You may have other ideas which of Tuesday's primaries stand out in Florida. But from my point of view, after spending the summer traveling the state, here is a thumbnail sketch of some of the most notable races, local through congressional, I saw leading to the Big Day Aug. 30. 

Congressional Races

CD 18, Republican

The most covered congressional race this year in the Republican primary is CD 18 on Florida's east coast. This is the seat currently held by U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy who is running for U.S. Senate.

Days after the June 12 Pulse nightclub shooting that took the lives of 49 innocent people in Orlando, the political demagoguery began.
 
Many on the liberal left, from the Florida chapter of the National Organization of Women to the Florida Democrat Party, were calling for more gun control laws. If Florida had stricter gun measures, the Pulse nightclub massacre shooting would not have happened, they said.

Since the announcement of the high-speed rail train project, All Aboard Florida (AAF) has been outflanked by its opponents when it comes to public relations. But on the legal front, AAF is winning the battle.

Welcome to The Dean’s List — an Ed Dean-style look at who Florida’s political achievers were (and weren’t) in the last seven days. What you see here is strictly my opinion, not necessarily the editor’s or the rest of the staff at Sunshine State News.

So far, compared to last year, the current Florida legislative session has been pretty calm. But that could change in the final weeks as Gov. Rick Scott’s  proposal to increase funding for Enterprise Florida hits the floor. EF has gotten into a nasty, public fight with fiscal conservative critics. 

Welcome to The Dean’s List — an Ed Dean-style look at which Florida’s political leaders and issues made the grade and who didn’t. What you see here is strictly my opinion, not necessarily the editor’s or the rest of the staff at Sunshine State News. 

Welcome to The Dean’s List — an Ed Dean-style look at which Florida’s political leaders and issues made the grade and who didn’t. What you see here is strictly my opinion, not necessarily the editor’s or the rest of the staff at Sunshine State News.

Welcome to The Dean’s List — an Ed Dean-style look at which Florida’s political leaders and issues who didn’t make the grade in 2015. What you see here is strictly my opinion, not necessarily the editor’s or the rest of the staff at Sunshine State News.

Welcome to The Dean’s List — an Ed Dean-style look at which Florida’s political achievers and issues were  major winners in 2015. What you see here is strictly my opinion, not necessarily the editor’s or the rest of the staff at Sunshine State News.

Welcome to The Dean’s List — an Ed Dean-style look at who Florida’s political achievers were (and weren’t) in the last seven days. What you see here is strictly my opinion, not necessarily the editor’s or the rest of the staff at Sunshine State News.