Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Jacob OglesNovember 6, 2018

Republican Joe Gruters gets a promotion to state Senate, after defeating Democratic opponent Faith Olivia Babis in Florida Senate District 23. Gruters led in Sarasota County with 53 percent of the vote over Babis’ 47 percent, with all early and absentee votes and 28 percent of precincts counted. In the slice of Charlotte County within […]

Jacob OglesNovember 6, 2018

Candidates in Southwest Florida anticipated lengthy debates about Medicaid expansions, gun rights and maybe charter school funding to dominate political discourse this election. So it seemed illustrative to state Sen. Kathleen Passidomo when a Naples candidate forum contained not one question about health care came up. “This year,” she said, “it’s all about the water […]

Jacob OglesOctober 28, 2018

Republican state Senate candidate Joe Gruters knows his success this year relies on the strength of the GOP ticket as a whole. “We’re trying to drive turnout for the entire team,” he said. As the 10-year chairman of the Republican Party of Sarasota, Gruters knows the importance of lifting the entire slate more acutely than […]

Jacob OglesOctober 26, 2018

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Democrat Liv Coleman, a candidate for Florida House District 73, focuses on fixing red tide in a new video advertisement released Thursday night. With imaged of dead fish piled on area beaches, Coleman strikes a bipartisan tone in the campaign ad. “Red tide doesn’t care if you are a Republican or a Democrat,” Coleman says […]

Drew WilsonOctober 17, 2018

A trade group representing a consortium of community association managers rolled out a list of 20 endorsements for non-incumbent candidates running for state House and state Senate seats. The Chief Executive Officers of Management Companies represents more than 18,000 licensed, professional community association managers who manage more than 14,000 community associations. “Dedicated to protecting the quality […]

Jacob OglesSeptember 29, 2018

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When the Florida Democratic Party turned to Sarasota City Commissioner Shelli Freeland Eddie as a surrogate, it left some activists on the Gulf Coast angry based a years-long strain with the city official over gay rights. On Sept. 20, Eddie led a protest outside a Ron DeSantis rally, where the Florida Democratic Party billed her […]

Peter SchorschSeptember 26, 2018

Florida Democrats touted some impressive poll numbers in Republican-leaning state Senate races last week, but now that the sunshine pumping has worn off it looks like there’s some serious flaws in those numbers. To recap, the Florida Democratic Party pointed to a handful of Change Research polls that showed showing Melissa “Mel” Martin leading incumbent Sen. Dorothy […]

Jacob OglesSeptember 24, 2018

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Halfway through September, Democrat Liv Coleman boasts more cash on hand than Republican Tommy Gregory, the heavy favorite to win an open seat in state House District 73. But before anyone gets excites, Gregory still raised slightly more in the first weeks of September. He pulled in $1,710 in the filing period, compared to $1,325 […]

Jacob OglesSeptember 24, 2018

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Faith Olivia Babis and Kathy Lewis attended the same conferences for advocates for the disabled before either became a political candidate. Now the two hope to join forces in the state Senate. They face long odds — both Democrats running in heavily Republican districts — but a challenge never stopped these women before. “People tell me […]

Drew WilsonSeptember 19, 2018

Despite recent public polls showing Democratic candidates down by a hair in some of the Florida Democratic Party’s major state Senate targets, the party is pointing to new measures that show another three more chances to overtake Republican-held districts. “While the focus has been on the State Senate Districts most affected by the Fair Districts […]

Tag: Joe Gruters
Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough. Image via AP.

Call him ‘Senator’: Joe Gruters wins SD 23, overcomes Olivia Babis

Red Tide Politics: It’s the environment, stupid.

Joe Gruters shifts into overdrive for himself, fellow Republicans

Liv Coleman focuses on red tide solutions in late ad

HOA group endorses a score of state legislative candidates

Will Shelli Freeland Eddie’s anti-LGBT history reflect on Andrew Gillum?

Is faulty polling fueling Florida Democrats’ optimism in Dorothy Hukill-Mel Martin race?

Surprise: Liv Coleman holds slight cash lead on Tommy Gregory in HD 73

Enabled, not disabled: Candidates run to raise disability rights awareness

Florida Democrats say their state Senate map is still expanding