Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Steve PeoplesJune 21, 2015

Mitt Romney, the Republican nominee for president in 2012, called for the immediate removal of the Confederate battle flag from outside the South Carolina Statehouse, scrambling the 2016 GOP presidential contenders into staking a position on a contentious cultural issue. Some still steered clear from the sensitive debate, even after the shooting deaths of nine […]

Phil AmmannJune 19, 2015

In successfully hosting seven presidential candidates in Orlando this month, Gov. Rick Scott had one invaluable partner: Walt Disney World Parks and Resorts. As first reported by the Tampa Bay Times, campaign finance records show that on June 2, the day of the Economic Growth Summit, the Walt Disney Co. gave nearly a quarter million […]

Mitch PerryJune 18, 2015

Rand Paul is unveiling his “Fair and Flat Tax” on Thursday where he aims to repeal the entire IRS tax code and replace it with a broad-based 14.5 percent tax on individuals and businesses. He says he would eliminate “nearly” every special-interest loophole, while also eliminating the payroll tax on workers and several federal taxes outright, […]

Mitch PerryJune 17, 2015

A new national poll of all of the Republican presidential candidates from Public Policy Polling shows Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker with a slight lead over Jeb Bush, 17 percent to 15 percent. Marco Rubio is third with 13 percent, followed by Dr. Ben Carson at 12 percent and Mike Huckabee with 11 percent. Ted Cruz and Rand Paul show […]

Mitch PerryJune 12, 2015

According to a survey conducted of the CNBC Global CFO Council, Jeb Bush will be the likely Republican nominee for President in 2016, and nobody else is really close. More than 72 percent of members of the council surveyed this month say Bush will in fact win the 2016 nomination. Respondents were asked to choose who they […]

Mitch PerryJune 12, 2015

On the eve of Jeb Bush’s announcement Monday at Miami Dade Community College that he’s officially a candidate for the Republican nomination for president, his campaign has issued a list of Florida GOP lawmakers backing him in the race against Marco Rubio and the more than dozen other candidates in the race. For starters, the entire […]

Mitch PerryJune 10, 2015

Since he officially announced his candidacy nearly two months ago, Marco Rubio has mostly been on the ascendant as far as how Republican primary voters have responded to him, according to many polls. Conversely, Jeb Bush has had some problems, which is why it shouldn’t be surprising that a new St. Leo University Poll shows […]

Mitch PerryJune 9, 2015

When it comes to performing in early polling, one of the biggest political stories of 2015 has been how Jeb Bush isn’t dominating the GOP presidential field. But a new Gravis Marketing Poll (done in conjunction with Boston talk-show host Howie Carr) shows the former Florida Governor now leading in New Hampshire by 8 percentage points. […]

Peter SchorschJune 3, 2015

Leading Republican presidential prospects faced off at an event Tuesday at a GOP economic gathering hosted by Gov. Rick Scott that drew a half dozen White House hopefuls to a Disney World convention center. While Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio enjoyed a home field advantage, Tuesday’s speaking program also featured former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Wisconsin Gov. Scott […]

Mitch PerryJune 3, 2015

At Rick Scott‘s cattle call in Orlando Tuesday (I refuse to call it the Happiest Place on the Earth), the six (potential) presidential candidates were told by the governor to stick to the economy, so the only time they could speak about other issues were generally if they came before reporters after their session on […]

Tag: Mike Huckabee

Jeb Bush on Confederate flag: S.C. will do ‘the right thing’

Rick Scott’s big partner for successful Economic Summit: Disney

Mitch Perry Report for 6.18.15 — Rand Paul latest with “blow up the tax code” promise

PPP national survey shows majority of “very conservative voters” view Jeb Bush negatively

Survey indicates CFOs think Jeb Bush will capture GOP nomination

Florida lawmakers line up behind Jeb Bush before official announcement

Florida voters prefer Marco Rubio over Jeb Bush 48-40% in head-to-head matchup

Jeb Bush leads New Hampshire poll by 8 points

Ten takeaways from Rick Scott’s presidential cattle call

Mitch Perry Report for 6.3.15 — Could rising crime become political issue in 2016?