Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Associated PressNovember 8, 2016

Did Donald Trump succeed in at last winning over college-educated whites uneasy with the billionaire reality TV star? Did he drive a wave of working-class white voters? Did Hillary Clinton rebuild Barack Obama‘s winning coalition – young voters, urban liberals and minorities – while picking off moderate Republicans? Those questions are central to who will […]

Associated PressNovember 7, 2016

Six years ago, Florida voters approved constitutional amendments with the catchy title of “Fair Districts” that promised to end the political games that surrounded drawing legislative and congressional districts. Due to expensive court battles and standoffs in the Florida Legislature, this year’s election will mark the first time the full effort to end gerrymandering will […]

Phil AmmannNovember 4, 2016

Billionaire George Soros is investing heavily in Central Florida, backing several down-ballot races with support for Democratic candidates Gray Rohrer of the Orlando Sentinel reports Soros, a well-known champion of liberal causes, spent $430,000 on United for Progress PAC for mailers and paid TV ads in a variety of races — from U.S. House to […]

Mitch PerryNovember 4, 2016

It was the Thursday night before the 2000 general election when Fox News’s Carl Cameron reported George W. Bush had been arrested in 1976 in Maine on a DWI case. It was definitely an “October surprise,” and it definitely seemed to stop Bush’s momentum in that contest — a contest in which he ultimately lost the […]

Joe HendersonOctober 27, 2016

Earlier this week, NBC political chief Chuck Todd was chatting with Republican strategist Jeff Roe, picking out three places around the country where election geeks should focus special attention. Hillsborough County topped the list. Are we surprised? Todd noted that Roe considered it “the bellwether county in the country” and added, “you could make that […]

Associated PressOctober 20, 2016

Bitter presidential rivals Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have one more face-to-face showdown before Election Day. And they’re supposed to make it funny. The venue just 24 hours after their third and final debate is the annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner in New York, a white-tie gala that every four years becomes a […]

Mitch PerrySeptember 29, 2016

Dr. Jill Stein, the 66-year-old Green Party presidential candidate, brought her campaign to Tampa Wednesday night, where she spoke to a packed house in the second floor ballroom of the Cuban Club in Ybor City. Stein is currently averaging around 2.5 percent in the national polls, not that dissimilar to the 2.7 percent Ralph Nader ultimately earned in […]

Martin DyckmanSeptember 27, 2016

Your vote is a terrible thing to waste. That lesson was demonstrated 16 years ago, when his contested margin of 537 votes in Florida made George W. Bush president of the United States. From that came the invasion of Iraq and the present turmoil and bloodshed in the Middle East, the Supreme Court nominations of […]

Associated PressSeptember 26, 2016

A claim from the presidential debate and how it stacks up with the facts: TRUMP: “Wrong. Wrong,” he said when Clinton pointed out that he supported the Iraq war. Trump later returned to the issue when asked about it by moderator Lester Holt. “I did not support the war in Iraq,” he said. “That is […]

Mitch PerrySeptember 26, 2016

I’m not about to be a spoilsport and say that presidential debates are overrated, but the history shows there have been very, very few since they began being held regularly 1976 that have significantly moved voters. The first debate in 2000 between Al Gore and George W. Bush definitely changed some things. That’s the one, you might recall, where Gore was okay on substance […]

Tag: George W. Bush
Crowds gather to see Atlantis at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. (Gabrielle Russon)

In White House math, certain places offer clues on outcome

Will ‘fair districts’ in Florida lead to a fairer outcome?

George Soros Democratic support extends to down-ballot Central Florida races

Mitch Perry Report for 11.4.16 — What will be this year’s decisive October surprise?

Joe Henderson: Buckle up, Hillsborough, you’re the big political prize

Day after debate, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton square off again at roast

Jill Stein tells Tampa: ‘This is the perfect storm for a voter revolt’

Martin Dyckman: Now is no time for exalted idealism

Fact check: Donald Trump on Iraq War

Mitch Perry Report for 9.26.16 – Keeping everything in perspective