The two leading Republican candidates looking to challenge Democrat incumbent U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson traded shots on Monday as they enter the final three months of the primary.

Former U.S. Sen. George LeMieux has done well In terms of gathering the support of Republican members of the Florida Legislature -- more than 30 so far have endorsed him -- former U.S. Sen. Geroge LeMieux has done well. In fact, some of those legislators went to bat for him Monday in his primary fight against U.S. Rep. Connie Mack.

Gov. Rick Scott is off to Spain this weekend, leading a four-day business development mission that will also include a meeting with King Juan Carlos and a whiff ofFlorida's upcoming quincentennialcelebrations.

Scott will be joined on the trip by first lady Ann Scott, three staffers from their offices, along with more than 60 officials from various government offices and private businesses on the excursion, focused on increasing opportunities for companies from Spain -- Floridas 34th largest trading partner -- to invest, grow and create jobs in Florida.

On Monday, the teams behind President Barack Obama and presumptive Republican nominee former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts fired away at each other over economics as the campaigns continue to move into general election mode.

The Obama camp launched a new website and television ad being aired in battleground states -- including Colorado, Iowa, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia -- that the Democrats want to keep in their column in November. Both the website and the ad slam Romneys record in the private sector.

Gov. Rick Scotts creation of a task force on higher education is timely, and could be beneficial if it doesnt get sidetracked into focusing solely on funding.

As Florida reviews its "Stand Your Ground" law in the wake of the Trayvon Martin killing, Marissa Alexander on Friday received a 20-year sentence for firing a shot in what she claims was self-defense and her backers say was a case of her standing her ground.

Alexander, a 31-year-old mother of three, was sentenced in Jacksonville under a mandatory minimum law for firing one shot in the direction of a spouse with a record of domestic violence in a 2010 dispute.

Confirming a rumor circulating around the Capitol late last week, Gov. Rick Scott announced Saturday that he has appointed Adam Hollingsworth, 43, as his new chief of staff. His appointment takes effect July 1.

Hollingsworth, who replaces Steve MacNamara, is no stranger to the governor. He served as director of agency review for Scott's transition team.

The buzz around Tallahassee at the end of the week was Saturday's impending "lunch" between Gov. Rick Scott and Steve MacNamara -- at which time one or the other of them would decide the fate of the embattled chief of staff.

Last week, I wrote about the standings in the presidential race and said it looked like a long, hard slog through about a dozen clearly identified target states, much like the contests in 2000 and 2004. Call it the 2000/2004 long, hard slog scenario.