Rick Scotts campaign just launched a new TV ad attacking Republican gubernatorial primary rival Attorney General Bill McCollum for switching his position on accepting taxpayer dollars for his campaign. The Scott team even likened McCollum to 2004 Democratic presidential nominee U.S. Sen. John Kerry -- who Republicans still mock for saying he was for a measure before he was against it, a quote included in the new ad.

Rasmussen Reports released a poll on Wednesday that showed that the two leading Republicans running for governor fare very differently when pitted against likely Democratic nominee state CFO Alex Sink -- with health-care executive Rick Scott leading Sink and Attorney General Bill McCollum trailing the Democrat. The poll found Scott receiving the backing of 35 percent of those surveyed with Sink winning 31 percent backing and independent Bud Chiles taking 16 percent. Other candidates took a total of 6 percent, and 12 percent of Floridians remain undecided.

Former House Speaker Marco Rubio, the overwhelming favorite to be the Republican candidate in the U.S. Senate election, released the second in a continuing series of web videos, promoting ideas on how to reduce the size and cost of the federal government. Rubio is calling for including an option in IRS forms, allowing taxpayers to designate 10 percent of their tax payments to go to reducing the national debt.

Despite being picked by Gov. Charlie Crist to serve as his running mate back in 2006, Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp endorsed former House Speaker Marco Rubio in the U.S. Senate race on Wednesday. Rubio is running as a Republican while Crist left the GOP back in April to continue his campaign as an independent. Kottkamp is running against former Assistant State Attorney Pam Bondi and former Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Holly Benson in a close battle for the Republican nomination for attorney general.

The Florida Family Policy Council, an organization backing traditional positions on social issues and fighting for an active role for churches in the public square, is launching a project to register more voters.

While Attorney General Bill McCollum appears to be an underdog in his bid for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, he is still garnering support -- and on Wednesday the Florida Retail Federation PAC endorsed him.

With less than three weeks to go in the close contest between Sen. Dave Aronberg of Greenacres and Sen. Dan Gelber of Miami Beach for the Democratic attorney general nomination, Gelber picked up a big endorsement on Wednesday morning when the Service Employees International Union, with more than 45,000 Floridians in its ranks, announced they were backing him.

On Tuesday night, with less than three weeks until the primary elections, four of the six candidates running to be Floridas next attorney general spoke at a candidates forum sponsored by the Tallahassee Bar Association. Both of the Democratic candidates in the race, Sen. Dan Gelber of Miami Beach and Sen. Dave Aronberg of Greenacres, attended the event. So did former Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Holly Benson who is running for the Republican nomination. Former Assistant State Attorney Jim Lewis, who is running as an independent, was also in attendance.

Rep. Scott Plakon, R-Longwood, filed a request with Attorney General Bill McCollum on Tuesday to see what Floridas options were in passing stricter measures regarding illegal immigration now that a federal judge has struck down parts of Arizonas SB 1070 law.

With incoming Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, launching his tour across the state on Wednesday to focus on Medicaid and health-care matters, Executive Vice President Timothy J. Stapleton of the Florida Medical Association (FMA) praised the senator for taking on these issues.

Former Tallahassee Mayor Scott Maddox, the Democratic candidate for the state Agriculture and Consumer Services commissioner race, blasted U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam, his Republican rival, over issues arising from the oil spill in the Gulf. Maddox targeted Putnam for opposing a measure in the U.S. House that would end the $75 million liability limit on oil spill damages as well as his past support of drilling. Maddox also fired away at Putnam for not filing a measure to stop BP from getting a $10 billion tax write-off for its expenses incombating the oil spill.

Rep. David Rivera, R-Miami, running for the congressional seat that U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart is vacating has launched his first TV commercial. Not quite an introductory ad, Riveras team has crafted a solid and generally positive commercial linking education, the economy and family values. Conservatives will be heartened by Rivera saying that jobs are not created by Washington but by people outside it.

U.S. Sen George LeMieux may only be in office for the rest of the year but he is showing no signs of slowing down -- leading to increased speculation that he might be back in 2012 to win election to the Senate in his own right.

A day after writing to Hugo Chavez that he intended to continue the fight for the American government to list Venezuela as a state sponsor of terrorism, Republican U.S. Rep. Connie Mack of Florida did just that, sending a letter to President Barack Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

Another Palm Beach County commissioner looks to be following in the footsteps of what has become a rogues gallery of public officials in the Palm Beaches. Commissioner Jeffrey Koons resigned Tuesday, shortly after he was booked and charged with extortion, perjury and violating public open meetings laws.