Ryan Ray, Author at Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Ryan RayMay 24, 2016

Former Gov. Jeb Bush is not one to stay out of public life for too long. On Tuesday, his plans for what comes next after departing from the 2016 GOP presidential primary came into focus. Bush will again assume the reins as president and chairman of the Excellence in Education Foundation board of directors, an organization he […]

Ryan RayMay 23, 2016

Democrat Edward James is now the first candidate in House District 72 officially on the ballot. The first-time candidate surpassed the threshold of 1,140 verified signatures on Monday. James is locked in a competitive three-way race to succeed Republican Rep. Ray Pilon, who bowed out of a re-election race earlier this year to pursue a Senate seat vacated by […]

Ryan RayMay 18, 2016

Rep. Matt Gaetz says his campaign has rustled up enough petitions to qualify for the 1st Congressional District ballot, well ahead of a late June deadline. Gaetz put out a statement to mark the occasion. “I want to thank the enthusiastic army of volunteers who helped us collect petition signatures across Northwest Florida. We are running a […]

Ryan RayMay 18, 2016

A day after GOP primary opponent Neal Dunn went on TV attacking Obamacare, Mary Thomas released a new radio hit bashing the administration over its recent directive on gendered bathrooms. As first reported by POLITICO Florida, the one-minute radio spot features Thomas calling the new directive “outrageous.” “Men should use the men’s room, women should use the women’s room. It’s […]

Ryan RayMay 17, 2016

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Republican candidate Neal Dunn will again take to the airwaves for another round of early communication with voters in the 2nd Congressional District. The Panama City urological surgeon ran another ad, his second of the 2016 cycle. No other CD 2 candidate has yet advertised on television in what is shaping up to be an intense GOP primary. […]

Ryan RayMay 17, 2016

U.S Rep. David Jolly‘s quixotic “Stop Act” proposal to bar sitting members of Congress from raising money on the job may have gotten him in hot water with some in his party, but it also seems to have won him some admirers in the press. The plan at least “deserves a look,” writes Dana Milbank of the […]

Ryan RayMay 16, 2016

Rep. Matt Gaetz is known for his combative debate style on the floor of the Florida House. Now, he says he’d like to take it to the congressional campaign trail. The Fort Walton Beach Republican and 1st Congressional District candidate challenged Democratic opponent Amanda Kondrat’yev to a debate over the Bayview Park Cross, a religious symbol which has sat on […]

Ryan RayMay 13, 2016

Florida’s never-ending casino wars are heating up again, in the press and in court. In a scathing op-ed in the Miami Herald, columnist Fabiola Santiago threw shade at Genting, the Malaysian casino operator, over their recent move to sue Miami-Dade County and state attorney Katherine Fernandez-Rundle, saying the move “smacks of desperation.” “Somebody ought to tell Genting […]

Ryan RayMay 12, 2016

Democrat Lorrane Ausley continued to lead the way in House District 9 fundraising for April. Ausley brought in $14,355 through her campaign account plus another $5,000 through an affiliated political committee, according to new campaign finance data. Republican opponent Jim Messer raised $9,950, including a $7,500 personal loan, while a pair of other Democratic hopefuls raised negligible sums. The […]

Ryan RayMay 10, 2016

A panel of state economists estimates a minor expansion in Florida’s fledgling medical marijuana regime could add up to $11.4 million in new tax revenue. The Revenue Estimating Impact Conference met Tuesday for its annual post-Session hearing, where economists from the Legislature, the Governor’s office, and state agencies analyzed the likely fiscal costs and benefits of […]

Ryan Ray
Golf ball and golf club in bag on green grass

Jeb Bush to return as chair of Foundation for Excellence in Education

Edward James qualifies by petition in HD 72

Matt Gaetz qualifies by petition in CD 1

Mary Thomas hits Obama admin bathroom directive in new radio spot

Neal Dunn drops anti-Obamacare ad in CD 2 race

David Jolly ‘speaks the truth’ on fundraising reform

Matt Gaetz challenges Democratic congressional opponent to debate over cross on public land

Herald columnist says Genting getting ‘desperate’ over Miami-Dade casino

Loranne Ausley raises $19K in HD 9 race; GOP threat lags behind

State officials: Medical cannabis expansion could add $11.4 million in revenue