Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Mitch PerryJanuary 11, 2017

U.S. Senator Bill Nelson has made it clear what had been strongly rumored for the past month now – he’s firmly behind Coconut Grove real estate developer and Democratic party donor Stephen Bittel in the race for the Florida Democratic Party Chair position. “I have known Stephen Bittel for over 30 years and believe he will be an extraordinary Chair of […]

Mitch PerryJanuary 10, 2017

Coconut Grove real estate developer and major political donor Stephen Bittel rolled out a list of new endorsements of bid for Florida Democratic Party chair on Monday, including South Florida congressional members Ted Deutch, Lois Frankel, and Alcee Hastings . Also backing Bittel is Janet Cruz, the House Minority Leader from Tampa, which also is the (once and former) home of Alan Clendenin, who […]

Mitch PerryDecember 9, 2016

When it comes to drama with their upcoming party reorganization meetings taking place next week, Pinellas County Republicans and Democrats have nothing on their Hillsborough County brethren. This coming Monday night, the local executive committees for the Republican and Democratic Parties in Pinellas County will be voting for their party leaders, and in both cases, […]

Mitch PerryDecember 8, 2016

For the #NeverTrumper Republicans out there, this Trump presidency might work out pretty well, after all. Jeb Bush was seen doing cartwheels after Trump selected Betty DeVos to become his Secretary of Education. “I’m so excited,” Bush said last week at the National Summit on Education Reform, sponsored by the Foundation for Excellence in Education, which Bush founded and chairs and […]

Mitch PerryDecember 7, 2016

“Image is everything” that great philosopher, Andre Agassi, once said in a series of television ads for Canon in the early 1990’s. Though a bit of an exaggeration, there’s no question that the image of the Hillsborough County Democratic Executive Committee has taken a significant body blow following its reorganization meeting on Monday night. To recap: Party Chair Ione Townsend concluded that the party’s by-laws […]

Mitch PerryDecember 6, 2016

After a rough start, Hillsborough County Democrats re-elected Ione Townsend as party chair Monday night. A raucous first 50 minutes of the group’s reorganization meeting culminated in five Tampa City Council members and two Hillsborough County school board members leaving the hall in disgust when they were not allowed to participate in the Democratic Executive […]

Mitch PerryDecember 2, 2016

Viewed from a certain angle, the Democratic Party resembles a smoking pile of rubble in the wake of last month’s general election. Not only will Donald Trump become president in less than two months, but the Senate and House (and soon the Supreme Court) are in Republican control. Instead of giving up, however, there appears to be […]

Mitch PerryNovember 22, 2016

At their first event since being devastated by the results of the presidential election, there was literally not enough room to contain the number of Democrats who showed up at the Hillsborough County Democratic Executive Committee meeting in Ybor City Monday night. A second room adjoining the main boardroom at the Children’s Board of Hillsborough County facility was opened […]

Mitch PerryNovember 3, 2016

In Florida, we have two constitutional amendments on the ballot that will be decided next Tuesday. The way it looks now, it would be a major upset if Amendment 2, the medical marijuana initiative, fails to get 60 percent of the electorate’s vote. Then again, conventional wisdom was that it would pass in 2014, and it […]

Mitch PerryJanuary 12, 2016

OK, let’s not pretend that anyone out there is really all that interested, much less excited, that Barack Obama will deliver his final State of the Union address tonight. I would say that it’s an antiquated relic that the country has transcended, and in fact, last year’s SOTU was the least viewed since 2000. Having […]

Tag: Ione Townsend

Bill Nelson now officially backing Stephen Bittel to lead Florida Democrats

Janet Cruz among those backing Stephen Bittel’s bid for Florida Democratic Party leadership post

Pinellas GOP, Democrats poised to elect party leaders this Monday night

Mitch Perry Report for 12.8.16 – Al Gore gets punk’d

Mitch Perry Report for 12.7.16 – The Hillsborough County DEC melts down

Uproar at Hillsborough DEC meeting; City Council, School Board members leave in disgust

By-law change adds controversy to Monday night’s Hillsborough DEC election

In wake of loss to Donald Trump, Hillsborough County Democrats get surge of requests to join their party

Mitch Perry Report for 11.3.16 — Guns, pot, minimum wage measures to be voted on next week across the country

Mitch Perry Report for 1.12.16 — SOTU time, baby!