Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Drew WilsonMay 15, 2018

Orlando Democrat Margaret Gold is betting big on her campaign to unseat freshman Republican Rep. Robert “Bobby O” Olszewski in House District 44. Gold filed for the seat in mid-April and showed $5,430 in contributions during her first two weeks in the race, but she matched that haul nearly four times over with a $20,000 […]

Scott PowersApril 2, 2018

Former state Sen. Geraldine Thompson filed for a chance to return to the Florida Legislature, entering the race for Florida’s House District 44 in southwest Orange County. Thompson, of Orlando, served four years in the Florida Senate, representing Senate District 12, and six in the Florida House, representing House District 39 before redistricting. She left the […]

Scott PowersAugust 21, 2017

The Republican primary for House District 44 may have deeply split support from top Republicans but now that Bobby Olszewski has won he’s bringing much of that together behind his special election campaign. Olszewski’s campaign announced a fundraiser set for the evening of Aug. 30 that will feature the current speaker of the Florida House […]

Scott PowersAugust 16, 2017

Robert “Bobby O” Olszewski emerged Tuesday evening from what has been a rough-and-tumble primary to be the Republicans’ nominee for the Oct. 10 special election to fill the open seat in Florida’s House District 44. With 100 percent of the vote recorded, Olszewski had a 99 vote victory over his main rival, John Newstreet. The […]

Scott PowersAugust 14, 2017

Nearly 9 percent of registered Republicans already have voted in Florida’s House District 44 in the primary race set for conclusion Tuesday. The Republican primary race between Bruno Portigliatti, Bobby Olszewski, John Newstreet, and Usha Jain is in legal jeopardy because of a lawsuit brought last week seeking to disqualify the Democrat Paul Chandler, who is […]

Scott PowersAugust 9, 2017

Bobby Olszewski has launched a television commercial in Orlando that highlights several of his issues positions in the special Republican primary for House District 44 in Orange County. The 30-second spot, dubbed, “Vote Bobby O,” the commercial begins with brief footage of President Ronald Reagan, as a narrator declares, “Republicans want a leader who will […]

Scott PowersAugust 9, 2017

A lawsuit was filed in Tallahassee seeking to invalidate the candidacy of House District 44 Democrat Paul Chandler – an action that could put the entire special election in jeopardy. The complaint, filed just at the end of the business day on Tuesday in Florida’s 2nd Judicial Circuit by Charles Hart of Windermere against Chandler, […]

Scott PowersAugust 8, 2017

Usha-Jain-John-Newstreet-Bobby-Olszewski-Bruno-Portigliatti-3.jpg

With a week left before voters in Florida’s House District 44 decide who will be the Republican nominee seeking to fill the vacant seat, nearly 3,000 votes have been cast, with a large portion of them coming from the Dr. Phillips and Windermere areas of the sprawling southwest Orange County district. Through Tuesday, 2,940 votes […]

Scott PowersAugust 7, 2017

Who is behind the attack ads in the Florida House District 44 special election primary set for a week for Tuesday? The attack ads went after Republican John Newstreet two weeks ago, and now they’re going after GOP primary rival Bobby Olszewski in what looks like an effort to play both sides against each other. Everyone […]

Scott PowersAugust 3, 2017

Laughing, smiling, enjoying himself, Bruno Portigliatti declares, “Yeah, doesn’t everybody?” know me yet, in his second TV commercial, up this week in Orlando and taking shots at his two leading rivals, heading toward the Aug. 15 Republican special election primary to fill vacant Florida House District 44 seat. Portigliatti’s commercial picks up on the theme […]

Tag: Usha Jain
Mike Johnson. Image via AP.

Margaret Gold antes up in HD 44 Dem. Primary

Geraldine Thompson is back, filing to run in HD 44

Bobby Olszewski HD 44 fundraiser packed with Republican leaders

Robert ‘Bobby O’ Olszewski wins HD 44 Republican special primary

Pre-election day turnout approaches 9 percent in HD 44 special primary

Bobby Olszewski TV ad highlights positions in HD 44 Republican primary

Lawsuit seeks to invalidate Paul Chandler’s HD 44 candidacy, could jeopardize whole special election

Voter turnout in HD 44 special election primary favoring central precincts

Second candidate attacked by shadow group in HD 44 special election

Bruno Portigliatti up with new Orlando TV ad in HD 44 special election