Delegation for 7.17.18 — Insights from the Beltway to the Sunshine State

Q2 fundraising shaping congressional races

Most of the campaign finance reports for the second quarter are in. While it will take some time for the Federal Elections Commission to compile and make all of them public, some interesting results are known.

The numbers show that most of the races under the microscope earlier this year remain that way. For example, Gov. Rick Scott’s $10.7 million quarter was $6.1 million better than incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson, but Nelson still has $13.7 million in the bank for the stretch run.

As many as nine congressional races are worthy of special attention.

Four open seats

In the Republican-leaning District 6 seat being vacated by Ron DeSantis, Democrat Nancy Soderberg has nearly $1 million cash on hand while Republican Michael Waltz has just over $600,000.

Republican John Ward has seen a controversial remark cost him dearly. A slow quarter, helped by calls to drop out of the race, dropped his cash on hand from over $700,000 to under $500,000 in the second quarter.

The GOP-leaning District 15 open seat held by Republican Dennis Ross shows Democrat Kristen Carlson outpacing everyone with a total of $247,000 raised and $192,000 on hand followed by another Democrat, Andrew Learned with $223,000 raised and $65,000 cash on hand. Among Republicans, Ross Spano has raised $157,000 with $108,000 on hand followed by former Republican state Rep. Neal Combee, who reported raising $128,000 with $86,000 cash on hand.

Two Republicans are fighting it out for the solid red District 17 seat of Tom Rooney. State Rep. Julio Gonzalez and state Sen. Greg Steube have both raised over $400,000 since announcing their candidacy and both have over $300,000 cash on hand. No one else in either party is close.

While not all figures were yet available, Democratic state Rep. David Richardson, the well-known Donna Shalala and foundation executive Matt Haggman, have all raised more than $1 million in District 27. Those numbers for Richardson and Shalala are aided by $500,000 in self-loans from each candidate to their respective campaigns.

Republicans are led by Maria Elvira Salazar with nearly $600,000 cash on hand, while Miami-Dade County Commissioner Bruno Barreiro is down to less than $180,000 cash on hand.

Two Democratic primaries

Two Democratic primaries also bear watching. In the solid blue District 5, former Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown raised $165,000 for the quarter and over $332,000 in all, while first-term incumbent Al Lawson of Tallahassee brought his total to $455,000. Lawson has $219,000 cash on hand, while Brown’s total was unavailable.

The solidly Democratic Orlando region District 9 race between incumbent Darren Soto and former Rep. Alan Grayson had Soto with $364,000 cash on hand and Grayson with nearly $700,000 as of March 31. Second quarter figures were not yet available.

Three Democratic targets for flips

Democrats believe they have a chance to knock out three GOP incumbents this fall. In GOP-leaning District 16, Republican Vern Buchanan of Longboat Key has raised $2.1 million with $2.5 million cash on hand. Democratic challenger David Shapiro has raised more than $1 million and has $785,000 cash on hand.

In Republican-leaning District 18, Republican Brian Mast of Palm City has raised nearly $4 million and has nearly $2 million in the bank. Democrat Lauren Baer has raised a respectable $1.5 million with $1 million cash on hand.

Republican Rep. Carlos Curbelo’s Democratic-leaning District 26 is a prime target for Democrats. He has raised $3.6 million and has $2.6 million still available. Democratic challenger Debbie Mucarsel-Powell has raised $1.6 million and has $1.26 million still on hand.

Trump’s refusal to call out Putin brings strong reactions

Going into Monday’s summit meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, delegation members had two pieces of advice for Trump. Several Democratic members said he should cancel the meeting, while Republicans urged caution.

When Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein announced indictments against 12 Russian military officials for election meddling, a group of Democrats said the meeting should not go forward.

In a tweet, Democratic Rep. Ted Deutch ticked off the Russian transgressions, then added Trump “should cancel his meeting with Putin. Democratic Rep. Val Demings of Orlando expressed the same view during a segment on MSNBC.

Rubio did not call for Trump to cancel the meeting but warned the president to be “clear-eyed” about who he was dealing with. By Monday afternoon in the U.S., Democrats were outraged when Trump would not call out Putin for meddling, instead laying blame for deteriorating U.S./Russian relations as the feet of both countries.

“The president’s refusal to acknowledge that Putin interfered in our elections should alarm us all,” tweeted Nelson. “Putin is a threat to our democracy and our upcoming election, that’s a fact. The president’s unwillingness to stand up to him and defend our nation is unacceptable and embarrassing.”

Democratic Rep. Stephanie Murphy of Winter Park said, “While every patriotic American wants to see U.S.-Russia relations improve in a way that advances U.S. interests, that will only happen if President Trump holds Putin’s Russia accountable for its reprehensible actions around the world, including its interference in our democracy.”

