Jacob Ogles, Author at Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Jacob OglesNovember 6, 2018

Republican Joe Gruters gets a promotion to state Senate, after defeating Democratic opponent Faith Olivia Babis in Florida Senate District 23. Gruters led in Sarasota County with 53 percent of the vote over Babis’ 47 percent, with all early and absentee votes and 28 percent of precincts counted. In the slice of Charlotte County within […]

Jacob OglesNovember 6, 2018

U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan held onto his seat in Florida’s 16th Congressional District, taking 54 percent to Democrat David Shapiro’s 46 percent according to early returns. NBC called the race for Buchanan shortly after the polls closed. But that wasn’t before facing the most well-funded challenge to his candidacy, ever. Buchanan had strong performance in […]

Jacob OglesNovember 6, 2018

You’ve gotten the texts. The ones that start out saying “It’s AJ” or “It’s Tom” or some other name, and just as you try to remember how anyone named AJ got your number, they deliver the “ask.” They want you to vote for a candidate, or maybe a constitutional amendment. Sorry to ruin the magic, […]

Jacob OglesNovember 6, 2018

Candidates in Southwest Florida anticipated lengthy debates about Medicaid expansions, gun rights and maybe charter school funding to dominate political discourse this election. So it seemed illustrative to state Sen. Kathleen Passidomo when a Naples candidate forum contained not one question about health care came up. “This year,” she said, “it’s all about the water […]

Jacob OglesNovember 6, 2018

It’s no easy task running for office when your name doesn’t appear on the ballot. But replacement candidates who stepped in this year for deceased had to do just that. In Florida Senate District 14, Tommy Wright stood up after the withdrawal of Republican state Sen. Dorothy Hukill, who died days after ending her candidacy. […]

Jacob OglesNovember 5, 2018

New attack ads criticize state Senate candidate Rob Levy for supporting Amendment 4. The problem? Most polling shows that referendum cruising to passage on Tuesday. “Senate candidate Ron Levy wants convicted felons to vote,” blares a headline on a mailer from the Florida Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee. Amendment 4, if passed, will automatically restore voting […]

Jacob OglesNovember 5, 2018

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Rap mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs will host a midnight event at FAMU on Monday evening to promote Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum. The “Bring It Home Midnight Rally” will also include appearances by DJ Khaled, Tiffany Haddish, William Packer and Monica. Working with student leaders, the event will push the significance of turning out the […]

Jacob OglesNovember 5, 2018

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Republican Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis remains in a dogfight with Democratic challenger Jeremy Ring, according to a final survey of the race conducted by St. Pete Polls for Florida Politics. The race finds both candidates winning 47 percent of the vote, with Patronis leading by tenths of a percentage point among those surveyed. Another […]

Jacob OglesNovember 5, 2018

Democrat Andrew Gillum holds a nearly 5 percentage point lead over Republican Ron DeSantis heading into Election Day, according to the final St. Pete Polls survey conducted for Florida Politics. The last poll of the 2018 election cycle for the outlet found the Tallahassee Mayor winning almost 50 percent of the vote, while the former […]

Jacob OglesNovember 5, 2018

Early voting will continue up to the day before Election Day in six counties still recovering from Hurricane Michael. Polling locations remain open in Bay, Calhoun, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, and Jackson counties, all of which sustained major damage. The state extended the early-voting deadline in those counties. Secretary of State Ken Detzner, Florida’s chief elections […]

Jacob Ogles
Kathleen King and Joe Gruters. Image via Max Goodman.

Call him ‘Senator’: Joe Gruters wins SD 23, overcomes Olivia Babis

Vern Buchanan captains course to re-election over David Shapiro

Who dis? Meet the guy behind those ‘go vote’ texts

Red Tide Politics: It’s the environment, stupid.

Running on a memory: Replacement candidates’ difficult campaign role

Direct mail round-up: Republicans attack Rob Levy for supporting popular Amendment 4

Diddy, DJ Khaled, Tiffany Haddish to headline midnight rally for Andrew Gillum

St. Pete Polls on CFO race: Jimmy Patronis, Jeremy Ring neck-and-neck

Final St. Pete Polls survey: Andrew Gillum holds 5-point lead heading into Election Day

Six storm-struck counties extend early voting to Monday