Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Scott PowersJanuary 13, 2016

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer has endorsed Carlos Guillermo Smith in the Orlando-based House District 49 race, Guillermo Smith’s campaign announced Wednesday. Guillermo Smith, like Dyer a Democrat, so far is running unopposed, either in his primary or headed toward the general election. He is seeking to fill the seat currently held by state Rep. Rene […]

Scott PowersJanuary 11, 2016

Democratic State Rep. Victor Torres filed Monday to run for the state Senate in the seat that would be vacated by state Sen. Darren Soto, and Torres’ daughter, Democrat Amy Mercado, filed to run to replace her father in the House of Representatives. Torres, completing his second term, was the first to file to run […]

Scott PowersJanuary 11, 2016

The year 2015 ended with little competitive balance in campaign money among Central Florida candidates running for Florida House of Representatives seats as incumbents, when they have any competition at all yet. One exception, in Seminole County’s House District 30 has incumbent Republican state Rep. Bob Cortes raising more than $101,000 for his campaign. Yet […]

Scott PowersJanuary 11, 2016

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders plans to include Florida A&M University on his campaign tour of historically black colleges and universities, which begins Thursday in South Carolina. Sanders, a U.S. Senator from Vermont, has not yet set a date for the FAMU stop. The university is among nine schools he plans to visit throughout the […]

Scott PowersJanuary 11, 2016

Orlando-based congressional candidate Val Demings has grabbed the biggest of Democratic congressional establishment endorsements with that of U.S. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. In a statement Monday, Pelosi of California endorsed Demings in Florida’s 10th Congressional District, a place the Democrats hope to wrestle away from longtime Republican representation. With a new strong-Democratic lean to […]

Scott PowersJanuary 11, 2016

Neither the presidential campaign of U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio nor the U.S. Senate campaign of Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera are calling it an endorsement this morning, but Rubio’s shout-out to Lopez-Cantera in Miami Sunday night sure sounded like one, according to a report. At a Rubio rally at the Intercontinental Hotel, Rubio drew attention to […]

Scott PowersJanuary 7, 2016

The renumbering of Florida Senate seats is changing timetables on political ambitions. Among the potential changes to partisan matchups is the possibility state Sen. David Simmons might draw a primary challenge from state Rep. Jason Brodeur. Brodeur, a Republican from Sanford, has been contemplating running for Simmons’ seat in 2018 when they’re both term-limited out of […]

Scott PowersJanuary 7, 2016

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With a backdrop of the former Pine Hills gas station where he had his first job, pumping gas, wealthy entrepreneur and Democratic rainmaker Bob Poe announced his bid for Congress Thursday in the Orlando-based District 10. “Many people are aware that I’ve been blessed with a tremendous amount of success in my life. But what […]

Scott PowersJanuary 6, 2016

Winter Garden Commissioner Bobby Olszewski announced that several top Orange County political operatives will serve on his campaign finance team in his run for the Orange County Commission District 1 seat. The team will include Angel de la Portilla, Bertica Cabrera Morris, Chris Carmody, Eddie Fernandez, Frank Kruppenbacher, Jonathan Kilman and Wade Voss. Olszewski faces Betsy […]

Scott PowersJanuary 6, 2016

Former state representative and former Orange County Commissioner Linda Stewart announced Wednesday she is running for the state Senate in Orlando-based District 13. Stewart’s entry into the race creates a matchup of former Democratic representatives who were swept from office in the Republican landslide of 2014, including Stewart and former state Rep. Mike Clelland, who […]

Tag: 2016 election

Buddy Dyer endorses Carlos Guillermo Smith in HD 49

Victor Torres files for state Senate; daughter Amy Mercado for his House seat

Bob Cortes’ impressive campaign cash haul almost matched by Ryan Yadav’s self-loans

Bernie Sanders tour of historically black colleges to include FAMU

Val Demings nabs Nancy Pelosi endorsement in CD 10 race

Marco Rubio’s shout-out to Carlos Lopez-Cantera sounds “endorsy”

Senate seat renumbering has Jason Brodeur eyeing primary against David Simmons

Bob Poe announces congressional run in Orlando’s CD 10

Bobby Olszewski names Orange County Commission race finance team

Linda Stewart to run for State Senate