Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Mitch PerryAugust 10, 2016

St. Petersburg City Council Vice Chair Darden Rice is backing her former council and PSTA colleague Wengay Newton in the Florida House District 70 contest. “Wengay “Newt” Newton has been a longtime leader on many issues, including education, youth employment, and mass transit issues in our region. I have seen firsthand his impressive dedication and diligence on the […]

Mitch PerryAugust 3, 2016

New York Rep. Richard Hanna yesterday became the first Republican in Congress to say that not only could he not support Donald Trump for president (he said that months ago), but he now says he’ll be voting for Hillary Clinton in the fall. “While I disagree with her on many issues, I will vote for Mrs. Clinton,” Hanna wrote […]

Mitch PerryAugust 2, 2016

[Updated with response from Pinellas Realtors Organization.] CJ Czaia, a Manatee County-based personal injury attorney running for the Democratic nomination in House District 70, paid $1,000 last month to St. Petersburg community activist Theresa “Mama Tee” Lassiter for political consulting work. Lassiter is a well-known and somewhat controversial community activist in South St. Petersburg. “She had a one-time payment to […]

Peter SchorschAugust 1, 2016

The Florida Chamber of Commerce last week rolled out a second round of endorsements in legislative races across the state. There are more than 400 candidates who have qualified to run for the 160 seats in the Florida House of Representatives and Florida Senate. With this latest round of endorsements, the Chamber is now backing 110 candidates […]

Mitch PerryJuly 19, 2016

If I’m Joni Ernst, I’m a little p.o.’d this morning. The Iowa senator and some others came on to the stage at “The Q” last night at 11:15 p.m., as delegates were flooding out of the arena. They were leaving after hearing a very hawkish Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn rail against political correctness, among other […]

Mitch PerryJuly 18, 2016

The Reverend Manuel Sykes, who had intended to be a candidate in the House District 70 race this year but was disqualified when he failed to sign his disclosure form, said Sunday he’s backing Palmetto personal injury attorney C.J. Czaia in the race. “I want to work with him,” Sykes said shortly after finishing his Sunday service at Bethel Community […]

Mitch PerryJuly 15, 2016

Although many polls show the presidential election could go either way, the Democratic candidates in Florida’s Senate District 19 and House District 70 at Friday’s Suncoast Tiger Bay Club meeting say they can’t fathom an America with Donald Trump leading the nation. “There are 45 million Republicans in this country, and that’s the best they […]

Mitch PerryJuly 12, 2016

Florida’s House District 70 is one of the most creatively designed districts in the state Legislature, encompassing parts of Sarasota, Manatee, Pinellas AND Hillsborough counties. With incumbent Darryl Rouson term-limited out later this year, four men are vying for the seat — Republican Cori Fournier, and Democrats Wengay Newton, Dan Florini and C.J. Czaia. Czaia, a Palmetto-based attorney, […]

Peter SchorschJuly 11, 2016

More than 300 candidates are running for the 160 seats in the Florida House and Senate. And, try as we will, FloridaPolitics.com won’t be able to interview them all. So we are asking every candidate, including incumbents, to complete a questionnaire we believe offers an interesting, albeit, thumbnail sketch of who they are and why they […]

Peter SchorschJune 16, 2016

Five months from Election Day, Republican Sens. Jeff Brandes, Jack Latvala, Tom Lee and Bill Galvano are still running unopposed. The only two bay area Senate seats in contention so far are the Senate District 18 contest between Tampa Republican Rep. Dana Young and Democrat Bob Buesing and the three-way Democratic primary going down in SD 19. Young had built up quite the lead in her jump to the […]

Tag: Wengay Newton
Image via AP.

Darden Rice endorses Wengay Newton in HD 70 race

Mitch Perry Report for 8.3.16 — How many GOP candidates still ‘not there yet’ on Trump?

CJ Czaia employs ‘Mama Tee’ Lassiter as political consultant in HD 70 race

10 picks that stand out among the Florida Chamber of Commerce’s 2016 legislative endorsements

Mitch Perry Report for 7.19.16 — Donald Trump’s short attention span theatre

Manuel Sykes backs C.J. Czaia in HD 70 race

Florida HD 70 and SD 19 Democratic candidates talk Trump, reparations and diapers in Tiger Bay Forum

C.J. Czaia says he’ll make a real difference if elected in HD 70

Meet Wengay Newton, Democrat running for Florida House District 70

Where sh*t stands in Tampa Bay legislative races