Rubio, Murphy win Florida’s Senate primaries

McCain whips GOP challengers in Arizona contest

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Republican Sen. Marco Rubio and Democratic U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy each easily won their Senate primaries Tuesday, setting up a November showdown that’s guaranteed to be nasty as each party grapples for a majority in the chamber.

In late results from Arizona, Sen. John McCain easily bested his Republican primary challengers and advanced to the general election.

Rubio, who decided at the last second to seek a second term, easily fended off millionaire homebuilder Carlos Beruff and Murphy used the backing of President Barack Obama and other Democratic leaders to defeat U.S. Rep Alan Grayson, who was counting on his party’s most faithful liberal voters to overcome Murphy’s money and establishment support.

In other races, U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown lost a primary as she faces felony fraud charges. She was one of the first African-Americans elected to Congress from Florida since Reconstruction. U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who recently resigned as Democratic National Committee chair, won her primary — the first tough race since being elected to Congress in 2004.

“Marco Rubio is the worst of Washington because he puts himself first every time. He gave up on his job. He gave up on Florida. He earned the worst voting record for any Florida senator in 50 years,” Murphy said.

Rubio spoke about an hour later and said Murphy has lied about his education and his career and is only successful because of his wealthy father.

“How can someone with that kind of record think he can be elected to the U.S. Senate? The answer is he has a sense of entitlement, because when everything you’ve ever had in your life is given to you, you think you deserve it all,” Rubio said.

Rubio declared that he would not run again for Senate. But he nearly cleared what had been a crowded GOP field with his turnabout.

Beruff rolled the dice to see if the anti-establishment mood powering Donald Trump’s campaign could send him to Washington as well. But after spending $8 million of his own money and going nowhere in the polls, he essentially shut down his campaign ahead of the primary.

“I voted for Marco only because I’ve been a longstanding supporter,” said Diane Martin-Johnson, 66, after voting early Tuesday in Pinellas Park. “It’s unfortunate he didn’t do his job fully in Washington this term. I do think he deserves another chance. He thought he was doing the right thing (by running for president). That’s my only complaint against him. He’s a good man.”

This year’s primary turnout could top ones held in 2012 and 2014— a sign that competitive races for Congress and the Florida Legislature could be driving up turnout.

Wasserman Schultz easily beat Tim Canova, a Bernie Sanders-backed law professor who was able to raise more than $3 million in a primary colored by leaked emails revealing that DNC officials had worked against Sanders to favor Hillary Clinton in the presidential race.