Bill Rufty, Author at Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Bill RuftySeptember 12, 2016

U.S. Rep. Dennis Ross, who underwent heart surgery Aug. 9, is returning to Washington Monday to resume his congressional work. “We have votes at 6:30 p.m. (in full session), then it is business as usual Tuesday with a Financial Services Committee meeting,” the Lakeland Republican said. Ross, who turns 57 Oct. 18, has been recuperating […]

Bill RuftySeptember 9, 2016

If you are a presidential candidate, you can’t come to Florida with a single, cookie-cutter campaign and speak to issues based on national surveys. Florida is one of the most diverse and perhaps, with 29 electoral votes, the most crucial swing state in the presidential election, University of South Florida political science professor Susan MacManus […]

Bill RuftySeptember 4, 2016

Polk County will likely never return to the Democratic bastion that was home to four U.S. senators, three governors, and four presidents of the Florida Senate. But from Tuesday’s primaries and the fielding of candidates for the Nov. 8 general elections, Polk Democrats are slowly learning to make the now-GOP bastion a two-party county again. There […]

Bill RuftyAugust 17, 2016

Strong mayor pushed because of weak responses The city of Lakeland has been going through a series of bipolar political moves — or lack of moves — over the last few decades. Its leaders and business executives in the city can’t seem to figure out if they want to be a big municipality or a small […]

Bill RuftyAugust 11, 2016

The reporters, photographers and copy editors of The Lakeland Ledger overwhelmingly voted Thursday to be represented by the News Guild-CWA, Communications Workers of America, in contract negotiations with the paper’s owners, GateHouse Media. The vote, supervised by the National Labor Relations Board, was 23 for union representation and 3 against, setting off rumors of other […]

Bill RuftyAugust 11, 2016

Members of newsrooms all over Florida will be watching the reporters, photographers and copy editors of The Lakeland Ledger this afternoon as they vote on whether to be represented by the News Guild-CWA (Communications Workers of America). The union vote will be supervised by the National Labor Relations Board, which has indicated it will release the […]

Bill RuftyAugust 8, 2016

U.S. Rep. Dennis Ross will undergo surgery Tuesday in Orlando to repair a heart defect he has had since birth. As reported by The Ledger of Lakeland, Ross was born with a bicuspid aortic valve, which if left untreated could develop into an aneurysm and become life threatening. “Upon informing some of my family and […]

Bill RuftyAugust 5, 2016

Florida House District 41 hopefuls at the Winter Haven Chamber’s Whistle Stop event Thursday night might have noticed a few once-over stares from more than just voters. That is, if those seeking to replace term-limited Rep. John Wood looked up from handshaking and glad-handling. Those offhand stares came from Winter Haven City Commissioners and Polk County […]

Bill RuftyJuly 25, 2016

A new television ad featuring Florida’s 9th Congressional District candidate Susannah Randolph of Orlando will air Monday night during the first day of the Democratic National Convention. Randolph is the first of the four candidates running for the party’s nomination to replace U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, an Orlando Democrat, to get a television ad out […]

Bill RuftyJuly 21, 2016

Candidate events don’t always involve the rah, rah, “give ‘em hell” speeches. They sometimes reflect the candidate’s interest in public issues, like Gov. Bob Graham’s work days. But the campaign of Dr. Dena Grayson, Democratic candidate for the 9th Congressional District, is planning a different public event: a free clinic. The clinic will run 2-5 […]

Bill Rufty
Image via AP.

Dennis Ross returns to Washington after heart surgery rehab

Bill Rufty: Diverse Florida electorate crucial in presidential election

Bill Rufty: Polk becoming a two-Party county?

Polk political notebook: Strong mayors, weak spellcheck and dueling websites

With landslide vote, Lakeland Ledger reporters, staff approve union

Lakeland Ledger reporters, staff to vote on unionization

Dennis Ross to undergo routine heart surgery, promises a ‘positive campaign’

Bill Rufty: New HD 41 legislator will have a heavy task with Nora Mayo Hall

Susannah Randolph launches new ad in CD 9 race

Bill Rufty: A CD 9 campaign ‘free clinic’ with Dena Grayson