Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Peter SchorschOctober 25, 2016

With two weeks to go until Election Day, the Tampa Bay area’s Senate seats are pretty much decided. Welcome back Sens. Jack Latvala and Tom Lee and say hello to Darryl Rouson, who should cruise past John “Mr. Manners” Houman to win the SD 19 seat. Tampa Republican Rep. Dana Young still has a race […]

Mitch PerryOctober 21, 2016

Forget about Marco Rubio in 2020, what about Rick Scott? Troy Kinsey from Bay News 9 reports that “some GOP operatives are floating him as a potential presidential contender in 2020, should Trump lose in November.” Kinsey then quotes all of one lone such operative in his story. But it does make for a good headline. Now, what about Marco Rubio? The […]

Peter SchorschOctober 14, 2016

Let’s put aside for a moment the argument about whether newspaper endorsements matter much in modern campaigns. Even if not a single likely voter was swayed by the opinions of editorial boards, the endorsements still matter because they matter to the candidates themselves. That’s why you see even the most Republican of candidates — with their […]

Mitch PerryOctober 12, 2016

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House District 63 Democratic candidate Lisa Montelione is up on the air with a television ad, and it’s a little more unconventional than what you’re used to seeing. The ad begins with what is described by the narrator as a “commercial film set,” where we quickly meet the director, cameraman, as well as a technical crew — but no actual […]

Phil AmmannOctober 11, 2016

With a tip of the hat to LobbyTools, here are the latest movements — both on and off — of the legislative merry-go-round. Off: Mary Kassabaum is no longer legislative assistant for Trilby Republican state Sen. Wilton Simpson. Off: Caroline Crow is no longer district secretary for Rockledge Republican state Sen. Thad Altman. On: Matthew Hunter is returning as legislative assistant for Fort […]

Peter SchorschOctober 3, 2016

Hello, October. This is the final full month of the 2016 campaign cycle. In five weeks, we will know so much more about the future of the country, the state and our communities. But, no matter what, life will go on. For those in “The Process” — Florida Politics’ term for the unending legislative campaign/legislative session […]

Jim RosicaOctober 1, 2016

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La Gaceta, Tampa’s trilingual weekly newspaper, has endorsed incumbent Shawn Harrison in the state House District 63 race. Harrison, a one-term Republican, faces Democrat Lisa Montelione in the November general election. The area, which includes New Tampa, has been a swing district. An editorial in the newspaper — publishing articles in English, Spanish and Italian — said that “normally, […]

Mitch PerrySeptember 19, 2016

Last night in Los Angeles, one of the big winners at the Emmy Awards was the FX production of “The People vs. O.J. Simpson.” Though most of the American public was quite familiar with the O.J. saga that unfolded in 1994-1995, the series was compelling, must-see drama (too bad John Travolta’s positively weird performance as Robert Shapiro didn’t […]

Mitch PerrySeptember 16, 2016

The House District 63 race between Republican incumbent Shawn Harrison and Democratic challenger Lisa Montelione is expected to be one of the most competitive in Florida this fall. The North Hillsborough County swing district — which includes much of New Tampa, Forest Hills, North Tampa and the USF community — has flipped back and forth over the past three election cycles, with […]

Mitch PerrySeptember 13, 2016

Writing that “Hillsborough County is better than this,” Dana Young is the latest Tampa Bay area lawmaker calling for the Hillsborough County Public Transportation Commission to reject proposed new rules that ridesharing companies Uber and Lyft say would force them out of the local market. In a letter Tuesday to PTC Chair Victor Crist, Young says the current […]

Tag: Shawn Harrison

Here’s where sh*t stands in Tampa Bay’s legislative races

Mitch Perry Report for 10.21.16 — Rick Scott in 2020?

11 things I think I think about the Tampa Bay Times’ endorsements in state House races

Lisa Montelione ghosts her own TV ad

Latest on the legislative staffing merry-go-round

Here’s where stuff stands in Tampa Bay politics — the ‘it’s October’ edition

La Gaceta endorses Shawn Harrison for HD 63

Mitch Perry Report for 9.19.16 — Jeffrey Toobin’s book on Patty Hearst is another American true-crime classic

Shawn Harrison and Lisa Montelione clash on education issues at Tampa Tiger Bay Forum

Dana Young urges Hillsborough PTC to reject new rules for Uber, Lyft