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Quick facts for kids Alan Grayson


Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida
In office January 3, 2013 – January 3, 2017
Preceded by	Gus Bilirakis
Succeeded by	Darren Soto
Constituency	9th district
In office January 3, 2009 – January 3, 2011
Preceded by	Ric Keller
Succeeded by	Daniel Webster
Constituency	8th district

Personal details
Born	Alan Mark Grayson (1958-03-13) March 13, 1958 (age 67) New York City, New York, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouses	Lolita Grayson (m. 1990; div. 2015) Dena Minning (m. 2016)
Children	5
Education	Harvard University (BA, MPP, JD)

Alan Mark Grayson (born March 13, 1958) is an American politician. He served as a U.S. representative for Florida. He represented the 8th district from 2009 to 2011. Later, he represented the 9th district from 2013 to 2017. He is a member of the Democratic Party.

In 2010, he lost his reelection bid to Republican Daniel Webster. However, he was reelected in 2012 for a second term. This term was not right after his first. He won in a different district. In 2016, Grayson ran for the U.S. Senate instead of his House seat. He lost in the Democratic primary election. He also ran for Congress in 2018 and the U.S. Senate in 2022, but was not successful. In 2024, he ran for the Florida Senate and finished third. He is currently running in a special election for the Florida Senate in 2025.

Early Life and Education

Alan Grayson was born in the Bronx, New York City, New York. His parents were Dorothy Ann and Daniel Franklin Grayson. He grew up in a building called Adee Towers. He graduated from the Bronx High School of Science in 1975.

Grayson worked hard to pay for college. He was a janitor and a nightwatchman at Harvard College. He also wrote for a newspaper called the Boston Phoenix. In 1978, he graduated from Harvard with high honors. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree.

After working as an economist for two years, he went back to Harvard. In 1983, he earned two more degrees. He received a law degree (J.D.) from Harvard Law School. He also got a Master of Public Policy (M.P.P.) from the John F. Kennedy School of Government. He also completed studies for a Ph.D. in government.

Grayson wrote his master's paper on the study of aging. In 1986, he helped start a group called the Alliance for Aging Research. This group helps with research on aging. He worked with them for over twenty years.

Legal Career

After law school, Grayson worked as a law clerk for judges. He worked at the Colorado Supreme Court in 1983. From 1984 to 1985, he worked at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. There, he worked with two judges who later joined the U.S. Supreme Court. These were Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Antonin Scalia.

He then worked as a lawyer at a firm in Washington, D.C. He focused on contract law. In 1991, he started his own law firm, Grayson & Kubli. This firm focused on government contract law. He also taught about government contracts.

In the 2000s, Grayson worked as a lawyer for people who reported fraud. These are called whistleblower cases. He focused on cases against companies that had contracts for the Iraq War. One company, Custer Battles, was found guilty of fraud. They had made false statements and invoices for contracts in Iraq.

Grayson filed a lawsuit on behalf of his clients. The jury decided the company owed over $13 million. This decision was upheld in 2009. This case brought Grayson national attention. A reporter from The Wall Street Journal said he was "waging a one-man war against contractor fraud in Iraq."

President of IDT Corporation

Alan Grayson became wealthy as a co-founder and the first president of IDT Corporation. This company was known as International Discount Telecom.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections for Congress

Running in 2006

In 2006, Grayson first tried to get elected to Congress. He ran in the Democratic primary for Florida's 8th congressional district. He lost to Charlie Stuart, another Democrat. Stuart then lost the main election to the Republican.

Running in 2008

In late 2007, Grayson announced he would run again for the 8th district seat. He again faced Charlie Stuart in the primary. In August 2008, Grayson won the Democratic primary.

In the general election, Grayson ran against the Republican incumbent, Ric Keller. Grayson won the election, defeating Keller 52% to 48%.

Running in 2010

In 2010, Grayson was challenged by Republican Daniel Webster. He also faced other candidates. Grayson ran some strong advertisements during the campaign.

Many people criticized Grayson's ads. Some conservative figures also spoke against him. However, he was supported by some progressive leaders. On election day, Webster defeated Grayson.

Running in 2012

On July 11, 2011, Grayson announced he would run for Congress again. He ran in the Democratic primary for the new 9th District in Central Florida. He ran without any opponents in the primary.

On November 6, 2012, Grayson won the general election. He defeated Todd Long, 63% to 37%. This victory brought him back to Congress after one term away. He called his win "the biggest comeback in the history of the U.S. House of Representatives."

Running in 2014

In 2014, Grayson faced a challenge in the Democratic primary. He ran against Nick Ruiz, a professor. Grayson won this primary easily, 74% to 26%.

In the general election, his main opponent was Carol Platt. Grayson was reelected to Congress. He won with 54% of the votes.

Time in Office

2009–2011 Term

Grayson was the second Democrat to represent Florida's 8th congressional district. He is known as a progressive Democrat. He supported Barack Obama in 2008. He was also a vice-chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

Grayson sometimes voted with Republicans. He opposed raising the federal debt limit twice. He believed the government should live within its means. He also thought wasteful spending should be stopped.

In September 2009, the U.S. House passed Grayson's resolution. It was called the Teach the Constitution Week resolution. It asked high schools to teach about the United States Constitution for one week each September. It also encouraged students to speak up about issues important to them.

