Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Mitch PerryMarch 3, 2016

(Updated) A day after President Barack Obama announced his support for Patrick Murphy in the race for the U.S. Senate in Florida, a die-hard Obama supporter is asking him to reconsider the endorsement, saying he made it with poor information. Susan Smith, president of the Democratic Progressive Caucus of Florida, issued a statement Thursday, saying […]

Mitch PerryFebruary 23, 2016

Before Barack Obama announced his plan Tuesday to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, Republicans blasted the idea. Pinellas County U.S. Rep. and U.S. Senate candidate David Jolly issued a prepared statement prior to the president’s 10:30 a.m. announcement. “Moving enemy combatants onto United States soil will only embolden the enemies of freedom who wish to […]

Mitch PerryFebruary 19, 2016

The Jeb Bush campaign furiously pushed back on a report by blogger Eric Erickson yesterday that staffers will stop being paid after tomorrow. Citing “sources close to the Bush campaign,” Erickson wrote that there was a phone call on Wednesday night in which the news leaked out that the Bush campaign was out of cash. […]

Mitch PerryFebruary 18, 2016

President Barack Obama is going to Cuba next month, much to the consternation of U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio. Obama announced via Twitter Thursday morning that he and first lady Michelle Obama will travel to the island on March 21-22. Next month, I'll travel to Cuba to advance our progress and efforts that can improve the lives of the […]

Mitch PerryFebruary 17, 2016

Hundreds of immigration activists held a rally on the fourth floor of the state Capitol in Tallahassee on Wednesday, blasting state lawmakers for producing a raft of bills this Session that the protesters consider hostile to the immigration community. Those activists received good news this past week, though, when Miami Republican Miguel Diaz de la Portillan, chairman […]

Mitch PerryFebruary 16, 2016

(Updated)In the wake of the terrorist attacks in Paris in November, Florida Gov. Rick Scott joined more than two dozen other governors across the country to say he doesn’t want refugees fleeing war-torn Syria coming into his state. He also said that the federal government isn’t providing him any information about who was coming in, or where they […]

Mitch PerryFebruary 13, 2016

A seven-member bipartisan group of Congress, led by Tampa Democrat Kathy Castor, departed from Tampa to Cuba on Saturday. “We intend to meet with small business owners and entrepreneurs to gain a better understanding of how the changes in the Cuban economy are working,” Castor said in a brief news conference held at Tampa International […]

Mitch PerryFebruary 11, 2016

Chris Christie and Carly Fiorina have suspended their presidential campaigns. This reporter had the chance to see the New Jersey governor (yes, that is the day job he’s pretty much blown off for months) a week ago in Keene, N.H. The fun part about that was how intimate it was: It was a small crowd (maybe too small, […]

Mitch PerryJanuary 22, 2016

It’s been a rough month for Debbie Wassermann Schultz, the U.S. Representative from Florida’s 23rd Congressional District and Chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee. It’s in that latter position where she’s been under fire from progressives around the country for alleged misdeeds. Over 32,000 people have signed a petition on the website of RootsAction, and more […]

Mitch PerryJanuary 15, 2016

Happy Friday, y’all. As we go into the NFL’s best weekend (and one of the greatest in all of professional sports) and reflect on the Oscar nominations (DiCaprio, Brie Larson and Stallone are locks, by the way, and though she won’t win, I’m all in for Alicia Vikander for Supporting Actress), Friday’s national story is […]

Tag: President Obama

Florida’s progressive Democrats rake president’s Patrick Murphy endorsement

Florida’s GOP Senate candidates blast president’s plan for Gitmo

Mitch Perry Report for 2.19.16 – Crunch time for Marco and Jeb in the Palmetto State

Marco Rubio calls on president to reconsider Cuba trip

Immigration activists descend upon Tallahassee

State House committee passes bill that aims to ban Syrian refugees

Kathy Castor leads 7-member congressional delegation to Cuba

Mitch Perry Report for 2.11.16 — Carly and Chris bid adieu to the circus

Meet Tim Canova, the Democrat challenging Debbie Wasserman Schultz in CD23

Mitch Perry Report for 1.15.16 — Has the GOP contest wilted down to 2-and-a-half men?