Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Mitch PerryNovember 5, 2015

After it became clear Marco Rubio wasn’t running for re-election, Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater immediately became the odds-on favorite Republican to run for the to-be-vacant U.S. Senate seat. Everything changed, though, after the CFO stunned the Florida political world in April when he said he wouldn’t run for the office. Since then, four lesser-known Republicans: U.S. Reps. David Jolly and Ron […]

Mitch PerryNovember 5, 2015

There’s a crowded scramble among Democrats clamoring to succeed Alan Grayson in Congress next year, and according to his pollster, state Sen. Darren Soto is looking good for the spot right now. Soto is the 37-year-old state senator representing the 14th District, which includes parts of Orange, Osceola, and Polk counties in central Florida. He’s running against Susannah Randolph, an […]

Mitch PerryNovember 5, 2015

I received a text message Wednesday night saying that the Tampa Bay Sierra Club had embraced Hillsborough County Commission Chairwoman Sandy Murman‘s late-hour plan to fund transportation projects, which sounds like a larger-size version of what the club sought this past summer. You remember, it asked the county to began raising mobility fees and the […]

Mitch PerryNovember 4, 2015

U.S. Senator Jim Risch of Idaho became the third Republican senator this week to endorse Marco Rubio on Wednesday. Risch says he’s been impressed with Rubio’s communication skills and understanding of serious issues while working together in the Senate. His endorsement comes a day after Rubio received a similar voice of approval from Montana Senator Steve […]

Mitch PerryNovember 4, 2015

Considering he was at Charlie Crist‘s pitch two weeks ago to run for Congress, it was no surprise Wednesday when the Crist campaign said it now has Pinellas County Commissioner Ken Welch‘s backing. “Charlie Crist has been standing up for our values his whole life, even when it wasn’t easy,” Welch says in a prepared […]

Mitch PerryNovember 4, 2015

While appearing on Fox News Wednesday morning, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio again downplayed stories that are again circling about his finances. They include his issues with a Republican Party of Florida credit card when he was speaker of the Florida house. “It’s actually a discredited attack,” Rubio told Fox’s Martha MacCallum on Wednesday, referring to […]

Mitch PerryNovember 4, 2015

Pinellas County GOP Representative David Jolly has written a letter to Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald, informing him that the VA’s recent declaration that former Navy veteran and current Pinellas County resident Michael Rieker is deceased is inaccurate, and that Rieker is “very much alive.” Mistakes can certainly happen, but Jolly notes in his letter that this […]

Mitch PerryNovember 4, 2015

Donald Trump has a narrow, 1-point lead over Ben Carson in the latest Quinnipiac poll of Republican presidential candidates, 24-23 percent. But Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz are rising. Rubio is third in the national survey with 14 percent support, and Cruz is right behind at 13 percent. Jeb Bush is fifth with 4 percent. No […]

Mitch PerryNovember 4, 2015

A friend of mine asked me Tuesday night whether Ben Carson is doing any fundraising in Tampa. It would certainly make sense if he were since the GOP presidential front-runner (in some polls) is spending this week in Florida on a book-selling tour. There’s no indication, though, that such an event is planned. Carson is running a campaign […]

Mitch PerryNovember 3, 2015

Florida Democratic Senate candidate Alan Grayson has sent a mass e-mail to supporters, asking them to sign a petition denouncing GOP Senate candidate David Jolly for proposing to dismantle the Department of Veteran Affairs. “Say you won’t let him dishonor our veterans like this by adding your name to our petition right now,” the statement says, […]

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Jeff Atwater still not running for U.S. Senate

Darren Soto poll has him leading CD 9 race, but 65 percent are undecided

Mitch Perry Report for 11.5.15 – A Hillsborough transportation plan without a sales tax?

Idaho’s Jim Risch becomes the 3rd GOP Senator in three days to back Marco Rubio for president

Ken Welch latest Democrat to embrace Charlie Crist’s congressional candidacy

Marco Rubio again downplays stories about use of RPOF credit card

VA mistakes 6th Tampa area vet as dead; David Jolly demands answers

Marco Rubio leads Hillary Clinton by 5 points in new Quinnipiac Poll

Mitch Perry Report for 11.4.15 – Figuring out Ben Carson

Alan Grayson accuses David Jolly of wanting to “dismantle” the V.A.