Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney takes to the campaign trail to help Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Scott on Friday.
Romney, best known for his bid for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008, will be hitting The Villages with Scott. Romney, who endorsed Attorney General Bill McCollum over Scott in the Republican primary, has been active in Florida, helping kick off the bid for re-election of Sen. John Thrasher, R-Jacksonville -- increasing the buzz that he intends to run for president again in 2012 ...
Democratic U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson showed no remorse on Thursday for running an ad comparing former House Speaker and Senate Majority Leader Dan Webster, his Republican opponent, to the Taliban Looking to walk in the footsteps of Florida political legend Lawton Chiles, Troy Stanley, who is challenging Republican U.S. Rep. Ander Crenshaw, will ride a bicycle from Jacksonville to Tallahassee from Oct. 5 until Oct. 8. Stanley, a conservative Navy vet, is running without party affiliation
U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey, the chairman of the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee, pledged his continued support on Thursday of U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek, the Democratic candidate in the race for the U.S. Senate. Menendez noted that Gov. Charlie Crist, who is running without party affiliation and is making a play for Democratic support, is fading in the polls Pro-life advocates will be joining incoming House Speaker Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park, in Orlando for a walk on Saturday Cannon is not the only speaker-in-waiting hitting the streets on Saturday. Rep. Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, who is set to wield the gavel when Cannon is term-limited after 2012, will be leading a precinct walk of his own on Saturday
Incoming Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, went to the Crist administration for his latest hire of key Senate staff. Jerry McDaniel, currently serving as Crists budget chief, will be moving over to the Senate to work for the Senate Appropriations Committee The Jacksonville City Council raised property taxes 8 percent on Jacksonville residents on Wednesday -- but residents of other parts of Duval County, from the beaches to the western outskirts, faced higher rate hikes In the heated race in South Florida for the congressional seat currently held by U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, both Republican candidate Rep. David Rivera of Miami and Democratic nominee Joe Garcia unveiled new ads this week attacking the other candidate Leon County Commissioner Bryan Desloge, a Republican, jumped party lines to back Democratic gubernatorial state CFO Alex Sink this week
The host committee for the 2012 Republican National Convention has turned to Holland & Knight to serve as its legal representation. Former Gov. Bob Martinez, who was one of the leaders of the effort to the lure the convention to the Tampa Bay region, works for the firm. Incidentally, Martinez continues to get attention as one of the elder statesmen of Florida Republicans, being named as chairman of Scotts gubernatorial campaign this week Conservative activist Ann Yarko shows no signs of going away. While Yarko lost out to Kirk Headley-Perdue for the Republican nomination to take on Rep. Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda, D-Tallahassee, she has remained active -- praising GOP attorney general nominee Pam Bondi for her stance on supporting Bill McCollums constitutional challenge to President Barack Obama's new federal health-care laws and encouraging her backers to donate to the Bondi campaign
Despite having served in Congress, former Gov. Buddy MacKay said last week he did not know if he would want to these days. In a talk to students at the University of Florida, MacKay said the atmosphere in Congress was becoming too polarized A new state nursing home for veterans opened up in St. Augustine on Saturday with Republican U.S. Rep. John Mica and Rep. Bill Proctor, R-St. Augustine, speaking at the ceremony. The nursing home, the first one in Northeast Florida, was named after Clyde Lassen, who won the Medal of Honor for his service in Vietnam rescuing downed airmen.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
