to the middle class, seniors, the environment, and America’s economic recovery. There is simply no one more divisive in Congress and it’s imperative we make sure he is not re-elected,” said Murphy.

“Allen West abandoned his constituents to find supposedly safer political ground. Today, our campaign is putting Mr. West on notice:  There is no safe district he can run to,” Murphy stated.

“I have spoken to local and national Democratic leaders, as well as local activists and the support for me continuing my campaign against Allen West is overwhelming.  Over the last year, I’ve enjoyed getting to know the voters in Jupiter, Palm Beach Gardens, and Northern Palm Beach County and I look forward to building a relationship with the voters of Martin and St. Lucie Counties as well,” added Murphy.

Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Chair of the Democratic National Committee, said “I am so impressed with Patrick Murphy. He has run an energetic, disciplined campaign and has proven to be one of the most formidable fundraisers in the country. I am thrilled he is going to continue to take this fight to Allen West and confident he will defeat him in November.”

Steve Israel, Chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, stated “I commend Patrick Murphy’s decision to take on the extreme record of Allen West. Patrick is a commonsense, results oriented leader –  someone committed to tackling the tough challenges facing Florida families and seniors. While Allen West continues to push an extreme ideological agenda that eliminates Medicare and protects tax breaks for Big Oil, Patrick Murphy is someone we can count on to create jobs, strengthen the middle class and protect our commitment to our seniors.”

Rod Smith, Chairman of the Florida Democratic Party expressed complete support for the decision:  “Patrick has the support of the party and Democrats throughout Florida.  This is a critically important race for us to win and Murphy is the right candidate to do it.”

Mark Alan Siegel, Chair of the Palm Beach Democratic Party and Vice Chair of the Florida Democratic Party, said he is very excited about Murphy’s entry in the race.  “Murphy has the right positions, a great personality, and has shown himself to be a dedicated candidate who has earned the right to take on Allen West and represent all of this district.”

Peter Schorsch is the President of Extensive Enterprises and is the publisher of some of Florida’s most influential new media websites, including SaintPetersBlog.com, FloridaPolitics.com, ContextFlorida.com, and Sunburn, the morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics. SaintPetersBlog has for three years running been ranked by the Washington Post as the best state-based blog in Florida. In addition to his publishing efforts, Peter is a political consultant to several of the state’s largest governmental affairs and public relations firms. Peter lives in St. Petersburg with his wife, Michelle, and their daughter, Ella.