Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Scott PowersNovember 8, 2016

State Sen. Darren Soto’s dream of becoming the first Puerto Rican member of Congress from Florida became reality Tuesday when he swept aside an underfunded Republican opponent in what is now clearly Florida’s first Puerto Rican-dominated congressional district. Early returns based on early voting and mail-in voting, gave Soto an insurmountable lead over Republican nominee […]

Scott PowersNovember 7, 2016

Democratic Florida State Sen. Darren Soto has received the endorsement of President Barack Obama for Florida’s 9th Congressional District. Soto faces Republican nominee Wayne Liebnitzky in CD 9, which covers southern Orange County, Osceola County, and eastern Polk County. “Darren will be the kind of progressive leader we need to build on all of the […]

Scott PowersNovember 4, 2016

The United Farm Workers and one of its founders, legendary organizer and civil rights activist Dolores Huerta, have jointly endorsed state Sen. Darren Soto‘s bid for Congress in Florida’s 9th Congressional District, his campaign announced. For Huerta, whose activism and organizing date to her being an organizing partner of César Chávez in the 1950s and […]

Scott PowersNovember 4, 2016

Democratic nominee Darren Soto has collected $42,200 in large checks for his bid to be elected in the Orlando-based Florida’s 9th Congressional District since he filed his last full campaign finance report stating he had raised $1 million overall and had $83,000 in the bank. Soto’s opponent, Republican nominee Wayne Liebnitzky has neither the starting […]

Scott PowersOctober 14, 2016

To many Puerto Ricans, Oscar López Rivera was a freedom fighter for independence who has spent the past 35 years as a political prisoner. Yet to stateside police, the U.S. Department of Justice, and federal courts he was a terrorist, a maker of bombs, and a leader of the FALN network that terrorized the United […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterOctober 10, 2016

Floridians think banning the sale of semi-automatic assault weapons would be a step in the right direction. Almost half (49 percent) of Floridians view a ban of the sale of semi-automatic assault weapons as a move in the right direction, according to the 2016 USF-Nielsen Sunshine State Survey. Thirty-seven percent said they thought a ban […]

Scott PowersOctober 10, 2016

Democratic state Rep. Victor Torres‘s bid for a promotion to Florida Senate District 15 is getting the financial blessing of several big Orlando business interests, according to the latest campaign finance reports. Torres, who is facing Republican Peter Vivaldi, received thousands of dollars in the last two weeks of September from interests representing the Walt […]

Jim RosicaSeptember 26, 2016

The state’s Department of Corrections and Bridges of America, an Orlando-based nonprofit, are once more warring over transitional programs for the state’s inmates. On Monday morning, Bridges representatives and supporters say they will rally at the organization’s Orlando Transition Center “to respond to (DOC’s) plans to shut the center down,” the group said. Lori Constantino-Brown, president […]

Brendan FarringtonSeptember 25, 2016

It took just 14,496 votes to win his closed Democratic primary for one of Florida’s 27 congressional seats. Now Darren Soto is virtually assured of going to Capitol Hill, unlikely to face a strong Republican challenge this November in his safely Democratic district. The state senator snared the votes of just 2 percent of the […]

Associated PressSeptember 22, 2016

Heriberto Ferrer doesn’t want to vote for Donald Trump – but he says he can’t rule it out, his open-mindedness forced by his low opinion of Hillary Clinton. “I don’t want Trump to win. Period,” he tells a Republican volunteer standing in his doorway on a recent Saturday morning. What about Clinton? “Hillary no sirve,” […]

Tag: Darren Soto

Darren Soto wins CD 9, gives Florida its first Puerto Rican congressman

After warming up for Barack Obama, Darren Soto announces his endorsement in CD 9

United Farm Workers, Dolores Huerta endorse Darren Soto in CD 9

Darren Soto draws $42K in big checks in closing weeks of CD 9 race

Darren Soto calls for release of Oscar López Rivera

Nearly half of Floridians think assault weapons ban is step in right direction

Labor, tourism, citrus money coming in for Victor Torres in SD 15 race

Dept of Corrections, Bridges of America battling again over inmate programs

Florida primaries eyed: Representation of few, or the many?

Uncertainty on the I-4: Puerto Rican voters eye hard choice