Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Joe HendersonJanuary 29, 2018

I loved the profile by Alex Leary in Sunday’s Tampa Bay Times about Republican commentator and thorny bush Rick Wilson, whose daily Twitter rampages against President Donald Trump have made him a must-follow. A lot of people must agree with that last statement. Wilson’s Twitter feed has 296,000 followers. He is personal, fearless, on point, […]

Mitch PerryOctober 18, 2017

Gus Bilirakis is taking heat from an opponent for pushing a bill that dilutes the Drug Enforcement Agency’s efforts to stem the nation’s opioid crisis. Mathew Thomas, a Democrat running against the 11-year Republican incumbent in Florida’s 12th Congressional District, blasted Bilirakis Wednesday for co-sponsoring the Ensuring Patient Access and Effective Drug Enforcement Act. The 2016 […]

Steve SchaleOctober 9, 2017

Since Maria, the question I’ve gotten more than any other is: “So if X number of Puerto Ricans move to Florida because of the hurricane, what does this mean?” Honestly, I write this blog with some hesitation. As I work on this piece, 80-90 percent of the population still lacks power and some 50 percent […]

Mitch PerryJuly 19, 2017

A day after an attempt by Senate Republicans to repeal the Affordable Care Act crashed and burned, Lakeland GOP Congressman Dennis Ross blasted members of his own party, saying he’s “sick of the excuses.” “The Senate has failed the American people and abandoned voters who were promised that they would repeal and replace the disastrous Obamacare. […]

Mitch PerryJuly 14, 2016

Political maxim No. 459: “If you’re explaining, you’re losing.” Let’s go to Patrick Murphy and his campaign for Senate, shall we? The Murphy camp is furiously shooting down a report by Alex Leary in the Tampa Bay Times published last night that said his congressional office sought to delay news about relief for businesses affected by the toxic […]

Mitch PerryMarch 16, 2016

We’ll save you our post-mortems about Marco Rubio‘s failed candidacy for the presidency, since you can find them all over the web this morning. We wrote last week how startled we were about the lack of support in his own state, and that was before Alex Leary‘s devastating portrayal in Sunday’s Tampa Bay Times. A notable […]

Mitch PerryJuly 31, 2015

Greetings from the Extended Stay America motel in Fort Lauderdale, just a few blocks from the Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center. That’s where three of the Democrats running for president: Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and Martin O’Malley will address the thousands gathered at the National Urban League’s annual meeting. The event comes a couple of […]

Mitch PerryFebruary 23, 2015

On Sunday morning, the Tampa Bay Times reported that Jeb Bush urged a group of New York conservatives in 2013 to support fracking at the same time he was involved with a private equity group that was raising $40 million for a company acquiring fracking wells. The Adam Smith/Alex Leary penned story also reported that fracking is a “family affair,” […]

Mitch PerryFebruary 20, 2015

Marco Rubio may or may not make a full fledged run at the presidency, but he’s certainly flirting with the possibility, and like some other GOP candidates, has been talking more about economic inequality than ever before as he touts his new book, “American Dream.” But Florida Democratic Party Chair Allison Tant says that while […]

Peter SchorschFebruary 18, 2015

There is no best quarterback in the National Football League, only a collection of elite players who can each make a claim for that title. Is Tom Brady really better than Aaron Rodgers? When healthy, is Peyton Manning the top thrower? What about Drew Brees or Russell Wilson? Similarly, there isn’t a best political reporter […]

Tag: Alex Leary

Joe Henderson: Rick Wilson is shrill, tough, profane — and needed

Opponent blasts Gus Bilirakis for bill hamstringing DEA opioid fight

Steve Schale: Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico and Florida politics

Dennis Ross blasts GOP Senate in wake of ACA debacle

Mitch Perry Report for 7.14.16 — Patrick Murphy on defense, again

Mitch Perry Report for 3.16.16 – How does Bernie Sanders move on from here?

Mitch Perry Report for 7.31.15 — Whose lives matter?

NextGen Climate calls on Jeb Bush to detail his energy investments

FDP Chair criticizes Marco Rubio, but says needs more time to review his current statements

Will the Times/Herald continue to ignore former colleague Marc Caputo?