Florida Senate Victory (FSV), a branch of the Florida Democratic Caucus focused on gaining and retaining seats in Tallahassee, on Wednesday morning sent out an email blast announcing that Rep. Michael Grieco is backing out of his campaign for Senate District 36. Curiously, FSV concluded its statement teasing that a “strong Democrat will be filing,” but offered no further information on the matter.
First elected in 2018, Grieco presently serves in the House of Representatives out of District 113 and sits on the Criminal Justice & Public Safety Subcommittee, the Commerce Committee, and the Judiciary Committee, among others.
“Today I am announcing that I will no longer seek the Democratic nomination for Florida State Senate District 36, said Grieco on Twitter. “This difficult decision comes after consultation with my family, close friends and campaign team. Although we have been humbled by the overwhelming local and statewide support, it has become clear that we will not have the resources to navigate a path to victory.”
Grieco goes on to further blame the “Tallahassee establishment” for failing to provide adequate resources for his campaign for reelection, claiming that his stances against the economic facilitation of Venezuela and Cuba, property rights, and support of Israel have made it difficult to attract “requisite financial backing to have a shot at the ballot box.”
Should he have remained in the race, Grieco would have challenged the incumbent Sen. Ileana Garcia.
6/ know by now that I am battle-tested, but with the expectation that we would be outspent this cycle at a rate of at least 4-to-1 and to the obscene tune of five to ten million dollars, I have made the decision that there is no identifiable path to being competitive in this race
— Michael Grieco (@Mike_Grieco) June 1, 2022
It appears that the Florida Democrats already have Grieco’s successor lined up and ready to hit the ground running, but are withholding who that may be.
“Representative Michael Grieco is a strong advocate for Floridians and a fighter for our shared Democratic values who has decided to step back from his campaign for state senate,” said FSV. “We support the Representative in whatever decision is best for him and his family. This does not change our plans to aggressively challenge Senate District 36 and the Caucus’ efforts to take back this district. Stay tuned… the fight is not over as a strong Democrat will be filing in short order.”
While there is little speculation as to who the “strong Democrat” might be, it is entirely possible that a candidate from a more tightly contested statewide race shifts gears and files to run in the now-open Democratic primary of Senate District 36.