Newark Mayor Cory Booker expanded the Democratic majority in the U.S. Senate when he beat former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan, the Republican in the race, but it doesnt seem to be hurting Republican Gov. Chris Christie. Booker won 55 percent of the vote while Lonegan trailed with 44 percent.

While he voted against the deal to raise the debt ceiling and end the government shutdown on Wednesday night, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said he was confident conservatives would still prevail on rolling back President Barack Obamas federal health-care law. Rubio appeared on Sean Hannitys show on Fox News on Wednesday night and predicted the health care law would be a flop.

U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., supported the deal that ends the federal shutdown and raises the debt ceiling which passed both chambers of Congress on Wednesday night. "This responsible solution ensures that the government reopens and we do not default on our debt in order to restore stability to our economy and provide economic security for our communities, Ros-Lehtinen said. People are tired of Washingtons partisan bickering and while we have forged a responsible compromise, there is still much work to be done.

Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich called for U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to resign on Wednesday.

U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., the chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), praised leaders in the Senate for coming together in the spirit of bipartisanship by reaching an agreement to raise the debt ceiling and end the federal shutdown.

U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., voted on Wednesday night to pass the Senate plan to raise the debt ceiling and end the federal shutdown. Buchanan said allowing the federal government to default on the national debt would have dire consequences. Jeopardizing the full faith and credit of the United States by defaulting on our obligations was not an option, said Buchanan There is no question that we need to reduce spending and balance the budget, but not by degrading Americas credit rating and destroying our credibility.

U.S. Rep. Ander Crenshaw, R-Fla., the chairman of the House Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Subcommittee, voted to support the agreement ending the federal shutdown and raising the debt ceiling. Crenshaw pointed to the dangers of letting the country default in explaining his vote.

U.S. Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Fla., came out swinging against the agreement that ends the government shutdown and raises the debt ceiling. Yoho joined 143 other congressmen in voting against it but the measure passed the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate on Wednesday.

As Florida continues to debate implementing Common Core standards, Florida TaxWatch released a report on Thursday morning which argues the Sunshine State should assess students and compare them to standards from across the nation and around the world. "In determining an assessment aligned with Florida's improved education standards, Florida leaders must be sure it measures students compared to national and international benchmarks," said Dominic Calabro, the president and CEO of Florida TaxWatch.

With Democrat Gwen Graham outraising him in the third quarter and currently having more cash on hand, U.S. Rep. Steve Southerland, R-Fla., is a top target for Democrats in the 2014 campaign cycle. On Wednesday night. Southerland voted against the agreement crafted in the U.S. Senate to end the government shutdown and raise the debt ceiling.

While enough Republicans voted to end the 16-day federal shutdown and raise the debt ceiling, U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., ripped the agreement and voted against it. I am deeply disappointed with the agreement crafted by the Senate, Miller said late Wednesday. I cannot in good conscience support this deal because it does absolutely nothing to reduce the almost incomprehensible debt this government continues to accumulate. This bill simply kicks the can down the road even further and maintains the unsustainable fiscal path toward a debt-induced collapse.

The Senate and the House voted late Wednesday to pass a bill that would fully reopen the federal government and raise the debt ceiling afteran 11th-hour agreement reached earlier in the day by Senate majority leader Harry Reid and minority leader Mitch McConnell. The Senate voted 81-18 in favor of the measure, while the House voted 285-144 in favor.The votes in the House set the stage to end the 16-day federal shutdown, just a few hours shy of a national default.

Former Florida governor and chairman of the Foundation for Excellence in Education, Jeb Bush, will kick off the 2013 National Summit on Education Reform on Thursday in Boston. Now in its sixth year, the foundations flagship initiative annually convenes the best and brightest from across America and around the world to share strategies to improve the quality of education for all children.

Speaking at the American Association of Port Authoritys annual convention in Orlando on Wednesday, Gov. Rick Scott announced he would push a measure to invest almost $35 million more into projects in the next legislative session.

Anti-Common Core groups are headed to Davie Thursday to testify against the national education standards that have been stirring up controversy. The groups will be bringing in national experts to expose problems they see with Common Core.