Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Mitch PerryJanuary 18, 2016

Happy MLK Jr. Day, everybody. We’re 30 years into this day being a national holiday, and yet not even 40 percent of American businesses give the day off to their employees. Last night (at the very inconvenient hour of 9 p.m.) the three Democratic contenders for president debated in Charleston, South Carolina, two weeks before the […]

Associated PressJanuary 18, 2016

In their final debate before the Iowa caucuses, the gloves came off between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. Shouting over each other at times, the two leading Democratic presidential candidates engaged in some of their toughest exchanges of the campaign on Sunday night, underscoring the narrowing race between them in the first-to-vote states of Iowa […]

Associated PressJanuary 17, 2016

trump-engaging-longshots-shutterstock-copy-1024x1024.jpg

Parallel political clashes were igniting Sunday in the volatile presidential primary races, as one-time Republican and Democratic favorites battled once-unlikely rivals in their own party over guns and foreign policy ahead of the Feb. 1 Iowa caucuses. Fueling the back-and-forth: President Barack Obama‘s address heralding two developments in U.S. relations with Iran as triumphs for […]

Associated PressJanuary 17, 2016

trump-iowa-new-hampshire-establishment-Large-1024x1024.jpg

After months of predicting a comeback for their preferred candidates, Republican establishment leaders now concede the first two contests of the presidential race, in Iowa and New Hampshire early next month, are Donald Trump‘s and Ted Cruz‘s to lose. That leaves many GOP traditionalists, who fear each candidate would be a disaster in the November […]

Drew WilsonJanuary 17, 2016

Miami Rep. Jose Javier Rodriguez said he was eyeing a Senate run last week, and fellow Democrat Antonio J. Diaz didn’t waste any time filing to take over for the two-term representative in House District 112. Diaz is best known for leading a recall campaign against Miami Mayor Carlos Jiminez and for his own campaign […]

Associated PressJanuary 17, 2016

In a swipe at his party’s front-runners, Republican White House hopeful Marco Rubio charged Saturday that anger alone isn’t enough to qualify someone to be president. “We also have to have someone for president who knows exactly what they’re going to do when they get there,” the Florida senator said, as he courted Iowa voters […]

Scott PowersJanuary 14, 2016

Saying she is following on President Barack Obama‘s plea in his State of the Union speech to end gerrymandering, Democratic congressional candidate Susannah Randolph said Thursday she’s launching a petition effort to end the practice nationally. Randolph, running in the Orlando-based Congressional District 9, said she has begun a petition gathering effort calling for an […]

Guest AuthorJanuary 13, 2016

During his State of the Union address Tuesday night, President Barack Obama said we have a robust economy, yet we have a shrinking middle class and economic confidence is low. He said his policies in the Middle East are working well, yet in Syria alone we have thousands of killings and millions of people deserting […]

David SilverbergJanuary 13, 2016

No surprise, Florida’s congressional delegation split along party lines in its initial Twitter reaction to President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address. Addressing a hostile Republican-led Congress and a country plunged in a tumultuous, at times angry presidential campaign, Obama used his final address to summon an affirmative vision of his administration and for […]

Mitch PerryJanuary 12, 2016

OK, let’s not pretend that anyone out there is really all that interested, much less excited, that Barack Obama will deliver his final State of the Union address tonight. I would say that it’s an antiquated relic that the country has transcended, and in fact, last year’s SOTU was the least viewed since 2000. Having […]

Tag: Barack Obama
Image via AP.

Mitch Perry Report for 1.18.16 — Clinton and Sanders clash in Charleston

Dam debate takeaways: Passion versus practicality

One-time presidential favorites engage longshot rivals

GOP establishment loses hope of winning Iowa, New Hampshire

Antonio Diaz wastes little time filing another candidacy, this time HD 112

Marco Rubio jabs Republican leaders: Anger not enough

Susannah Randolph wants national anti-gerrymandering effort

Tim Bryce: Obama’s speech shows that he’s living in Fantasyland

Florida politicians react to President Obama’s final State of the Union

Mitch Perry Report for 1.12.16 — SOTU time, baby!