Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Bob SparksAugust 28, 2014

A few weeks ago this space looked at 10 Florida counties that will ultimately decide this fall’s election for governor and Cabinet. Former Gov. Charlie Crist is widely expected to dominate the vote totals from these counties, with the only question being by how much. The theory, supported by history, is the candidate that can […]

Peter SchorschJuly 28, 2014

While upsets in sports are generally enjoyed by the masses (some opponents included!) and provide excellent fodder for inspirational stories and movies, the same is not true in electoral contests — at least according to a new study out of the University of Georgia. To the contrary, the study finds that people who backed a […]

Adam WeinsteinJuly 9, 2014

Perhaps we’re so jaded today that we just assume all politicians are brazen opportunists. But Gov. Rick Scott’s campaign turned the opportunism up to 11 this week, all for a cheap “tough on crime” photo shoot. At a re-election campaign appearance in Tampa Monday, Scott burnished his law enforcement record, complete with a cadre of […]

Guest AuthorJune 18, 2014

“Obama administration claims al Qaeda leadership has been decimated. Guess they meant divided into ten parts. See Iraq.” With these words I started an interesting exchange on Facebook. More often than not, any post that has even a hint of “for or against” Obama or any Washington political actions provokes vitriolic responses. I lament the […]

Martin DyckmanMay 21, 2014

Scientists fear that global warming will reach a “tipping point” beyond which it could not be halted. That may already have happened, they said last week, to the West Antarctica ice sheet. If it slides into the ocean, seas could eventually rise by as much as 10 feet worldwide. There’s a third tipping point that’s […]

Guest AuthorMay 18, 2014

Ralph Waldo Emerson was contemptuous of “foolish consistency,” calling it “the hobgoblin of little minds.” Oh Waldo, if you could see us now! By his eloquent standard, worse than consistent fools, Americans have devolved into intellectual Lilliputians. It wasn’t ever thus. Some of our greatest presidents have been “wisely inconsistent,” sanely changing their minds in […]

Martin DyckmanMarch 25, 2014

You’d think the Republicans would have figured out by now how to be rid of President Obama. It would be simple: just say something nice about him, and he’d be put out of action by the shock. He can’t catch a break from them no matter what he does. Their latest snarl blames him for […]

Guest AuthorMarch 13, 2014

I hate reading lists that begin with long-winded explanations of what’s to come. So let’s get down to brass tacks and examine three of the biggest myths about the special election in Florida’s 13th Congressional District. Big data is king To be sure, knowing who your voters are, their beliefs and motivations, their habits, and […]

Darryl PaulsonSeptember 30, 2013

Second of two parts. Republicans won control of the Florida Senate in 1994, the House in 1996 and the governor’s office in 1998, making Florida the first southern state to have complete Republican control over the legislative and executive branch. Republicans have maintained their control for two decades even though Democrats have an advantage in […]

Darryl PaulsonSeptember 22, 2013

Sixth in a series. The 2000 presidential election in Florida exposed numerous problems with the election process, and many of those problems were disproportionately likely to affect black voters. As the nation waited for the Florida election results to see who would be the next president of the United States, complaints emerged about antiquated voting […]

Tag: Mitt Romney

Bob Sparks: After primaries, dynamics of governor’s race remain unchanged

Peter Schorsch: Supporters of losing candidate lose trust in process, study says

Adam Weinstein: Scott owes an apology to the cops his campaign duped

Ed Moore: Internet vitriol makes me reluctant to share my views online

Martin Dyckman: We must limit campaign spending to halt ‘hostile takeover’

Stephen Goldstein: Charlie Crist on Cuba: Facing facts, not flip-flopping

Martin Dyckman: Wilson endured the kind of opposition Obama faces today

Fred Piccolo: Three myths about the Congressional District 13 race

Darryl Paulson: The Changing Partisan Coalition in Florida: The Republicans

Darryl Paulson: Voter Discrimination from the 2000 presidential election to the present