Alan Grayson facts for kids

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's 8th district from 2009 to 2011. Later, he represented Florida's 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 in a different district. In 2016, Grayson chose not to run for his House seat again. Instead, he ran for the U.S. Senate but lost in the Democratic primary. He has continued to run for various political offices in Florida in recent years.

Early Life and Education

Alan Grayson was born in the Bronx, New York City, New York. He grew up in a building called Adee Towers. In 1975, he graduated from the Bronx High School of Science.

Grayson worked as a janitor and night watchman to pay for his studies at Harvard College. He also wrote for the Boston Phoenix newspaper. In 1978, he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree. After working as an economist for two years, he went back to Harvard for more studies. In 1983, he earned a law degree (J.D.) and a Master of Public Policy (M.P.P.). He also completed most of the work for a Ph.D. in government.

Grayson wrote his master's paper on gerontology, which is the study of aging. In 1986, he helped start a non-profit group called the Alliance for Aging Research. He worked as an officer for this group for over 20 years.

Legal Career

After finishing law school, Grayson worked as a law clerk for important judges. He worked at the Colorado Supreme Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. There, he worked with judges who later joined the U.S. Supreme Court, like Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Antonin Scalia. He then worked at a law firm in Washington, D.C., focusing 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 at George Washington University. In the 2000s, he became a lawyer who helped people report fraud against the government. These cases often involved contractors during the Iraq War.

One famous case involved a company called Custer Battles. This company was found guilty of making false statements and sending fake bills for contracts in Iraq. Grayson filed a lawsuit on behalf of his clients. The jury decided the company owed over $13 million. This case brought Grayson national attention. A reporter from The Wall Street Journal said Grayson was "waging a one-man war against contractor fraud in Iraq."

President of IDT Corp.

Before his political career, Alan Grayson became wealthy as a co-founder and the first president of IDT Corporation. This company is known for international discount telecommunications.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2006 Election

In 2006, Grayson first tried to enter politics. He ran in the Democratic primary for Florida's 8th congressional district. However, he lost to Charlie Stuart, a local businessman.

2008 Election

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

During the main election campaign, Grayson was ahead of the Republican candidate, Ric Keller. On election day, Grayson defeated Keller, winning 52% of the votes.

2010 Election

In 2010, Grayson was challenged by Republican Daniel Webster. Grayson's campaign ran some commercials that were criticized for being very strong. Some people said the ads edited videos to make his opponent seem to say things he didn't. Grayson later released a calmer version of the ads.

Some political figures, like Sarah Palin and George Will, spoke out against Grayson. He was also targeted by many attack ads from various groups. However, he also received support from other politicians. On election day, Webster defeated Grayson.

2012 Election

On July 11, 2011, Grayson announced he would run for Congress again. He ran unopposed in the Democratic primary for the new 9th District in Central Florida.

On November 6, 2012, Grayson defeated Todd Long, winning 63% of the votes. This allowed him to return to Congress after being out for one term. He called his victory "the biggest comeback in the history of the U.S. House of Representatives."

2014 Election

In 2014, Grayson faced a challenge in the Democratic primary from Nick Ruiz. He won this primary comfortably. In the general election, he faced Republican Carol Platt and an independent candidate. Grayson was reelected to Congress with 54% of the vote.

Tenure

2009–2011 Term

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

Grayson sometimes voted with Republicans against raising the federal debt limit. He believed the government should "live within our means" and "eliminate wasteful spending."

In September 2009, the U.S. House of Representatives passed Grayson's "Teach the Constitution Week" bill. This bill encouraged 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 Apollo 11 Moon landing, the House passed Grayson's "New Frontier Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2009." This bill asked the president to give the Congressional Gold Medal to Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin Jr., and Michael Collins, as well as John Glenn. This medal is one of the highest honors for civilians.

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 second term, Grayson tried to work more with Republicans. He focused on passing amendments that appealed to both parties. In July 2013, Slate magazine called him "the most effective member of the House." They noted he had passed more amendments than almost any other member of Congress.

In October 2013, his campaign sent an email that caused a lot of debate and criticism because of its strong language and imagery. Grayson defended the email, saying he believed it showed a truth about certain political groups.

Political Positions

Federal Reserve

During his first term, Grayson supported legislation to "Audit the Fed." This would allow for more checks on the Federal Reserve System, which is the central bank of the U.S. He gained attention for his questions to Federal Reserve officials.

Grayson also helped introduce the "Grayson–Himes Pay for Performance Act." This bill would require companies that received government bailout money to pay bonuses based on how well employees performed. The bill passed the House but did not become law.

Economic Stimulus

Grayson worked to bring more federal money back to his district. He often said that people in his district were "exporting taxes and importing debt." He helped create a system to notify people about federal grant opportunities.

He supported the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which was a plan to boost the economy. He also spoke out in favor of extending unemployment benefits for people who lost their jobs. Grayson also voted for the FDA to have power to regulate tobacco.

Grayson worked to fight against wasteful spending and fraud in the government. He helped uncover that taxpayer money was being used to pay for legal defense fees for former executives of Fannie Mae, a large mortgage company.

In September 2009, Grayson used a special parliamentary move to add instructions to a bill. This instruction said that the bill should stop funding any organization that cheats the federal government, not just one specific group.

Health Care Reform

In March 2010, Grayson introduced the "Public Option Act." This short bill would allow all U.S. citizens and permanent residents to buy into the public Medicare program.

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

In September 2009, Grayson made strong, controversial statements about the Republican health care plan during a speech. He later apologized to those who were offended by his choice of words. He also launched a website, NamesOfTheDead.com, to share stories of Americans who died because they didn't have health insurance.

Social Issues

Grayson has always supported same-sex marriage. He believes that allowing same-sex marriage does not harm traditional marriage.

He voted for the Hate Crimes Expansion Act, which makes laws against hate crimes stronger. He also supported the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and the Paycheck Fairness Act. These laws aim to ensure equal pay for equal work and allow people to sue for 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 and help the U.S. become an "international energy power" by promoting green technologies and renewable energy.

After the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Grayson introduced the "Emergency Relief Well Act." This bill would require that an emergency relief well be drilled at the same time as any new exploratory oil well. This would help stop future oil leaks faster.

Foreign Affairs

Grayson has been a strong critic of 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 Department of Defense's regular budget.

He also tried to fight wasteful spending by government defense contractors. He introduced an amendment that would require the cost of defense contracts to be a major factor in deciding who gets the contract.

Grayson has spoken out against the United States getting involved in the Syrian civil war. He believes it is not America's job to be the "world's policeman." Instead, he called for focusing on helping people and solving problems at home. He launched a website to gather signatures against military action in Syria.

Committee Assignments

2013–2017

• 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

• 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 $31.41 million.

Grayson has five children. He was married to Lolita Grayson from 1990 to 2015. In May 2016, he married Dr. Dena Minning. In 2019, Grayson released a book titled High Crimes: The Impeachment of Donald Trump.

See Also

• List of Jewish members of the United States Congress

Images for kids

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  Alan Grayson