Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Mitch PerryJanuary 29, 2018

Victor Crist is hitting back hard at comments from Democrat Mariella Smith and her campaign over his intention to extend his career on the Hillsborough County Commission by running for the District 5 countywide seat. Smith is one of five Democrats seeking an opportunity this year to take on the GOP incumbent this fall. The Smith […]

Peter SchorschJanuary 17, 2018

Democrat Dianne Hart announced Wednesday that she will give it another go in House District 61, which is opening up this year due to Tampa Democratic Rep. Sean Shaw’s entry into the Attorney General race. “I know firsthand the struggles and the needs facing this District and spent a lifetime working to help our children […]

Mitch PerryNovember 16, 2017

A recent trip to Cuba by Tampa City Council Chair Yolie Capin and Councilman Harry Cohen was just the latest by members of the political establishment who have worked for nearly a decade to set up closer relations between the city and the Communist island. Former Councilwoman Mary Mulhern first visited Cuba as part of a […]

Phil AmmannNovember 3, 2017

Three prominent Democratic leaders from Tampa and St. Petersburg are lining up behind Gwen Graham’s bid for governor. Former U.S. Rep. Jim Davis of Tampa, former Pinellas County-area state Rep. Dwight Dudley and St. Pete Councilman Karl Nurse are each endorsing Graham in a campaign announcement Friday. Davis, a former Florida House majority leader, congressman and […]

Mitch PerryAugust 9, 2017

Two Central Florida first-year members of Congress — Stephanie Murphy and Darren Soto — are joining former U.S. Rep. Jim Davis and a group of Democrats determined to extend the party’s reach to centrist voters. In what reads like an update of the earlier center-leaning Democratic Leadership Council, New Democracy has the explicit mandate to expand the party’s appeal, both demographically and […]

Mitch PerryMay 16, 2017

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Kathy Castor is not interested in running for Tampa mayor in 2019. Elected in November to a sixth term in Congress representing Hillsborough County, the idea that Castor was contemplating leaving Washington to succeed Bob Buckhorn was floated by Patrick Manteiga in his La Gaceta column late last month. On Tuesday, Castor dismissed such speculation. “You know, I love […]

Mitch PerryOctober 18, 2016

One of the most unexpected moments of Monday night’s Senate debate between Marco Rubio and Patrick Murphy was when Rubio said Murphy posted a photo on Facebook four years ago showing him groping a woman. “That’s inappropriate behavior!” he charged at Murphy, who appeared startled by the reference. On Tuesday, Murphy dismissed the allegation. “When Donald Trump goes low, Marco Rubio goes […]

Mitch PerrySeptember 9, 2016

Bob Buesing says, based on the issues, he’s a better fit for those who reside in the newly created state Senate District 18 in Hillsborough County. Senate District 18 is considered a swing district that leans Democratic, and was created out of the Supreme Court-mandated redistricting of all Senate districts last year. “Let’s have conversations in a general election […]

Joe HendersonAugust 17, 2016

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Brian Willis has the editorial endorsement of the Tampa Bay Times in his bid to win the Democratic primary Aug. 30 for Hillsborough’s District 6 county commission seat. He has been, in the words of one veteran local observer of the political scene, “very impressive” on the campaign stump. He seems to have momentum. In […]

Drew WilsonJuly 11, 2016

Democratic Rep. Ed Narain announced Monday that Hillsborough County Commission Chairman Lesley “Les” Miller has endorsed his bid for the District 19 seat in the Florida Senate. “I’ve known Ed Narain since he was a student leader at the University of South Florida and now as state representative,” said Miller, who himself served 14 years […]

Tag: Jim Davis
Image via DFS

Victor Crist calls Mariella Smith a ‘political wannabe’ with little to show for herself

Dianne Hart already emerging as frontrunner to replace Sean Shaw in HD 61

Old tensions about Cuba resurface at Tampa City Council meeting

Gwen Graham gets nod from Tampa, St. Pete Democratic leaders

Stephanie Murphy, Darren Soto join ‘New Democracy,’ to win back middle-class voters

Kathy Castor dismisses talk of her running for Tampa mayor

Patrick Murphy says Marco Rubio goes low in bringing up photo with former girlfriend

Bob Buesing says he’s a better fit for Senate District 18

Joe Henderson: Endorsement, momentum may not be enough in Hillsborough District 6 race

Hillsborough County chair Les Miller endorses Ed Narain in SD 19 race