Floridians’ response seemed tame when compared to former CIA Director John Brennan, who called Trump’s comments “nothing short of treasonous.”

 Rubio, Nelson hope snowbirds can stay longer

Both U.S. Senators from Florida want to keep the welcome mat out for Canadians who visit the state and stay for the winter. In fact, they like them so much, both Nelson and Republican Marco Rubio want to allow them to stay longer without restrictions.

Part-time Canadian residents, often referred to as snowbirds, may visit the U.S. without visas and stay for up to six months before being considered residents and being charged income taxes. Rubio and Nelson jointly filed the Canadian Snowbird Act, which would extend non-taxable stays in the U.S. to eight months.

“It’s no secret that Canadians love to visit Florida in the winter,” said Nelson. “The millions of Canadian snowbirds who visit our state each year play an important role in our state’s tourism-driven economy. Allowing them to stay even longer is a win for them and for the local economies they visit.”

If the new bill becomes law, Canadian citizens over the age of 50 could stay here for 240 days, or eight months, though they would be expressly prohibited from working for American employers or seeking public assistance in the U.S.

A similar bill was filed nearly a year ago in the House by Republican Elise Stefanik of New York and joined by Democratic Rep. Ted Deutch of Boca Raton and Duncan Hunter of California. The bill, co-sponsored by a bipartisan group of 11 members of the delegation, has not had a hearing.

 

Delegation outraged over Nicaraguan violence

Government crackdowns of protesters in Nicaragua has killed more than 270 people over the last few months, but the killing of two students over the weekend has caused international outrage. Several members of the delegation are calling for Marxist President Daniel Ortega to face consequences.

Republican Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen called Ortego a coward, while Rubio said: “if his violence leads to a bloodbath, he will face consequences.” Nelson expressed fear Nicaragua could be following the path of Venezuela under Nicolas Maduro.

Senior members of the delegation have been trying to rally a response for weeks.

In June, Ros-Lehtinen led a Congressional effort urging the Trump administration to strongly support the Nicaraguan people resisting totalitarianism. She and U.S. Rep. Albio Sires, a New Jersey Democrat, penned a bipartisan, bicameral letter calling for action.

Both Florida Senators were signees to the letter along with Republican Representatives Mario Diaz-Balart and Carlos Curbelo, along with Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

Ortega has been in power since 2007.

Gaetz celebrates passage of ‘Reef Assassin’ amendment

To combat the damage being done by invasive fish species, Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz introduced the “Reef Assassin Act” last year to provide incentives to the public in the effort to eliminate lionfish from coastal areas. Last week, Gaetz’s bill became an amendment to a larger fisheries bill, which passed the House 222-193.

The Gaetz proposal allows individuals to exchange lionfish for tags authorizing fishing for certain species in addition to the number of such species otherwise authorized to be taken by such individuals, and for other purposes.

The lionfish population has exploded over the last three decades; they can now be found throughout the Atlantic coast, the Bahamas, and the Gulf of Mexico. A single female lionfish releases 30,000 eggs every two to four days — two million eggs per year.

In a news release, Gaetz says lionfish “have caused billions of dollars of economic damage. If nothing is done to mitigate the lionfish infestation, fisheries throughout the southeastern United States will be forced to close.”

While Gaetz had 11 co-sponsors for his stand-alone bill, five delegation Republicans were among the 15 Republicans voting no on the larger measure. Those members included Gus Bilirakis, Vern Buchanan, Carlos Curbelo, Mario Diaz-Balart, Francis Rooney, and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.

Rutherford receives security association’s ‘Legislator of the Year’ award

One of 2018’s high profile pieces of legislation, the Stop School Violence Act, has led to its House sponsor receiving a national award. The Security Industry Association has named the bill’s sponsor, Republican Rep. John Rutherford of Jacksonville as a winner of its annual award.

The award is presented annually to members of Congress and other elected officials who have demonstrated extraordinary leadership in advancing legislation and policies that encourage the effective use of technology solutions to enhance public safety and security and protect critical infrastructure.

Rutherford’s bill earned 100 co-sponsors, including 17 bipartisan members of the delegation. It passed the House on March 14 by a vote of 407-10.

Other recipients included Utah Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch, who sponsored the Senate version of Rutherford’s bill. In addition, Republican Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, Democratic Rep. Gary Peters of Michigan, and GOP Rep. Dan Donovan of New York were cited.

The winners were honored at the industry’s “government summit” held in Washington.

Soto lands endorsement from Social Security, Medicare advocates

Another endorsement for re-election has come to Soto for his re-election bid. Last week, the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare gave a thumbs up to the first term Congressman in his bid for a second term against Grayson.

