Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Peter SchorschDecember 29, 2014

If only the Rick Scott we got to know during this past election year had been the one who first entered the Governor’s Mansion in 2011. Remember that guy? The former health-care exec with a chip on his shoulder who bragged he was a Tea Partier before the Tea Party was cool. He was the novice politician […]

Peter SchorschDecember 21, 2014

As much as we would like to think otherwise, in politics not everyone can be a winner. To put it another way, as Judge Smails did in the eminently quotable Caddyshack: “The world needs ditch diggers, too.” Few will disagree that 2014 was a particularly fertile political year, one that produced a bumper crop of political winners – […]

Peter SchorschDecember 18, 2014

Jeb Bush’s announcement Tuesday that he is setting up an exploratory committee for the 2016 presidential race may be his most decisive move yet, but it was anything but a surprise. However, since it has been more than 150 years since a successful candidate had a 14-year gap between his last election and winning the White House, […]

Peter SchorschDecember 8, 2014

She’d outpester any pest Drive a hornet from its nest She could throw a whirling dervish out of whirl She is gentle! She is wild! She’s a riddle! She’s a child! She’s a headache! She’s an angel! She’s a girl! How do you solve a problem like Maria? For whatever reason, that Rodgers and Hammerstein […]

Peter SchorschDecember 4, 2014

For a moment there, it looked like it was time to pull the plug. It was time to call the priest and ask him to deliver the last rites. For a moment there, state Sen. Jack Latvala’s ambitions to be president of the Florida Senate in 2016-18 were in their death throes. This past November, […]

Peter SchorschNovember 23, 2014

The first sign of trouble for Adam Hollingsworth arrived via email one year ago yesterday, when Miami Herald reporter Marc Caputo emailed Gov. Rick Scott’s communications director, Melissa Sellers, with a pointed question. “I’m hearing Hollingsworth was fired from CSX for lying about his academic credentials. True?” With Rick Scott away in Arizona for a […]

Mitch PerryNovember 17, 2014

This is my debut column for SaintPetersblog and FloridaPolitics.com, and thanks for being part of it. It’s only been a little over a week since I penned (or more accurately, typed) my last “MPR” for Creative Loafing, but it seems a lot longer than that. It’s certainly been an interesting 10 days or so since […]

Peter SchorschNovember 13, 2014

Imagine you are a Vietnam veteran, a hunter, and an NRA member. And imagine that in your retirement you set up a remote homestead and you buy – yes, you buy – 60 acres of solitude where you can live peacefully and raise your horses and dogs. Sounds like you found your own slice of heaven. But […]

Peter SchorschNovember 6, 2014

When a candidate loses an election, there’s a tendency to ask what could have been done differently. Coulda, woulda, shoulda is a natural part of the post-election period. But when a candidate loses by a margin as tight as Charlie Crist fell short against Rick Scott — 48.2 to 47.1 percent — there’s an obligation […]

Peter SchorschOctober 30, 2014

Come next Tuesday (or maybe early Wednesday morning), we will know who is left standing in the Florida’s governor’s race. We will know whether the three incumbent members of the Cabinet have been re-elected. We’ll know whether it’s legal to smoke medical marijuana. Come Election Day, we’ll know a lot more than we do right now. […]

Tag: Peter Schorsch
Gabrielle Russon

Peter Schorsch: Refurbished Rick Scott is Florida’s politician of the year

Peter Schorsch: Florida’s political ditch diggers of 2014

Peter Schorsch: Did Jeb Bush wait too long after his last election for a White House run?

Peter Schorsch: It’s time for Scott’s new chief of staff to turn on the charm

Peter Schorsch: State Sen. Jack Latvala’s ambitions to become Senate president still have life

Peter Schorsch: For now, prospects not bright for Scott’s former chief of staff

Mitch Perry Report – 11.17.14

Peter Schorsch: The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s inexplicable refusal to stop deer-dog hunting where Florida families reside

Peter Schorsch: Here are 16 factors that contributed to Charlie Crist’s loss

Peter Schorsch: An early assessment of who to blame if certain campaigns lose on Tuesday