Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Mitch PerryNovember 15, 2017

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A likeness of educator and civil-rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune is one step closer to replacing a statue of a Confederate general as one of Florida’s two representatives in the U.S. Capitol. On Wednesday, the Senate Appropriations Committee cleared a bill (SB 472) to replace the statue of Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith with Bethune, who lived 1875-1955. Only Sen. Dennis Baxley, an Ocala […]

Mitch PerryNovember 6, 2017

If Rick Kriseman ends up surviving Rick Baker‘s formidable challenge to be re-elected Tuesday for another four years as St. Petersburg mayor, it will be despite the intense hammering he received at the hands of the Tampa Bay Times editorial page. The Times recommended Baker in advance of both the Aug. 29 primary and the […]

Mitch PerryOctober 17, 2017

Democrats in Florida’s 15th Congressional District think Republican Dennis Ross could be vulnerable in his quest for re-election in 2018. What else can explain why no fewer than six Democrats have already filed to run against the Polk County incumbent next year? Even with a full year until the midterms, Ross certainly isn’t taking anything […]

Mitch PerryJune 2, 2017

Ashley Moody, who served a Hillsborough judge for more than a decade until resigning abruptly in late April, has filed as a Republican candidate for Attorney General. Moody was elected to the 13th Judicial Circuit in 2006 at the age of 31, becoming the youngest judge in Florida. Moody is a 1996 graduate of the University […]

Associated PressApril 28, 2017

They are young and old: a high school student who can’t yet vote, a Vietnam vet who did so proudly. They hail from all corners of the United States and very different walks of life: a “downhome boy” from Kentucky, a third-generation Mexican-American from Texas, a stay-at-home mom in Pennsylvania, an Iranian immigrant in Los […]

Mitch PerryFebruary 28, 2017

Charlie Crist says “count him in” on investigations into President Donald Trump’s possible conflicts of interest and ethical violations. The St. Petersburg Democrat supports a Resolution of Inquiry put forward by New York Democrat Jerald Nadler, which calls on the Department of Justice (DOJ) to provide Congress with all information from any investigations into the president. Nadler’s resolution […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterMay 23, 2016

With less than 75 days until the Summer Olympics, Sen. Bill Nelson wants to make sure the United States Olympic Committee is prepared to protect its athletes from the spread of Zika. The Florida Democrat was one of 10 senators who signed a letter sent to the chairman of the United States Olympic Committee on […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterMay 16, 2016

Patrick Rooney Jr. isn’t running for re-election this fall. The Palm Beach Post reported on Friday that Rooney, a three-term state representative, wouldn’t seek a fourth term. According to the report, Rooney said he wanted to spend more time at home with his family. Rooney is the grandson of Pittsburgh Steelers founder Art Rooney and […]

Phil AmmannMay 2, 2016

In the mad dash to get federal funding for education reform, the accountability buzzword was bandied about as if simply replacing one system with another was going to magically transform public education into something better. Florida, a state that still refuses to accept Medicaid expansion funding, was one of the states that saw no problem […]

Darryl PaulsonApril 13, 2016

In 1868, Florida passed a law making it illegal for a “Negro man and a white woman … who are not married to each other … to habitually live in and occupy in the nighttime the same room.” Violation of the law was a second-degree misdemeanor punishable by up to 60 days in jail and […]

Tag: Jr.

Mary McLeod Bethune statue may replace Confederate general in Capitol

Rick Baker thinks media coverage of the race was fair. Rick Kriseman? Not so much

Democrats struggle to fundraise against Dennis Ross for 2018

Former Hillsborough Judge Ashley Moody launches bid for Attorney General

Americans offer hope, prayer in assessing Donald Trump’s 100 days

Charlie Crist is demanding more transparency out of Donald Trump

Bill Nelson asks U.S. Olympic Committee how it’s preparing for spread of Zika

Patrick Rooney not running for re-election

John Meeks, Jr.: It’s time to reform education reform

Darryl Paulson: Never mix love and government

Florida politics had 11 questions before federal qualifying week. Here are the answers.