Campaign donors and political experience are just two topics candidates and those considering a run for office in 2016 are already talking about.
PolitiFact Florida recently looked into two recent statements, from U.S. Congressman Alan Grayson of Orlando and from Florida Senator and GOP presidential candidate Marco Rubio.
Grayson is among the critics of the current campaign finance climate, in which most of the money candidates collect comes from just a few deep pockets. The potential Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate told “Democracy Now” that unlike many, his support mostly comes from small donations.
"I’m the only member of the House of Representatives who raised most of his campaign funds in the last election from small contributions of less than $200," he said.
PolitiFact’s Amy Hollyfield says they rated Grayson’s statement as ‘True.’
“He is the only member who has most of his campaign funds coming from small contributions,” she said. “If you look at the 2013-14 election cycle, he was number one, according to an analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics. He had, in small donations, he raised about $1.8 million, and that equaled 57 percent of total donations that he pulled in.”
Number two on that same list? It’s Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz of Weston, the chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee.
Another Florida politician vying for office caught PolitiFact’s eye for a claim he’s better qualified for a job than the current officer holder. Republican and freshman Sen. Marco Rubio told the Des Moines Register his resume is deeper than that of President Barack Obama.
"I certainly feel I’m running for office with much more experience and qualifications than Barack Obama had when he ran. When Barack Obama ran for president, he was basically a state legislator from Illinois that had served in the Senate for two years," Rubio said. "I, on the other hand, have been a legislative leader from the third-largest state in the country who has served in the Senate four and a half years, and have invested a significant amount of time in national security issues, particularly intelligence."
Rubio’s experience in local and state politics in Florida, and his stint in the U.S. Senate is roughly equivalent to that of the current Commander in Chief, Hollyfield said. They’re both lawyers, and while Rubio has an edge in terms of political experience, Obama worked for years in several jobs.
“This is a talking point you are going to hear this entire campaign. I’ll tell you, we rated this claim ‘Half True.’ If you look at Obama and Rubio, there are a lot of similarities to their experience. In fact, they’re pretty comparable overall,’’ she said.
