Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiSeptember 29, 2016

Assault charges and ethics complaints mean there’s never a dull moment in the Senate District 8 race between Republican Keith Perry and Democrat Rod Smith. On Thursday, it was revealed the assault charges against Perry, filed after his confrontation with a man trying to remove a Perry sign in Gainesville, were dropped. The story had gotten global traction in […]

Drew WilsonSeptember 7, 2016

Gainesville Republican Rep. Keith Perry scored a fundraising win over former Sen. Rod Smith in his final report before Florida’s primary election, but he still has a long way to go to catch up to his Democratic Senate District 8 rival. Perry, who currently holds the HD 21 seat, brought in $48,850 between Aug. 13 […]

Peter SchorschAugust 29, 2016

When the dust settled after Florida’s 2014 elections, there was one clear loser: Florida’s trial attorneys. Here’s what I wrote in my column identifying the winners and losers of that election cycle: You know how sometimes there is a really sh*tty movie released that, despite the bad reviews and poor showing at the box office, […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterAugust 28, 2016

A political committee tied to Democrat Rod Smith has given more than $393,000 to the Florida Democratic Party since May, around the same time party began airing TV ads supporting him. The state party can purchase ad time at a more affordable rate than candidates’ committees, but state law prohibits political parties and affiliated committees […]

Drew WilsonApril 12, 2016

March clocked in as one of the best fundraising months in Gainesville Republican Rep. Keith Perry’s political career. However, it paled in comparison to his opponent’s first-month haul in the race for the new Senate District 8. The March report shows just over $53,000 in contributions, nearly all of it from within the borders of […]

Staff ReportsApril 7, 2016

Former State Attorney and State Senator Rod Smith raised $282,985 in his first month of his Senate District 8 campaign. In a statement Thursday, Smith’s campaign called the response a “massive outpouring” of bipartisan support. The figures include $150,485 contributed to his personal campaign account, and another $132,500 to Independent Leadership for Florida, the political […]

Tag: Independent Leadership for Florida

Drama continues in SD 8 race between Keith Perry, Rod Smith

Keith Perry wins last SD 8 primary money report, still lags behind Rod Smith

Trial lawyers with most to gain in Florida’s primary elections

Donations from committee backing Rod Smith came within weeks of FDP ad buys in SD 8

Keith Perry’s solid March fundraising in SD 8 pales compared to Democrat Rod Smith

Rod Smith raises nearly $283K in first month of SD 8 campaign