“You are a key ally in the effort to serve the needs of seniors and their families,” committee president Max Richtman said in an endorsement letter. “National Committee members know they can continue to count on you in the United States House of Representatives.”

Many groups, including the Human Rights Campaign and Planned Parenthood, have opted to back Soto over Grayson in the primary race, though Grayson this week landed an endorsement from Our Revolution Orlando, a local chapter of Our Revolution, a national group that traces its roots to Democratic U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign operation.

Grayson and Soto have agreed to two debates, the first on Aug. 2 and the second on Aug. 8. The primary election is Aug. 28.

Mast continues on ‘war’ footing for Lake O discharges

Since discharges of highly polluted water from Lake Okeechobee into the St. Lucie, then the Caloosahatchee River began, Mast has been a loud voice against the action being carried out by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Last week there was a period of reassessment of the strategy for the St. Lucie, and a moratorium dumping into the Caloosahatchee. All of that is off now.

“The water quality is getting worse. It’s now 15 times more toxic than is safe for human contact,” the first-term representative from Palm City told constituents. ”And discharges have resumed.”

Mast has described his efforts as a “war” for the “health and safety” of the local community.

“War is one thing that I can speak about very well,” the Army veteran said. ”In any war, there are many battles. Sometimes you win the day and sometimes, even when you’ve done absolutely everything possible, you don’t.”

Mast also praised the White House for approving the southern reservoir that will eventually remove the option of the algal bloom-creating discharges from the lake.

Curbelo talks issues at gathering of Latino entrepreneurs

Over the past few months, Curbelo has raised his profile on several contentious issues facing Congress. He recently had an in-depth interview with Bob Cusack, Editor-in-Chief of the Hill newspaper to discuss several of them.

The interview was part of the program for an event called Latino Entrepreneurship and the American Dream held in Washington. Jobs and the economy were only part of the agenda.

On the growing “trade wars’ surrounding Trump’s imposition of tariffs, Curbelo said that the actions taken against China “are justified,” but other actions will “hurt our growth and the economy” as well as strain relationships with allies.

The second-term Congressman continues to support the tax reform bill that he actively promoted. Citing it as one of the factors, he says “it is a really good time economically in our country.”

Curbelo is probably best known for leading a small group of Republicans to try and force votes on lagging immigration bills. After a conservative, then a centrist bill he co-sponsored was voted down, he criticized both sides.

““The problem is too many of our colleagues in Congress — on both sides — prefer the politics of immigration, rather than the solutions for immigration,” he said “What we ended up putting on the floor was a bipartisan bill and the evidence is that 121 Republicans voted for it and 112 of them voted against it, and I guarantee you that wasn’t because the bill was too conservative. It’s because it was a very centrist bill.”

He also had the chance to talk about climate change. As co-chairman, along with Deutch, of the Climate Change Caucus, Curbelo described the issue in Florida as one that “is not a theoretical exercise, it’s actually a real concern.”

On this day in the headlines

July 17, 1992 — Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton accepted the nomination of the Democratic Party as their candidate for President of the United States. Clinton asked for the trust of millions who know more about his sins than of his virtues.

He told delegates at the Democratic National Convention in New York, and millions watching on television, that “it’s time to heal our country.” Clinton’s acceptance speech sought to reassure Democrats and persuadable voters about himself and provide a new direction from that of President George H.W. Bush.

July 17, 2004 — President George W. Bush was in Tampa to discuss the issue of human trafficking. Accompanied by his daughter, Barbara, and brother, Gov. Jeb Bush, the president said “giving life is the gift of our creator and is not for sale.”

Bush dropped by a conference hosted by the Justice Department and Attorney General John Ashcroft. In a media conference call arranged by the campaign of Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, Sen. Bill Nelson accused Bush of cutting human trafficking programs and waiting too long to submit an international protocol in the Senate.

All-Star Game to provide welcome respite to DC dysfunction

Tuesday night Washington will host the annual Major League Baseball All-Star Game. At least for a night, hardball politics will take a back seat to just regular hardball.

With all of the vitriol going back and forth up and down Pennsylvania Avenue, even the politicos can join baseball fans for a night of watching professionals play a different kind of game than that which occurs on Capitol Hill.

Wall Street Journal columnist Gerald Seib summed it up perfectly.

“The need for such a refuge has only grown in a summer of raw emotions over immigration, Supreme Court vacancies and Russian election meddling. So, as baseball’s mid-summer classic, the All-Star Game, takes place in Washington on Tuesday, this is a good time to pause and reflect on the role — perhaps small, yet undeniable — that baseball and the Nationals play in bridging the increasingly stark divides in Washington.”

Play ball!