Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Jac VerSteegApril 5, 2016

It’s bugging me that Florida, now the third-most populous state, never has managed to get a Floridian elected president. It looked like there was a great chance this year, with Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio starting out as strong possibles. Even Ben Carson looked like he had a shot at one time. But each saw […]

Jac VerSteegApril 4, 2016

It’s bugging me that Florida, now the third-most populous state, never has managed to get a Floridian elected president. It looked like there was a great chance this year, with Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio starting out as strong possibles. Even Ben Carson looked like he had a shot at one time. But each saw […]

Staff ReportsApril 4, 2016

Twenty legislators earned spots on the Jeb Bush-founded Foundation for Florida’s Future honor roll this year, according to a press release. The nonprofit organization, which supports initiatives such as school choice, issues a yearly report card on lawmakers “for their actions to improve the quality of education in the Sunshine State through support for student-centered policies,” […]

Peter SchorschApril 1, 2016

Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush will be in Tampa this month at a fundraising luncheon hosted by former Florida House Speaker Will Weatherford. Bush, son of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, will appear Tuesday, April 12, at the Oxford Exchange in Tampa. Co-hosting the event, which begins at noon, is A-list lobbyist Slater Bayliss […]

Associated PressApril 1, 2016

It was a question sure to come up at some point in the Republican primary campaign. “What should the law be on abortion?” asked MSNBC’s Chris Matthews to Donald Trump at a town hall event in Wisconsin. “Should the woman be punished for having an abortion?” Matthews pressed. “This is not something you can dodge.” […]

Mitch PerryMarch 31, 2016

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A poll published earlier this week shows that 62 percent of Floridians support a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, while 18 percent say they should be deported. The poll also shows that 16 percent of Floridians support allowing illegal immigrants to become permanent legal residents, but not full citizens. The numbers come from an exhaustive […]

Mitch PerryMarch 30, 2016

With the 2016 Florida Legislative Session now in their rear view mirrors, the entire Pinellas County delegation – sans HD 65 Republican Chris Sprowls – discussed various aspects of what just went on in Tallahassee on Wednesday before a robust Suncoast Tiger Bay Club audience at the St. Petersburg Yacht Club. The delegation skews heavily Republican, […]

Darryl PaulsonMarch 29, 2016

(Last of three parts) The last time the Republicans held their national convention without a candidate having a majority of the delegates needed to win was 1976. Fortunately for President Gerald Ford, he was able to persuade enough of the unpledged delegates to win a first ballot victory over Ronald Reagan. For Democrats, 1984 was […]

Ryan RayMarch 28, 2016

Much was made of Jeb Bush‘s relentless maneuvering when it came to early fundraising, but the actual dark money pioneer of 2016 may well be U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio. As Shane Goldmacher writes in POLITICO, the Florida senator’s top moneymen allies at Conservative Solutions Project managed to stake out a novel arrangement that will allow the sources of more than $10 million […]

Martin DyckmanMarch 27, 2016

The economist John Kenneth Galbraith memorably said that politics “consists of choosing between the disastrous and the unpalatable.” But what if the only choice is between the disastrous and the disastrous? That’s the predicament of establishment Republican politicians who think John Kasich, the only decent human being who remains in their presidential primaries, is either […]

Tag: Jeb Bush

Jac VerSteeg: Want a president from Florida? Don’t send Rick Scott to the Senate

Jac VerSteeg: Want a president from Florida? Don’t send Rick Scott to the Senate

Foundation for Florida’s Future’s report card grades lawmakers for 2016 Session

George P. Bush to visit Tampa April 12 for fundraising luncheon

Donald Trump’s abortion flub shows risks of “winging it” on policy

Florida poll shows 62% support pathway to citizenship for undocumented

Pinellas lawmakers talk 2016 Session, advice for Rick Scott, and who they think will be president

Darryl Paulson: Donald Trump needs 498 more delegates to avoid contested convention

Marco Rubio donors to remain secret indefinitely

Martin Dyckman: Cruzing to a police state?