With Joe Garcia --a former member of the Obama administration who is now running as a Democrat for the U.S. House seat that Mario Diaz-Balart is vacating --defending the White Houses economic policies, the team of Rep. David Rivera, R-Miami, went on the attack.

Both of the Democratic candidates for attorney general announced their fund-raising totals for the second quarter. Sen. Dave Aronberg, D-Greenacres, announced he had brought in almost $380,000 with $264,000 in cash and $115,000 through in-kind donations. His rival, Sen. Dan Gelber, D-Miami Beach, announced he had brought in more than $280,000 -- $165,000 in cash and $115,000 through in-kind donations.

Gov. Charlie Crist issued an executive order on Friday extending unemployment benefits in Florida until December -- changing Florida statutes after the battle in Congress this week over benefits.

We simply cannot desert the 250,000 Floridians who qualify for the extended federal assistance signed into law yesterday, said Crist. I am committed to exercising my constitutional duty to authorize the use of available federal funds to help out-of-work Floridians who qualify for this help.

With the Orlando Sentinel reporting that Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Scott seemed open to investigating whether or not President Barack Obama was born in the United States, the Florida Democratic Party and the campaign team of Attorney General Bill McCollum, Scotts main rival for the GOP nod, have opened fire.

With Democratic U.S. Rep. Charlie Rangel of New York facing ethics troubles in the U.S. House, Republicans are focusingin on one of his key allies in Florida -- U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek, who is facing a tough challenge from Jeff Greene for the Democratic nomination in the U.S. Senate race.

With Meek receiving more than $5,000 from Rangels campaign and PACover the years, the National Republican Senate Committee (NRSC) has been asking the Floridian to return the funds. Meek and Rangel served on the House Ways and Means Committee.

Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp announced on Friday that his campaign for the Republican attorney general nomination brought in more than $214,000 in the second quarter of 2010 -- with more than $150,000 of that in cash while the rest was through in-kind donations.

Looks like there is a third member of the Florida congressional delegation in Minnesota Republican U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmannsnew Tea Party caucus -- U.S. Rep. Ander Crenshaw. Crenshaw joins fellow Florida Republicans U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis and U.S. Rep. Cliff Stearns in the new organization.

Congressman Ander Crenshaw is a member of the Tea Party caucus, an informal group of members dedicated to promoting Americans call for fiscal responsibility and limited government, wrote the Crenshaw staff.

While former Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Holly Benson, running in a close Republican primary for attorney general, is trailing at least one of her rivals when it comes to fund-raising, she did receive some praise for her conservative credentials from Marion Hammer, former president of the NRA and now executive director of the Unified Sportsmen of Florida. Bensons bid to be attorney general received an A+ from the NRA and the Unified Sportsmen of Florida.

Marco Rubio is "proud to earn the endorsement of U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the leading voice of job creators," according to a tweet he posted this morning.

An article in the Associated Press states that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is pledging to help the presumed Republican nominee for U.S. Senate pull ahead in a tight three-way race.

Currently, Rubio lags behind Gov. Charlie Crist in the polls.

The AP reports the chamber will announce Saturday at an event in Orlando that Rubio will benefit from roughly $75 million they expect to spend on campaigns in the fall.

Independent challenger Troy Stanley is criticizing U.S. Rep. Ander Crenshaw, his Republican opponent in November, for not joining the 38 members of Congress who formed the Tea Party caucus.

Americans deserve to know who their trusted allies are in the fight to decrease government spending, lower taxes, and remove intrusions upon individual liberties, said Stanley who vowed to join the Tea Party caucus if elected.