Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Mitch PerryAugust 19, 2016

Jackie Toledo says she’ll crack down on “illegal aliens” if elected to the Florida House , but her husband went across the border two years ago to bring over undocumented children escaping gangs in Honduras. As FloridaPolitics reported earlier this week, Toledo sent out a mailer to voters in House District 60 that said if elected to the […]

Mitch PerryAugust 18, 2016

While Rebecca Smith, Jackie Toledo’s opponent in the House District 60 primary, won’t comment on Toledo’s vow to “crack down on illegal aliens,” David Singer is speaking out. Singer is a Tampa land use attorney and the Democrat who will face the winner of the Toledo/Smith primary later this month. He issued a statement after reading about Toledo’s pledge to repeal two bills passed […]

Mitch PerryAugust 16, 2016

House District 60 Republican candidate Jackie Toledo says if elected to the Florida Legislature, she’d work to repeal two immigration laws passed by the Republican majority in recent years. Toledo is battling business person Rebecca Smith in the Republican race for the HD 60 seat Aug. 30. In a campaign mailer, Toledo says, “Politicians have passed […]

Mitch PerryAugust 16, 2016

Donald Trump‘s chances of becoming president seem to dim by the day. While there’s still plenty of time for him to comeback and defeat Hillary Clinton in the fall, the odds diminish daily. But while conventional wisdom has it that Trump is one-off political phenomenon, buttressed by his money and celebrity, what about the millions who support […]

Mitch PerryAugust 15, 2016

Rebecca Smith, the Tampa businesswoman locked in a battle against Jackie Toledo for the Republican nomination to the House District 60 seat, is touting endorsements from half of the Florida Cabinet. Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater and Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam announced their support for Smith Monday, three days after she snagged photos with the two officials at an event Putnam […]

Mitch PerryAugust 12, 2016

If Florida Agricultural Commissioner Adam Putnam has a central governing philosophy, it might be the importance of having a long-term memory about the Sunshine State. “Having a longer memory I think helps us maintain the types of protections for our citizens that they expect and that they deserve,” he said while speaking at an hour long town-hall meeting at […]

Peter SchorschAugust 12, 2016

The Florida Chamber of Commerce is making a high-risk, high-reward investment in a Florida legislative race where the choice of which candidates it is supporting does not, at first glance, appear to be a black-and-white decision. In Florida Senate District 1, the Chamber is backing Republican state Rep. Doug Broxson over his House colleague Mike Hill, despite the latter’s A rating […]

Staff ReportsAugust 12, 2016

There are just a few weeks until the election, and organizations across the state are rolling out endorsements for state and federal candidates. Several organizations — including Associated Industries of Florida, the Democratic Progressive Caucus, and the Florida Retail Federation — issued endorsements. — Associated Industries of Florida has endorsed Marco Rubio in his U.S. […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterAugust 8, 2016

There are just a few weeks until the election, and organizations across the state are rolling out endorsements for state and federal candidates. Several organizations — including the Laborers’ International Union of North America, the Fraternal Order of Police, and the Florida Professional Firefighters — issued endorsements. — The Florida State Lodge Fraternal Order of […]

Mitch PerryAugust 2, 2016

Let’s stipulate at the top that the results in last night’s Hillsborough County Hob Nob hosted by the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce isn’t indicative of much of anything, except what several hundred well-heeled folks who mostly live in Tampa think about the various races that will be on the ballot later this month and in November. It’s […]

Tag: Rebecca Smith
Debate party at Sports Grill Kendall. Image via AP.

Jackie Toledo says ‘spouses don’t always agree’ upon news that her husband aided undocumented immigrants in 2014

David Singer calls Jackie Toledo’s call to repeal immigration bills an ‘appeal to our lowest common denominator’

In mailer, HD 60 candidate Jackie Toledo says she’d crack down on ‘illegal aliens’ if elected

Mitch Perry Report for 8.16.16 — Do Trump politics go on, even if he doesn’t?

Adam Putnam and Jeff Atwater are backing Rebecca Smith in Hillsborough HD 60 race

Adam Putnam espouses the importance of water to Florida while speaking at ‘Cafe Con Tampa’

The Florida Chamber makes an interesting bet; HD 60 candidate Rebecca Smith not the NRA’s choice

Endorsement Watch: Associated Industries of Florida, Democratic Progressive Caucus, the Florida Retail Federation and others issue endorsements

Endorsement Watch: Fraternal Order of Police, Republican Liberty Caucus, Florida Pharmacy Association, and others issue endorsements

Mitch Perry Report for 8.2.16 — Hob Nob vote indicative of Jim Norman’s vulnerabilities?