Mystery attack texts, letter taped to door heat up this race

The Democratic primary race to succeed U.S. Rep. Val Demings in Congress turned even nastier Thursday, with Maxwell Frost targeted by several mysterious texts and Alan Grayson warning of “consequences” for Frost’s ads against him.

One text accused Frost of sexually harassing co-workers. The text was “not true” and “a big lie,” Frost said.

Another was aimed at another candidate for the seat, Sen. Randolph Bracy, that accused him of “lies to the voters.”

Bracy suggested Grayson’s campaign could be a possible source of the texts.

“Yeah, it seems as if it’s from Grayson’s camp,” Bracy said . “... It’s unfortunate. This is why people don’t like politics.”

Grayson campaign spokesperson Mike Synan denied that. “[They] did not come from us, nor from our text platform,” Synan said.

Frost, Grayson and Bracy are facing off with seven other Democrats in Tuesday’s primary for District 10, including civil rights attorney Natalie Jackson, pastor Terence Gray, businessman Jeffrey Boone, and former U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown.

The first text about Frost, from a number listed as being out of service, reads:

“Hi, I am texting because there is an upcoming primary for Congress here in central Florida. According to co workers, Maxwell Alejandro Frost sent text messages in the middle of the night to his female colleagues asking for sex and Frost continued these demands even after he learned the answer was no. Does this make you less likely or very less likely to vote for him? 1 Less Likely 2 Much Less Likely 3 Makes No Difference”

Frost called the text “a disgusting push poll” and emphatically denied the allegation.

“Sexual assault and abuse is a very, very, very serious thing,” he said. “It shouldn’t be weaponized like this, and it’s incredibly disappointing. And I think the voters and people who receive that text are going to see right through it.”

Frost said he had received a letter from Grayson last week warning that if he didn’t withdraw a campaign flyer’s claims that Grayson was “corrupt” over the congressional investigation into Grayson’s offshore hedge fund, “the consequences of your publication of these false and defamatory statements will remain real and substantial.”

Frost said Grayson’s letter was also delivered in person, at night, to his parents’ house.

“We kind of shrugged it off,” Frost said. “But that same night, I get a call from my dad, who says somebody just pulled up to their house and taped that same letter to their door in the middle of the night. ... It scared the hell out of them.”

Grayson said via email that the letter was meant “to put Frost, and the other recipients, on notice. ... Since they have reiterated the statements after receiving the letter, they clearly don’t care that they are false.”

Two other texts from other numbers accuse Frost of a “willingness to sell out central Florida to his international donors and special interests,” because of alleged backing by a “cryptocurrency billionaire in the Bahamas.”

Another text specifically claims Frost is “fully in bed with conservative crypto-billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried.”

Frost’s campaign has received $5,800 in contributions from Bankman-Fried, a major Democratic donor and cryptocurrency entrepreneur.

Frost said he had been endorsed by a nonprofit group Bankman-Fried co-founded, called Guarding Against Pandemics, which advocates for public investments in pandemic preparedness.

“They have been supporting my campaign, and the stretch is being made that that’s directly related to crypto or something,” Frost said. “One of the founders of that organization is somebody who is into cryptocurrency. But I was never asked about cryptocurrency.”

The text about Bracy reads, “Bracy votes AGAINST Parkland gun control and then lies to the voters, says WESH,” linking to a WESH-TV story fact-checking Bracy’s claims to have “crafted the Parkland gun bill.”

The story concluded it was misleading because Bracy ultimately voted against the bill. Bracy said he objected to a later provision to arm teachers.

“Just because I voted against it, doesn’t mean I didn’t have a hand in crafting it,” Bracy said. “They included [an amendment] arming teachers, which I didn’t agree with.”

He criticized Grayson but also Frost, for his ad that called Bracy “compromised” over his past votes on environmental and other issues.

“They’re both sending out messages to try to hopefully pull voters away from each other to help them, but I think it’s desperate,” Bracy said.

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