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There's no doubt Orlando-area Rep. Alan Grayson pisses Republicans off (and probably takes glee in it), but it's not good news when his top GOP challenger is also pissing off Republicans.
Armando Gutierrez Jr., a Miami native and son of local political mover and shaker Armando Gutierrez,
moved to Orlando last month to take on Grayson in the 2010 election. Problem is, he's not exactly playing nice with local GOP leaders,
according to The Hill.
GOP operatives in Washington and the district say he is running a destructive primary campaign, and national and local leaders are doing just about anything they can to avoid having him as their nominee. "He's offending a lot of people," said attorney Will McBride, who opted out of the race last week. "He's rubbing people the wrong way. He needs to be a little more professional in his approach to reaching out to local leaders in our party." Numerous others confirmed the widespread bristling at Gutierrez's early maneuvers. "He's pissing people off a lot," said a leading local GOP operative. "He's very pushy and is an unknown commodity, and people are jealously guarding their prerogatives."
Twenty-eight-year-old Gutierrez has been aggresively seeking endorsements using his family ties. After a number of local names declined to seek the Republican nomination, Gutierrez stepped in. Although he has few strong ties to the area, he cites the fact that he's done business in the area for six years.
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