Joe Henderson, Author at Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Joe HendersonSeptember 2, 2016

I love a good campaign slogan. It can be the key to victory, as we saw with Barack Obama’s “Hope and Change” and George W. Bush’s “Compassionate Conservative” pitch. And then there is Marco Rubio, Florida’s reluctant U.S. senator who is running, sort of, for re-election to an office he doesn’t appear to completely embrace. […]

Joe HendersonAugust 30, 2016

Jackie Toledo narrowly held off establishment favorite Rebecca Smith Tuesday in the Republican House District 60. Toledo will oppose Democrat David Singer in the November general election. Singer was unopposed in the primary. With all precincts reporting, Toledo held a 222-vote margin out of more than 12,000 votes cast. The district includes all of Davis […]

Joe HendersonAugust 28, 2016

I will be paying attention to a lot of things during Tuesday’s primary election. The weather, however, will not be high on the list. Even with storms in Tuesday’s forecast, it may not affect the turnout that much. As of Sunday, voters cast nearly 104,000 ballots in Hillsborough County for the primary election, either by […]

Joe HendersonAugust 26, 2016

A recent decision by the U.S. Department of Justice earned a headline or two, but quickly got lost in the chatter over Hillary Clinton’s emails and Donald Trump’s, well, everything. Deputy Attorney General Sally Q. Yates announced a plan for “reducing — and ultimately ending — our use of privately operated prisons.” She noted, “time has shown […]

Joe HendersonAugust 24, 2016

Jackie Toledo has made the repeal of some immigration reforms a centerpiece of her campaign against Rebecca Smith for the House District 60 seat in next week’s Republican primary. In a recent mailer to voters, she vowed to seek the repeal of a Republican-passed law that grant in-state college tuition to what she called “illegal […]

Joe HendersonAugust 22, 2016

While it probably was premature to prepare the political obituary for U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, that doesn’t mean the controversies around the long-serving Florida congresswoman haven’t taken a toll. A new Florida Sun Sentinel/Florida Atlantic University poll shows Wasserman Schultz with a 10-point lead over challenger Tim Canova with little more than a week […]

Joe HendersonAugust 19, 2016

It was a big story earlier this year when U.S. Rep. David Jolly proposed a law that would stop lawmakers, especially those named David Jolly, from spending at least four hours a day on the phone begging for money. He even went on “60 Minutes” to promote his bill, called the Stop Act. He told […]

Joe HendersonAugust 17, 2016

Brian-Willis-Hillsborough-County-district-6-e1471462556277.jpg

Brian Willis has the editorial endorsement of the Tampa Bay Times in his bid to win the Democratic primary Aug. 30 for Hillsborough’s District 6 county commission seat. He has been, in the words of one veteran local observer of the political scene, “very impressive” on the campaign stump. He seems to have momentum. In […]

Joe HendersonAugust 16, 2016

It won’t show up on the ballot this way, but the parameters of a likely November showdown between Marco Rubio and Patrick Murphy for a U.S. Senate seat are becoming clear. Place your “X” for the liar or the slacker. Rubio will try to win re-election by framing Murphy as a serial fibber who can’t […]

Joe HendersonAugust 12, 2016

By now, candidates surely must know that everything they say will be instantly analyzed, dissected and, most importantly, fact-checked to make sure they are not fibbing. Outfits like PolitiFact and FactCheck make their living by exposing politicians who are challenged by the truth. So I can’t understand why any serious candidate would risk the wrath […]

Joe Henderson

Joe Henderson: Marco Rubio’s 2016 slogan — ‘Maybe I’ll stay. Maybe I won’t.’

Jackie Toledo narrowly defeats ‘establishment favorite’ Rebecca Smith in HD 60 primary

Joe Henderson: Some pre-primary thoughts for Hillsborough County

Joe Henderson: Is privatization really best for Florida prisons?

Joe Henderson: Jackie Toledo would be better off talking kitchen counter issues than immigration

Joe Henderson: For Debbie Wasserman Schultz, it’s time to ‘Just win, baby’

Joe Henderson: GOP message for David Jolly, ‘Play along. Or else.’

Joe Henderson: Endorsement, momentum may not be enough in Hillsborough District 6 race

Joe Henderson: In Florida U.S. Senate race, it’s liar versus slacker

Joe Henderson: No, Patrick Murphy, you’re not an immigrant