With Sen. Carey Baker, R-Eustis, stepping down after six years in the Senate, Rep. Alan Hays, R-Umatilla, is a heavy favorite to win the seat, which covers parts of Lake, Marion, Seminole, Sumter and Volusia counties.
With Sen. Charlie Justice, D-St. Petersburg, leaving the Senate after one term to challenge U.S. Rep. Bill Young, Republicans are licking their lips over what appears to be an easy opportunity to expand their majority by picking up this seat covering parts of Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.
Democrats have high hopes of picking up this seat stretching across the northern part of the state, containing all of Alachua, Bradford, Gilchrist and Union counties and parts of Columbia, Levy, Marion and Putnam counties. Nevertheless,Republican Sen. Steve Oelrich of Gainesville remains the favorite.
With Sen. Victor Crist, R-Tampa, retiring due to term limits, an interesting battle to replace him in this seat representing parts of Hillsborough and Pasco counties is shaping up in the Republican primary, with two candidates both stressing their conservatism.
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee continues to ramp up his operations in Florida. Huckabee, who ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 and is considering making another attempt in 2012, filed papers for his HuckPAC to work at the state and local level here in the Sunshine State. Huckabee, who moved to Florida from Arkansas, named Frank Tsamotales, a lobbyist and fund-raiser, to head up HuckPACs operations in the state ...
They're big spenders and quiet taxers.
Gov. Charlie Crist's triangulation strategy of plucking off Democrats appears to be working. The Republican-turned-independent leads a three-way U.S. Senate race, according to a Quinnipiac Poll released Friday.
A RealtyTrac report shows Florida leading the way in new foreclosure-related filings over the first six months of 2010. Business and political leaders say letting taxes increase in 2011 when benefits expire could worsen foreclosures and kill economic growth.
Asked if the United States might send still more troops to Afghanistan, if the Obama surge is not succeeding by year's end, Vice President Joe Biden answered, "I do not believe so."
