Grayson, Alan M. (Alan Mark), 1958-

Alan Mark Grayson (born March 13, 1958) is an American lawyer, businessman, and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he notably served as the U.S. Representative for Florida's 8th (2009-2011) and 9th (2013-2017) congressional districts.

Born in the Bronx, he graduated from the Bronx High School of Science before earning an A.B. degree from Harvard University. After two years working as an economist, he returned to Harvard for graduate studies, earning a J.D. from Harvard Law School and an M.P.P. from the John F. Kennedy School of Government. He also completed all coursework and the comprehensive examination for a Ph.D. in government. Grayson worked as a law clerk at the Colorado Supreme Court in 1983, and at the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals from 1984 to 1985, where he worked with two judges who later joined the U.S. Supreme Court: Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Antonin Scalia. He was an associate in the Washington, D.C. office of the law firm Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson for five years, where he specialized in contract law. In 1986, he helped found the non-profit Alliance for Aging Research in Washington, D.C. and served as an officer of the organization for more than twenty years.

In 1991 he founded the law firm Grayson & Kubli, which concentrated on government contract law. He was a lecturer at the George Washington University government contracts program and a frequent speaker on the topic. In the 2000s, he worked as a plaintiffs' attorney specializing in whistleblower fraud cases aimed at Iraq War contractors. He made his fortune as the co-founder and first president of IDT Corporation (International Discount Telecom). After losing the 2006 Democratic primary for Florida's 8th congressional district in 2006, he came back to win the Democratic nomination for the 8th district in 2008 and was narrowly elected. Defeated for re-election in 2010, he was re-elected in 2012 from the 9th congressional district, serving two terms. Grayson is considered a progressive Democrat. He supported Barack Obama in 2008. He was a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, of which he was vice-chairman. Grayson twice joined Republicans to oppose the raising of the federal debt limit. Known in his first term for making incendiary comments about Republicans, Grayson began to tone down his rhetoric and focused on working with Republicans to pass amendments that "appeal to the libertarian streak in the GOP". He lobbied colleagues personally and in July 2013, David Weigel of Slate magazine called him "the most effective member of the House".

In 2016, Grayson decided not to run for reelection to his House seat in order to run for the U.S. Senate. He was defeated 59%–18% in the Democratic primary by fellow Representative Patrick Murphy, who went on to lose the general election to incumbent Republican Marco Rubio. In 2018, Grayson entered the race for the 9th congressional district. He was defeated in the Democratic primary by his successor Darren Soto, 66%–34%. In 2020, he ran as an unsuccessful independent Democratic candidate in Florida's 6th congressional district. On March 27, 2021, Grayson announced his candidacy for the 2022 U.S. Senate election to challenge Rubio.