Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterMarch 21, 2016

Kim McDougal is no stranger to Tallahassee. She’s spent years in the capital city, working for governors, the Legislature and the Department of Education. She’s been described as a policy wonk fiercely loyal to Gov. Rick Scott. And, after nearly 30 years in state government, she can add chief of staff to her long list […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 31, 2016

It’s getting chippy among the Florida Senate campaigns. Ron DeSantis, in a Sunday news release, trumpeted his fundraising numbers. David Jolly fired back. DeSantis asserts that his operation raised “nearly twice as much ($772K) as the Senate campaigns of Republicans David Jolly ($130K) and [Carlos] Lopez-Cantera ($318K) in the fourth quarter of 2015. The DeSantis for Florida […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 27, 2016

U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis represents Ponte Vedra in Congress, and his wife Casey is a television chat show host. Carlos Lopez-Cantera has a campaign manager, Brian Swensen, who fulfilled a similar task for Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry. Yet it’s Todd Wilcox, the seeming dark horse of the Florida GOP U.S. Senate derby, who is best positioned (perhaps) to […]

Mitch PerryJanuary 25, 2016

Todd Wilcox may have the lowest name recognition of the four major Republicans running for U.S. Senate this year, but he’s just picked three high-profile Republicans for his leadership team: Brian Hughes as campaign manager, Eric Isaac as communications director, and Chris LaCivita as general consultant. “As momentum continues to build for our campaign, I […]

A.G. GancarskiDecember 30, 2015

In Jacksonville politics in 2015, the game changed … perhaps for good. Big money went into campaigns: over $10 million, including soft money, in the mayoral race. Close to $2 million in the sheriff’s race. And even some City Council candidates who raised close to a quarter of a million dollars did so in vain. […]

A.G. GancarskiSeptember 9, 2015

The eagle eye of Nate Monroe of the Florida Times-Union caught this one yesterday. A few months back, the Build Something That Lasts Political Action Committee was formed, very quietly. The Chairman, Eric Robinson, is based in Venice and Tallahassee, and is the registered agent for a couple of dozen PACs statewide. The group thus far has […]

A.G. GancarskiJuly 1, 2015

The number of Lenny Curry campaign events I covered is definitely in three figures. A common thread for many of them was how below the radar they were. Endorsement events at local businesses. A speech to the Visit Jacksonville forum. An appearance at the recreation center in Grand Park. And so on. The media wasn’t at […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 25, 2015

With less than a week to go until the inauguration of Jacksonville Mayor-elect Lenny Curry, a question some have is what to expect in his inauguration speech. Two things are for certain: His remarks will be directed toward a unified vision for Jacksonville, and will not be overly long, according to Curry spokesman Brian Hughes. “Mayor-elect Curry […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 18, 2015

To borrow a phrase, “here’s what we know (and don’t know) about the Lenny Curry administration.” What we know: Sam Mousa is the new Chief Administrative Officer. What can Jacksonville expect? Well, I’ve spent the last four days listening to the man talk as real with me in the room typing every word as he would if […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 11, 2015

Florida Politics has obtained a cache of emails related to Jacksonville Mayor-elect Lenny Curry’s transition. The emails date back to May 22. They provide an invaluable record of the transition, as the self-styled “transformational mayor” moves quickly from the seemingly perpetual candidate to the city of Jacksonville’s chief executive. To highlight the nature of the […]

Tag: Brian Hughes

Capitol veteran Kim McDougal selected as Rick Scott’s next chief of staff

Florida’s GOP U.S. Senate candidates exchange barbs over fundraising reports

Todd Wilcox cultivates serious Jacksonville ties

GOP Senate hopeful Todd Wilcox announces campaign leadership team

A.G. Gancarski’s Top 10 stories of 2015 in Jacksonville politics

What could “Build Something That Lasts” do?

It all has changed for Lenny Curry

Look for “optimistic vision” from Lenny Curry inauguration speech

What’s up with Susie Wiles? What about Mike Weinstein?

Emails provide fly-on-the-wall perspective inside Lenny Curry’s mayoral transition