Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Larry GriffinJanuary 13, 2017

Darren Soto has been named Assistant Whip in the upcoming 115th Congressional session. He joins fellow Florida representative Val Demings in that role. Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer said Soto was “already hard at work” representing his state in the legislature. “He will bring an important perspective to the whip operation as a new Member,” he said. […]

Scott PowersJanuary 13, 2017

Additional congressional committee assignments are rolling out and Orlando’s new representatives are getting seats to oversee natural resources, small businesses and the oversight and government reform. U.S. Rep. Val Demings, an Orlando Democrat, has been chosen to be on the House Oversight and Government Reform committee, a powerful panel that Congress has used to investigate […]

Scott PowersJanuary 11, 2017

Freshman U.S. Rep. Darren Soto of Orlando announced his senior staff, heavy on local connections and including a key former staffer of his predecessor Alan Grayson. Christine Biron, who was Soto’s campaign manager and before that his legislative assistant in both the Florida House of Representatives and Florida Senate, was announced Wednesday as his chief […]

Scott PowersJanuary 10, 2017

Central Florida’s three freshmen in Congress all got top-choice A-list committee assignments Tuesday, with Val Demings of Orlando serving on the Homeland Security Committee, Darren Soto of Orlando on the Agriculture Committee, and Stephanie Murphy of Winter Park on the Armed Services Committee. Congressional leaders announced their choices for freshmen and others to fill spots […]

Scott PowersJanuary 10, 2017

With a bipartisan gathering of other Florida congressional members, Orlando’s former police chief Val Demings, now a congresswoman from Orlando, led the House of Representatives in a moment to remember and honor Orlando’s fallen officers Monday night. “I rise today to honor the lives of Master Sgt. Debra Clayton of the Orlando Police Department and Deputy Norm Lewis […]

Mitch PerryJanuary 6, 2017

With just a couple of weeks before President Obama leaves the White House, Florida’s Democratic congressional delegation apparently has no qualms in not standing by him when it comes to the issue of Israel and their settlements in the Palestinian territories. In a vote Thursday night on a resolution condemning a U.N. Security Council resolution aimed […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterDecember 31, 2016

Everyone expected Florida to play an important role in politics this year. And why wouldn’t they? Presidential hopefuls hailed from here; the state’s electoral votes were coveted; and its Senate race could have determined control of the U.S. Senate. But just like many predictions in 2016, some of the prophecies for Florida’s outsized role on […]

Scott PowersDecember 29, 2016

Story co-written by Orlando-Rising staff reporters Scott Powers and Lawrence Griffin. In Orlando, 2016 will always be remembered as the year of the Pulse gay nightclub massacre, and Pulse redefined everything; but it’s not the only major event to have shaped politics in Orlando during the year. Here are a few events that defined politics […]

Scott PowersDecember 3, 2016

Democratic U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson of Orlando made what’s likely to be his swan song appearance for now before Orange County Democrats Saturday, thanking them for backing him so he could “do so much good for so many people.” Grayson sought the state Democratic nomination to run for Florida’s U.S. Senate seat but lost, and […]

Scott PowersNovember 30, 2016

An event in Congresswoman-elect Stephanie Murphy‘s infancy keeps redirecting her life, a life that has the 38-year-old business professor heading to Washington to represent Orlando and Central Florida as the first Vietnamese-American woman in Congress. When she was six months old, her family fled Vietnam on a refugee boat. Stephanie, her mother, father, brother, and dozens of mostly […]

Tag: Darren Soto
Image via X (Duke Energy).

Darren Soto named Assistant Whip for Congressional Dems

More committee assignments for Val Demings, Darren Soto and Stephanie Murphy

Darren Soto announces home-grown senior staff

Freshmen Congress members from Orlando get top choices for committee seats

Val Demings, Florida members, lead moment in Congress to remember Orlando’s fallen officers

Florida Democratic congressional delegation overwhelmingly opposes President Obama on U.N. Israeli imbroglio

Infamous dates: The moments that shaped Florida politics in 2016

2016 in Orlando politics: Pulse, outside money, hotel taxes, frogs

Alan Grayson says goodbye to Orange County Democrats, for now

‘The girl rescued at sea’ Stephanie Murphy rides that humanitarian service into Congress