Former House Speaker Marco Rubio, the heavy favorite to win the Republican nomination in the U.S. Senate election, continued to focus on calling to reduce federal spending. On Tuesday, Rubio released a web video, calling for the elimination of congressional earmarks. The Rubio campaign promises to release four more videos in the series.

Karen Harrington, running in the Republican primary to take on U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz won the backing of the Young Republican Network (YRNetwork) on Tuesday. The YRNetwork is a national organization of young activists who use the new media and technology to promote the GOP.

Trailing behind Jeff Greene in some polls for the Democratic nomination in the U.S. Senate election, U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek launched a third TV ad -- this time focusing on his own story. In his first two ads, Meek attacked Greene.

From his perch as the ranking Republican of the House Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, U.S. Rep. Connie Mack of Florida wrote to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Monday, insisting that he will continue the fight for Congress to recognize Venezuela as a state sponsor of terrorism.

While Gov. Charlie Crist has received more attention for his independent bid for the U.S. Senate than his actual job performance as governor these days, his administration continues to preside over the state for the next five months. There are some changes going on in the leadership of the administration as it enters its final months.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who ran for president in 2008 and has since moved to Florida, came out swinging on Monday at the federal judge who struck down aspects of Arizonas new immigration law. Last week's decision by U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton is just another example of an activist judge putting their ideas ahead of the law, wrote Huckabee in an e-mail to supporters.

A familiar face will be joining incoming Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, in his tour of medical facilities across Florida this week -- incoming House Speaker Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park. Cannon will open the tour with Haridopolos in Miami on Wednesday and be at the final event in Tallahassee on Friday.

Less than an hour before squaring off in a debate with Republican gubernatorial rival Rick Scott that will be broadcast by Univision 23 in Miami, Attorney General Bill McCollum unveiled his team to pull in Hispanic votes. McCollums efforts will be led by former Republican Party of Florida Chairman Al Cardenas and includes three members of Congress -- Ileana Ros-Lehtinen andMario and Lincoln Diaz-Balart --as well as Jeb Bush Jr.

With a new article from the Associated Press ranking Florida as one of the most economically stressed states in the nation, the campaign team of Marco Rubio, the likely Republican nominee in the race for the open U.S. Senate seat, knows who to blame -- independent rival Gov. Charlie Crist.

The debate over debates continues between the two candidates battling it out for the Democratic attorney general nomination. Last week, Sen. Dan Gelber of Miami Beach proposed to Sen. Dave Aronberg to have debates in each one of Floridas 11 media markets. Aronberg shot down the request and said it was a political stunt. He said two debates would be more realistic. The Gelber camp upped the ante on Monday with the candidate sending Aronberg an e-mail, sticking to his guns -- wanting 11 debates in the next three weeks until the primary.

Navy veteran Heather Beaven, the Democratic candidate running against Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. John Mica, is calling on her opponent to stand up against BP writing off $10 billion in taxes due to its expenses in cleaning up the oil spill in the Gulf. The idea that BP has decided to engage in a sleight of hand, backdoor bailout to abscond with our tax dollars is nauseating, said Beaven on Monday. Count on this, I will never allow hard-working Americans to be robbed in order to bail out corporate recklessness."

A new poll from Gallup compares the political views of residents of all 50 states -- and reinforces how pivotal Florida is in any national political battle. Asking more than 90,000 Americans about their politics over the first half of 2010, Gallup has Florida right in the middle when it comes to ideology and identification with one political party or the other. The poll found 38.5 percent of Sunshine State voters are Republicans while 46.2 percent are Democrats.

A new Florida condominium law is ramping up a battle between associations and tenants in rental units. A Sunshine State News reader details his looming legal fight with association officials who are demanding he pay rent directly to them. And he challenges several other readers who commented on our story about this situation. "People in this discussion keep talking about Florida tenants as if we were some kind of sleazy deadbeats," writes "George." Read it all here.

Bill McCollum might be feeling pretty good this week about receiving the editorial endorsements of the Tampa Tribune and the Miami Herald. But he and Republicans should carefully consider these "friends."

Late Friday, House Speaker Larry Cretul, R-Ocala, ripped into Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Scott. Cretul backs Attorney General Bill McCollum for the Republican nomination. The Scott campaign responded on Saturday, focusing more on McCollum than Cretul.