It's official: U.S. House Representative Patrick Murphy running for the U.S. Senate

George Bennett at the Post On Politics blog has the text from Patrick Murphy's statement announcing his run for Marco Rubio's Senate seat:

     “I’ve spent the last several months considering the best way I can continue to serve the people of Florida, and today, after much thought and discussion with people from across this state, I’m proud to announce that I will be a candidate for the United States Senate in 2016.
     “I’m a CPA and small businessman – not a career politician – who saw the dysfunction in Washington and decided to do something about it. I’m running for the U.S. Senate for the same reason I ran for Congress in 2012 – Washington is full of hyper-partisan politicians who can’t, or won’t, get anything done, and Florida deserves better. I’m a consensus-builder who is working to boost the economy by cutting waste in government, raise the minimum wage, strengthen Social Security and Medicare, and protect the Everglades. I’ve done all of this by being an independent voice for Florida, and that’s what the Senate needs more of right now.
     “For years, Senator Rubio has put the needs of Floridians behind his presidential ambitions. We need a leader in the Senate whose eyes are firmly fixed on the people of Florida by working together to get things done. In the coming months, I look forward to meeting Floridians across the state to listen, earn their trust, and ask for their support.”

Patrick Murphy is no stranger to long odds. Remember Allen West's meteoric political rise? It was Patrick Murphy who had Allen West crash and burn on the national stage for all to see.