Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiOctober 14, 2016

Both Republicans and Democrats have prioritized the race in the Gainesville-centric Senate District 8 race, and Democrat Rod Smith‘s latest campaign finance report provides yet more evidence that, for Democrats, this one is a must-win. All told, Smith has raised $539,570, received $227,939 in in-kind contributions (largely staff and polling from the Florida Democratic Party), and […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterOctober 13, 2016

Republicans in two state Senate districts have big leads over their Democratic opponents, while a third faces a tough race to the finish line. St. Pete Polls gauged voter support in Senate Districts 8, 18, and 23. The surveys — commissioned by FloridaPolitics.com — showed Majority Leader Dana Young has a six-point lead over Democrat […]

A.G. GancarskiSeptember 29, 2016

Assault charges and ethics complaints mean there’s never a dull moment in the Senate District 8 race between Republican Keith Perry and Democrat Rod Smith. On Thursday, it was revealed the assault charges against Perry, filed after his confrontation with a man trying to remove a Perry sign in Gainesville, were dropped. The story had gotten global traction in […]

A.G. GancarskiSeptember 26, 2016

The Senate District 8 race between Alachua Democrat Rod Smith and Republican Keith Perry is a competitive race with splashy fundraising totals and spending both. For evidence of that robust trend of contributions and expenditures, look no further than the candidates’ finance reports covering the period between Sept. 3 – 16. Spending is especially big for both Smith […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterSeptember 22, 2016

Gov. Rick Scott has assigned a new State Attorney to a battery and trespassing case involving Rep. Keith Perry. Scott issued an executive order Tuesday, reassigning the case to the State Attorney for the 7th Judicial Circuit. The decision, which was first reported by POLITICO Florida, comes about a week after the victim withdrew his […]

A.G. GancarskiSeptember 20, 2016

A new St. Pete Polls survey conducted Monday shows a close race in Senate District 8 between Democrat Rod Smith and Republican Keith Perry. While Smith’s lead of 43 percent to 38 percent is outside the 3.3 percent margin of error, the undecided column contains 19 percent of the 891 people surveyed by phone, suggesting that there […]

Peter SchorschSeptember 16, 2016

State Rep. Keith Perry found himself in the middle of a maelström this week after a video emerged showing the Gainesville Republican striking a man during a dispute over campaign yard signs. But the circumstances around the video suggest deeper motives might be at play. If you’ve seen the 30-minute clip, released by the Gainesville […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterSeptember 15, 2016

A Gainesville man has withdrawn his complaint against Rep. Keith Perry. Norman Leppla withdrew his complaint against Perry on Thursday, according to the Gainesville Police Department. The notice of withdrawal comes one day after the police department released surveillance video showing Perry striking Leppla after a disagreement over a yard sign. But Leppla’s decision to withdraw his […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterSeptember 14, 2016

A disagreement over a yard sign turned into a physical altercation between Rep. Keith Perry and a Gainesville resident over the weekend, according to records released by Gainesville police Wednesday. The Gainesville Police Department released the incident report, surveillance video and a sworn complaint affidavit related to a Saturday incident involving Perry. In an email […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterSeptember 13, 2016

A Gainesville state lawmaker said a complaint against him alleging battery has been withdrawn. In a statement Monday evening, Rep. Keith Perry said an incident over the weekend involving an alleged battery “has been resolved.” According to police reports, Perry was involved in an incident Saturday that included battery and trespassing. The weapons used in […]

Tag: Rod Smith

Big spending for and by Rod Smith in competitive state Senate race

Polls galore: Republicans lead in state Senate Districts 18 & 23; race still close in SD 8

Drama continues in SD 8 race between Keith Perry, Rod Smith

SD 8 candidates Rod Smith, Keith Perry spend big in first half of September

Report: Rick Scott reassigns case involving Keith Perry

Rod Smith holds five-point lead over Keith Perry in high-profile state Senate race

Calling BS on the way Gainesville Police handled Keith Perry video

Gainesville PD: Complaint withdrawn in Keith Perry case

Keith Perry apologizes for striking a man after a dispute over campaign sign

Keith Perry says alleged battery incident resolved, calls it a ‘misunderstanding’