On the 40th anniversary of the 1969 Apollo 11 Moon landing, Grayson's bill passed. It was called the New Frontier Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2009. This bill asked the president to give the Congressional Gold Medal to the Apollo 11 astronauts. These were Neil Armstrong, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin Jr., and Michael Collins. It also included John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth. This medal is a very high civilian honor.

Some laws he supported

Pay for Performance Act (H.R. 1664)
Public Option Act (H.R. 4789)
War Is Making You Poor Act (H.R. 5353)
Shareholder Protection Act (H.R. 4790)
Paid Vacation Act of 2009 (H.R. 2564)

2013–2017 Term

In his first term, Grayson was known for strong comments about Republicans. In his second term, he started to change his approach. He focused on working with Republicans. He tried to pass amendments that appealed to their ideas of freedom.

In July 2013, a magazine called Slate said he was "the most effective member of the House." They noted he had passed more amendments than almost anyone else.

In October 2013, his campaign sent an email. It compared the Tea Party to the Ku Klux Klan. It used an image of a burning cross. Grayson said he saw "overwhelming evidence that the Tea Party is the home of bigotry and discrimination."

Political Views

Federal Reserve

During his first term, Grayson supported Ron Paul's idea to Audit the Fed. This means checking the Federal Reserve System's finances. Grayson became known for his questions to Federal Reserve officials. A video of him questioning an Inspector General was viewed millions of times.

Grayson criticized a senior adviser to the Federal Reserve Chair. He later apologized for his strong language.

After the AIG bonus payments controversy, Grayson helped introduce a bill. It was called the Grayson–Himes Pay for Performance Act. This bill would require bonuses from companies that received government money to be based on performance. The House passed this bill, but it did not become law.

Grayson also supported the Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2009. This act would allow more audits of the Federal Reserve.

Economic Support

Grayson wanted more federal money to come back to his district. He often said people in his district were "exporting taxes and importing debt." During his first year, federal grant money to his district almost doubled. He helped people find and apply for federal grants.

Grayson supported the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. He also spoke in favor of extending unemployment benefits. He argued that the government had never stopped these benefits when unemployment was high. Grayson also voted for the FDA to oversee tobacco.

Grayson worked to fight waste and fraud in the government. He helped show that taxpayer money was paying for legal fees for former executives of Fannie Mae. This was a mortgage company that received a government bailout. His work showed millions of dollars were spent on these legal defenses.

In September 2009, Grayson used a special parliamentary move. He added instructions to a bill about student aid. This instruction said that any organization cheating the government should lose funding, not just one specific group. This measure passed the House.

Health Care Reform

In March 2010, Grayson introduced a bill called the Public Option Act. This bill was only four pages long. It would let all U.S. citizens buy into the public Medicare program. Many other members of Congress supported this bill.

Grayson later voted for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. He also voted for the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010. These laws aimed to reform health care in the U.S.

In September 2009, Grayson gave a speech. He described what he saw as the Republican health care plan. He said it was "don't get sick" and "if you do get sick, die quickly." He later apologized for using the word holocaust in a general way. He then started a website, NamesOfTheDead.com. It was to remember Americans who died because they lacked health insurance.

Social Issues

Grayson supports a woman's right to choose. He also supports more funding for stem cell research. He has always supported same-sex marriage. He said in 2013 that the idea gay marriage harms straight marriage made no sense to him.

Grayson voted for the Hate Crimes Expansion Act. This law expands the definition of hate crimes. It also strengthens how these laws are enforced. He also voted for the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. This act helps people who face wage discrimination.

Environment

Grayson voted for the House's 2009 American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES). He believed this bill would create new jobs in Florida. He also thought it would help reduce dependence on foreign oil. He said it would promote green technologies and renewable energy.

The BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico affected Florida's tourism. It took months to stop the oil leak. In response, Grayson introduced the Emergency Relief Well Act. This act would require an emergency relief well to be drilled at the same time as any new exploratory well.

Foreign Affairs

Grayson has spoken out against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In May 2010, he introduced the War Is Making You Poor Act. This bill would require the president to pay for wars from the defense budget.

Grayson has tried to stop wasteful spending by defense contractors. He introduced an amendment called "Gold Plating." This amendment would make cost a major factor in evaluating defense contract bids. It passed the House but was removed from the final bill. He later worked to get it into another bill, which passed the House.

Grayson has strongly opposed U.S. involvement in the Syrian civil war. He said it was not America's job to be the "world's policeman." He called for focusing on helping people and solving problems at home. He started a website, DontAttackSyria.com. He gathered signatures for a petition against military action in Syria.

Committee Work

2013–2017 Committees

Committee on Foreign Affairs
- Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia
- Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere
Committee on Science, Space and Technology
- Subcommittee on Energy
- Subcommittee on Environment

2009–2011 Committees

Committee on Financial Services
- Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government-Sponsored Enterprises
Committee on Science and Technology
- Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight
- Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics

Personal Life

In 2010, Alan Grayson was ranked as one of the wealthiest members of Congress. His net worth was estimated at over $31 million.

Grayson was married to Lolita Grayson in 1990. They had five children together. They separated in 2014, and their marriage was annulled in 2015.

On May 31, 2016, Alan Grayson married his third wife, Dr. Dena Minning. In 2016, Dena Minning ran for the House seat that Grayson was leaving. She lost in the Democratic primary.

In December 2019, Grayson released a book. It was titled High Crimes: The Impeachment of Donald Trump.