Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Drew WilsonMarch 12, 2018

Democratic Senate District 8 candidate Kayser Enneking announced a bulk endorsement from local officials in the Gainesville-based district currently held by Republican Sen. Keith Perry. On the endorsement list were Alachua County Commissioners Hutch Hutchinson and Chuck Chestnut, Putnam County Commissioner Chip Laibl, Alachua County School Board members Gunnar Paulson, Eileen Roy, Rob Hyatt, and […]

Peter SchorschJanuary 31, 2018

Gainesville Democrat and Senate District 8 candidate Kayser Enneking released a campaign ad Tuesday that her campaign says will begin running online in the coming days. The ad, titled “Steep Climb,” depicts the University of Florida physician climbing the steps of the Swamp with a script encouraging district residents to get involved in politics. “Running […]

Drew WilsonOctober 4, 2017

One of the two Democrats running for Gainesville-based Senate District 8 showed $73,000 raised in her inaugural campaign finance report, putting her within striking distance of incumbent Republican Sen. Keith Perry’s 10-month total. Kayser Enneking, MD, filed for SD 8 on Sept. 1 after mulling a run for Florida’s 3rd Congressional District, which is much […]

A.G. GancarskiNovember 8, 2016

A contentious — and expensive — general election in Senate District 8 went the way of Republican Keith Perry over Democrat Rod Smith. With 226,438 votes counted throughout the three-county North Central Florida district, Perry was ahead 119,968 to 107,270 — a margin of 52 to 48 percent. This was a priority race for the Democratic Party, yet Perry got […]

A.G. GancarskiNovember 1, 2016

State Senate candidate Rod Smith got a key endorsement from former Florida governor and U.S. senator Bob Graham Tuesday in the competitive race in Senate District 8. Graham, motivated by environmental concerns, cited those as a key reason for backing Smith. “I’m proud to support Rod Smith in his race for state Senate. He is the only […]

A.G. GancarskiOctober 31, 2016

The latest finance reports in the high-profile race in Senate District 8 show that as of Oct. 21, Republican Keith Perry leads Democrat Rod Smith in cash-on-hand. Perry has $82,865 on hand of the $645,152 he had raised in the campaign through Oct. 21. The Republican raised $33,095 of that in the most recent week, a number bolstered […]

A.G. GancarskiOctober 17, 2016

Between them, Democrat Rod Smith and Republican Keith Perry have raised over a million dollars in their quests to win Senate District 8. Both men have enjoyed support from their state parties. And their total money raised is pretty similar. Smith actually leads Perry, barely, in terms of hard money raised: $539,570 for Smith to $537,997 for Perry. […]

A.G. GancarskiOctober 14, 2016

Both Republicans and Democrats have prioritized the race in the Gainesville-centric Senate District 8 race, and Democrat Rod Smith‘s latest campaign finance report provides yet more evidence that, for Democrats, this one is a must-win. All told, Smith has raised $539,570, received $227,939 in in-kind contributions (largely staff and polling from the Florida Democratic Party), and […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterOctober 13, 2016

Republicans in two state Senate districts have big leads over their Democratic opponents, while a third faces a tough race to the finish line. St. Pete Polls gauged voter support in Senate Districts 8, 18, and 23. The surveys — commissioned by FloridaPolitics.com — showed Majority Leader Dana Young has a six-point lead over Democrat […]

A.G. GancarskiSeptember 20, 2016

A new St. Pete Polls survey conducted Monday shows a close race in Senate District 8 between Democrat Rod Smith and Republican Keith Perry. While Smith’s lead of 43 percent to 38 percent is outside the 3.3 percent margin of error, the undecided column contains 19 percent of the 891 people surveyed by phone, suggesting that there […]

Tag: Senate District 8

Kayser Enneking announces 15 local endorsements for SD 8 campaign

Kayser Enneking releases first ad for SD 8 campaign

Keith Perry challenger boasts $73K September haul

Keith Perry downs Rod Smith in SD 8 donnybrook

Bob Graham backs Rod Smith in SD 8 race

Keith Perry leads Rod Smith in cash on hand in SD 8 race

Keith Perry leads Rod Smith in cash-on-hand in SD 8 race

Big spending for and by Rod Smith in competitive state Senate race

Polls galore: Republicans lead in state Senate Districts 18 & 23; race still close in SD 8

Rod Smith holds five-point lead over Keith Perry in high-profile state Senate race