Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Associated PressNovember 12, 2015

A steady debate performance may have helped keep Jeb Bush‘s campaign afloat. But if Bush was good in Tuesday night’s prime-time face-off, rival Marco Rubio was probably better. And the Republican candidates’ conflicting trajectories played out in Iowa on Wednesday as a confident Rubio worked to sustain his progress while Bush pursued a new strategy […]

Associated PressNovember 11, 2015

Marco Rubio emerged unscathed. Ben Carson defended his integrity. Donald Trump flashed his dominant personality. And Jeb Bush avoided disaster. Mission accomplished. Aided by tentative questioning, the GOP’s top presidential candidates executed their strategies with little resistance in Tuesday night’s prime-time debate. Yet with no breakout moments — good or bad — the muddled status […]

Associated PressNovember 10, 2015

For some Republican presidential candidates, the party’s first three primary debates have been pivotal proving grounds that have strengthened their campaigns or shaken their supporters. Ben Carson isn’t among them. The famously mild-mannered Carson has largely avoided making headlines in the widely watched televised events, often willing to cede the spotlight to more verbose rivals […]

Peter SchorschNovember 10, 2015

Donald Trump is suggesting boycotting Starbucks over the minimalist design of its annual holiday cups. “Did you read about Starbucks? No more Merry Christmas on Starbucks,” Trump told a capacity crowd of thousands gathered to hear him speak at a pre-debate rally in Springfield, Illinois on Monday evening. “Maybe we should boycott Starbucks. I don’t […]

Martin DyckmanNovember 9, 2015

It is startling to even think these words, let alone to have to write them, but I’m feeling sympathy for Jeb Bush. He may not welcome that emotion from a liberal who has rarely agreed with him about anything, but there’s a nation at stake. It seems almost unbelievable that the two most qualified of […]

Martin DyckmanNovember 9, 2015

It is startling to even think these words, let alone to have to write them, but I’m feeling sympathy for Jeb Bush. He may not welcome that emotion from a liberal who has rarely agreed with him about anything, but there’s a nation at stake. It seems almost unbelievable that the two most qualified of […]

Janelle Irwin TaylorNovember 9, 2015

A comedy writer for the Huffington Post put out a parody of Ben Carson‘s rap ad, “Freedom.” The spoof is called “Panderdom” and makes fun of the racist nature in which the original ad targets African-American voters where they live in the highest concentrations. Most sane Americans thought the ad released last week to encourage […]

Associated PressNovember 9, 2015

Ben Carson says it’s time to move on from questions about the accuracy of his life story. But Tuesday’s Republican debate makes that unlikely, and some of his GOP rivals say such scrutiny is part of running for president. The retired neurosurgeon said Sunday that questions about discrepancies in his autobiography are distractions from “much […]

Associated PressNovember 9, 2015

Chris Christie just can’t catch a break. In the middle of what had been shaping up to be among the best weeks of his campaign for president, the Republican governor of New Jersey was kicked to the “kiddie table” when Fox Business Network said he didn’t have the poll numbers needed to qualify for Tuesday’s […]

Associated PressNovember 8, 2015

Marco Rubio, who has been attacked by GOP rivals and others for using an American Express card issued by the Republican Party of Florida for some personal spending as a state lawmaker, released two more years of charge card statements Saturday to help quell the furor. The statements, covering January 2005-October 2006, show Rubio spent […]

Jeb Bush focuses on Hillary Clinton while Marco Rubio presses on after debate

Analysis: No breakouts in GOP debate; muddled status quo

For Ben Carson, debates have played limited role in his rise

Donald Trump suggests Starbucks boycott

Martin Dyckman: Jeb Bush-Gotterdammerung, and the rise of Marco Rubio

Martin Dyckman: Jeb Bush-Gotterdammerung, and the rise of Marco Rubio

Ben Carson rap ad prompts parody highlighting racism

Rivals unmoved by Ben Carson’s complaints on scrutiny of his bio

No whining: Chris Christie shrugs off boot from debate main stage

Marco Rubio releases GOP charge card statements from 2005-06