Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

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 […]

Peter SchorschMarch 25, 2016

Donald-Trump-AP-photo-02.23-1024x1024.jpg

Tallahassee’s own Rick Wilson sat down with Ana Marie Cox of The New York Times Magazine to talk Donald Trump this week and, predictably, well-informed hilarity ensued. Wilson — leading GOP political consultant and Dean of the #NeverTrump movement — spoke forthrightly, as usual, about the 2016 campaign and his personal jihad against Trump and his backers, for whom he said Trump […]

Mitch PerryMarch 24, 2016

On why Americans hate politics, example No. 462. Jeb Bush came out and endorsed Ted Cruz on Wednesday. As he put it, “For the sake of our party and country, we must overcome the divisiveness and vulgarity Donald Trump has brought into the political arena, or we will certainly lose our chance to defeat the Democratic […]

Mitch PerryMarch 23, 2016

Mark McKinnon is a man of many hats. Cowboy hats, that is, which is his signature look. He’s done a lot of things in his life, but he’ll probably always be best known for his association as an ad man for George W. Bush‘s presidential campaigns. He’s also the co-creator, co-executive producer and co-host of “The Circus,” a weekly […]

Diane RobertsMarch 22, 2016

So the other jackboot has dropped: Rick Scott endorsed his Soul Brother but only after that big Florida Primary win. Scott signaled his man-crush back in January, writing breathlessly for USA TODAY that Herr Drumpf reminds him of, well, him: rich, an “outsider,” a business hombre incensed over “endless and tedious regulation and taxation.” You know, […]

Diane RobertsMarch 21, 2016

So the other jackboot has dropped: Rick Scott endorsed his Soul Brother but only after that big Florida Primary win. Scott signaled his man-crush back in January, writing breathlessly for USA Today that Herr Drumpf reminds him of, well, him: rich, an “outsider,” a business hombre incensed over “endless and tedious regulation and taxation.” You […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterMarch 21, 2016

Kim McDougal is no stranger to Tallahassee. She’s spent years in the capital city, working for governors, the Legislature and the Department of Education. She’s been described as a policy wonk fiercely loyal to Gov. Rick Scott. And, after nearly 30 years in state government, she can add chief of staff to her long list […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterMarch 21, 2016

Francis Rooney said he was unsure whether he would support Donald Trump, and tried to distance himself from the GOP front-runner. In an interview with NPR this past Tuesday, Rooney, a Naples Republican and former ambassador to the Holy See, said the “amount of anger and frustration over the last … seven years and two […]

Tag: Jeb Bush

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?

Rick Wilson’s war

Mitch Perry Report for 3.24.16 – Jeb Bush’s Ted Cruz endorsement means … what?

Mark McKinnon says The Circus will evolve when presidential race becomes two-person contest

Diane Roberts: Florida GOP voters don’t want to think, they just want to believe

Diane Roberts: Florida GOP voters don’t want to think, they just want to believe

Capitol veteran Kim McDougal selected as Rick Scott’s next chief of staff

Francis Rooney attributes Donald Trump’s rise to “anger and frustration”