ORLANDO, Fla. — Former Congressman Alan Grayson announced he was running for his old U.S. House seat this week, meaning a Democratic primary for incumbent Rep. Darren Soto for District 9, which includes parts of Orange, Osceola and Polk counties.
In wide-ranging interview with Political Connections anchor Ybeth Bruzual, Grayson went after Soto's handling of the Hurricane Maria crisis in Puerto Rico, calling him "completely ineffective" on making sure Puerto Ricans had what they needed in the aftermath of the storm.
"You need somebody who's going to get in and make a difference, talk to the people who write these crazy discriminatory bills, and avoid a situation where Puerto Ricans suffer more from discrimination than anyone else in the United States, legal discrimination that takes money out of their pockets and makes them suffer from day to day interminably," Grayson said.
Soto defended his record, saying he, among other things, led the charge on several issues, from extending housing vouchers to making sure the island didn't lose water and food benefits from the government.
"You have this long list of things that we've been working on and continue to work on that Channel 13 has covered extensively," Soto said. "And then you have him saying whatever he feels like saying, but there's obviously no record of accomplishment, either when he was in office or even helping out as a citizen now, so the records are pretty clear."
Hear the full responses from Grayson and Soto in the video above. And watch Political Connections on Sunday at 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. on News 13.