Mitch Perry, Author at Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Mitch PerryNovember 14, 2016

Among the significant factoids produced by the exit poll conducted by Edison Research from last Tuesday’s election was that Donald Trump actually did better than Mitt Romney when it came to winning the Latino vote. It wasn’t by much, but according to that information, Trump received 29 percent support from Hispanics, better than Romney’s 27 percent in 2012. That seems counterintuitive to some, considering […]

Mitch PerryNovember 11, 2016

Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner has ordered a machine recount between Democrat Robert Asencio and Republican David Rivera for Miami-Dade County’s House District 118 seat. The ballot counting ending Tuesday had Asencio leading Rivera by 68 votes — 31,395 to 31,327. That’s a difference of just one-tenth of one percent. Because Florida law requires automatic recounts when results are within […]

Mitch PerryNovember 11, 2016

Florida Democratic Party Chair Allison Tant announced Friday she will not run for another term as party chair in January. “It has truly been a privilege and an honor to serve as your chair and I wanted you to hear from me first that I’ve decided to not seek re-election in January,” Tant wrote in email […]

Mitch PerryNovember 11, 2016

Some random thoughts at the end of one of the most epochal weeks in the history of our republic: Yesterday in this space we contemplated some of the first moves the Donald Trump administration might make when he inherits power in January. Lots of focus right now is on the fact that he could kill all of […]

Mitch PerryNovember 10, 2016

Incoming Florida House Minority Leader Janet Cruz is in Miami, overlooking the the automatic recount expected to begin Friday between House District 118 Democrat Robert Asencio and Republican David Rivera, which ended Tuesday night with Asencio defeating Rivera by 68 votes out of nearly 63,000 cast. If Ascencio prevails, he would give Cruz and the Florida Democratic Party’s House Victory division […]

Mitch PerryNovember 10, 2016

In presidential election years, Florida Democrats perennially have high hopes to increase their meager numbers in the Legislature by winning crucial swing district races. They lost several of them on Tuesday, including most surprisingly in House District 36, where 21-year-old University of Central Florida student Amber Mariano knocked off Democratic incumbent Amanda Murphy in a stunning upset by 732 votes, or […]

Mitch PerryNovember 10, 2016

As Donald Trump publicly laid low and dealt with officials about how the transition of his administration will begin, I couldn’t help but recall that often-referred-to famous final scene from the 1972 Michael Ritchie film, “The Candidate” starring Robert Redford. Bill McKay, the novice (played by Redford) who has just won an improbable victory for the U.S. Senate, turns dazedly […]

Mitch PerryNovember 9, 2016

A change in government in Washington has been preceded by a changing of the guard at one of the Tampa Bay area’s most troubled government agencies, the Hillsborough County Public Transportation Commission. On the same day the PTC finally approved rules legalizing ridesharing companies Uber and Lyft to operate in the county, the agency lost […]

Mitch PerryNovember 9, 2016

Marco Rubio is weighing in on Donald Trump’s stunning presidential victory. “I congratulate President-elect Trump‎ and Vice President-elect Pence on their victory,” said Rubio on Wednesday. “They listened to the frustrations and anxieties of the American people after eight years of failure in Washington and earned this opportunity to lead the country. Their victory, along […]

Mitch PerryNovember 9, 2016

Where do you begin? One of the biggest political upsets in U.S. history, to start with, in Donald J. Trump beating Hillary Clinton to become the 45th President of the United States of America. Lots of analysis there, including about the Democratic nominee, who for the second time in eight years, thought she had the […]

Mitch Perry
Mario Cristobal. Image via AP.

Mitch Perry Report for 11.14.16 — Questioning the exit poll data

Recount to take place in Florida HD 118 district race

Allison Tant won’t return as Florida Democratic Party chair

Mitch Perry Report for 11.11.16 — Whither the EPA?

Janet Cruz says Democratic House Victory was a winner on Election Night in Florida

Donald Trump ‘tsunami’ in Pasco led to stunning result in Florida’s House District 36 race

Mitch Perry Report for 11.10.16 — The ‘What do we now?’ moment for the president-elect

Kyle Cockream to step down from Hillsborough County PTC at the end of the year

Marco Rubio says election shows a ‘rejection of business-as-usual in Washington’

Mitch Perry Report for 11.9.16 — GOP dominance