Vice President Biden will reportedly headline Friday fundraisers for a pair of Florida Democrats in closely watched primaries: former Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Senate candidate Rep. Patrick Murphy.
{mosads}The Miami Herald said Biden is first traveling to Miami and participating in the Coconut Creek fundraiser for Wasserman Schultz’s House reelection campaign.
Wasserman Schultz announced her departure from the DNC on July 24 amid controversy over leaked emails that showed party staffers biased against the presidential campaign of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who has backed her primary opponent, law professor Tim Canova.
Biden originally planned on fundraising for Wasserman Schultz in June but scrapped the idea after the mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando.
Biden’s fundraiser for Murphy is scheduled for around midday Friday at the Tallahassee home of Don Hinkle, a personal injury attorney and major Democratic donor.
Both Biden and President Obama have endorsed Murphy as the best hope for Democrats to beat incumbent Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.). Murphy has said he will not debate his rival for the Democratic nomination, Rep. Alan Grayson, after allegations of domestic abuse emerged against him.
Rubio leads Murphy by about 4 points in their Florida Senate contest, according to the latest RealClearPolitics average of polls.