Democrats can play musical chairs, too. But voters may not like their tune.

Democratic challenger Patrick Murphy is following Republican Rep. Allen West up Florida's east coast to take on the first-term congressman in his newly adopted district.

Murphy had planned to vie with Lois Frankel for the Democratic nomination in West's current South Florida district. Now, with West relocating to the Treasure Coast, Murphy figures to take the inside track in contending with West for the newly drawn 18th Congressional District.

A billboard "welcoming" illegal aliens to Florida and sarcastically thanking Gov. Rick Scott appeared on Interstate 75 Wednesday.

Produced byFloridians for Immigration Enforcement, the billboard calls out Scott for the state's failure to adopt an E-Verify law.

"This is a wake-up call for Governor Scott, who promised Floridians he would work to get mandatory E-Verify in the state to protect our legal workers," said Jack Oliver, legislative director of the group that goes by the name FLIMEN.

Backed up by the League of Women Voters, a Republican challenger to state Sen. Andy Gardiner charges that a "gerrymandered" new district map favors the incumbent in violation of the state Constitution.

"There is a 'back alley' that is used to attain parts of Winter Park into District 10. The incumbent living in Winter Park obviously wants to 'pinch in' his home address to acquire certain voters," said Ron Rushing, who is seeking to unseat Gardiner, R-Orlando, this year.

In a major upset, Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum, who was largely ignored by the national media, swept three contests on Tuesday, scoring big wins in Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri.

Before his dramatic wins on Tuesday, Santorum, a former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania, had not won a state since upsetting former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts in the Iowa caucus.

An effort to prevent the introduction of next-generation slot machines -- which look more like casino games -- at racetracks around the state was shot down in a Senate committee Tuesday, despite fears from regulators that allowing them may put the state at odds with the Seminole Tribe.

The Senate Regulated Industries Committee overwhelmingly rejected the bill, SB 986, which would have prevented the introduction of new multiplayer games at pari-mutuel facilities.

No, Palm Beach County, you're not in some "Groundhog Day" remake. You're slap in the middle of Supervisor of Elections Susan Bucher's time warp.

While real estate and construction remain down, state leaders Tuesday touted how international trade has helped Florida's economy recover.

Chris Thompson, president and CEO of Visit Florida, speaking as part of a panel at the Florida Chamber of Commerce International Days conference at Florida State University, said international travelers account for nearly 10 percent of the states top import: tourists.

WASHINGTON -- Most Americans can hardly believe we're having a national debate about birth control in the 21st century -- more than 50 years after The Pill became available and decades after condoms became as commonplace as, well, balloons.

A new national study provides more evidence that school improvements may have stalled in Florida -- yet the overall grade appears to be incomplete.

After a decade leading scholastic reform, the Sunshine State lost ground on the 2011 Education Performance and Policy Index compiled by the American Legislative Exchange Council.

While Florida received an overall grade of B+ (the same as last year), it registered declines or static performance in several areas: