John Stemberger of Florida Family PAC and the Florida Family Policy Council, and Dennis Baxley formerly with the Christian Coalition, announced on Wednesday that they have organized social conservatives for Attorney General Bill McCollums bid for the Republican gubernatorial nomination. McCollum, who a few months ago was considered a heavy favorite for the nomination, now trails health-care executive Rick Scott in the polls.

Floridians opposed to new federal health-care laws backed by President Barack Obama had two reasons to celebrate on Wednesday. On Tuesday night, more than 70 percent of voters in Missouri passed a measure opposing the new health-care laws. On Wednesday, the Florida Supreme Court announced it would review a lower court decision that had removed a similar measure to the one that passed in Missouri from the November ballot. Led by Sen. Carey Baker, R-Eustis, and Rep.

With less than three weeks until the primary and trailing in the polls behind health-care executive Rick Scott for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, Attorney General Bill McCollum is bringing out prominent conservative supporters in an attempt to salvage his campaign.

McCollum will campaign across the state on Monday with former Gov. Jeb Bush -- an early backer of the attorney general who remains popular among Florida Republicans.

While the U.S. Senate is expected to approve President Barack Obama naming Solicitor General Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court, U.S. Sen. George LeMieux of Florida said that he would join most of his fellow Republicans in opposing the nomination.

Trying to salvage his once-promising candidacy for the U.S. Senate, U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek, locked in an acrimonious battle for the Democratic nomination with billionaire financier Jeff Greene, kicked off an 11-day bus tour of the state in Orlando on Wednesday.

"I'm excited to get the dust under our wheels and get our campaign out on the road, said Meek. There couldn't be a better place to start our tour. It's in Orlando where I announced our campaign's history-making petition drive and started the yearlong effort to build a top-notch grass-roots campaign.

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.