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Marco Rubio Faces Patrick Murphy for US Senate in November

Marco Rubio, Patrick Murphy
Marco Rubio, Patrick Murphy

Senator Marco Rubio supporters celebrated the incumbent’s victory in the G-O-P primary race for his current seat. During a watch party tonight in Kissimmee Rubio thanked voters for getting his one step closer to a return to Washington.

Longtime supporter Carlos Cabrera said Rubio is the only candidate for the seat.

“He is very important in the Senate because if we lose the Senate, the country is going to be controlled by Supreme Court justices that are going to issue laws of their own for a generation,” said Cabrera.

The highly contested seat drew a crowded field of candidates…from an ex-C-I-A agent to the lieutenant governor. 

Rubio announced his run shortly after losing Florida by a wide margin to Donald Trump in the Republican race for a presidential nominee. 

Rubio will now compete in the November election against West Palm Beach Congressman Democrat Patrick Murphy.

In his victory speech, Murphy took some shots at Rubio’s comments this week about possibly not serving a full term if he’s re-elected.

“In the Senate, I will fight for you every single day," Murphy said. "You compare that to Senator Rubio who just yesterday said no one can make a commitment to a six year term. Guess what, Senator? I've got two words for you. I can.”

Murphy had no problem beating his primary opponents – political newcomer Pam Keith and three-term Congressman Alan Grayson.

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Amy Tardif is WGCU’s FM Station Manager and News Director. She oversees a staff of 10 full and part-time people and interns in news, production and the radio reading service. Her program Lucia's Letter on human trafficking received a coveted Peabody Award, an Edward R. Murrow Award, a gold medal from the New York Festivals and 1 st place for Best Documentary from the Public Radio News Directors Inc. She was the first woman in radio to Chair RTDNA, having previously served as Chair-Elect and the Region 13 representative on its Board of Directors for which she helped write an e-book on plagiarism and fabrication. She also serves on the FPBS Board of Directors and served on the PRNDI Board of Directors from 2007 -2012. Tardif has been selected twice to serve as a managing editor for NPR's Next Generation Radio Project. She served on the Editorial Integrity for Public Media Project helping to write the section on employee's activities beyond their public media work. She was the producer and host of Gulf Coast Live Arts Editionfor 8 years and spent 14 years asWGCU’slocal host of NPR's Morning Edition. Amy spent five years as producer and managing editor ofWGCU-TV’sformer monthly environmental documentary programs In Focus on the Environmentand Earth Edition.Prior to joiningWGCUPublic Media in 1993, she was the spokesperson for the Fort Myers Police Department, spent 6 years reporting and anchoring for television stations in Fort Myers and Austin, Minnesota and reported forWUSFPublic Radio in Tampa. Amy has two sons in college and loves fencing, performing in local theater and horseback riding.
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