As he seeks the Republican nomination to challenge Democrat incumbent U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in November, Mike McCalister hopes that voters will compare his background and experience to other GOP hopefuls in the primary in less than two weeks.

Were hiring people to do a job, McCalister told Sunshine State News. Insisting that he is well-poised to handle the constitutional duties assigned to the Senate, McCalister believes his background has prepared him for higher service.

A survey of likely Florida voters released on Tuesday from Public Policy Polling (PPP), a firm with connections to prominent Democrats, shows a tight battle to control the Sunshine State with President Barack Obama barely ahead of former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, the presumptive Republican candidate -- but the poll also finds that Romney could help win the biggest swing state in the nation with the right vice presidential candidate.

The poll shows Obama taking 48 percent while Romney is right on his tail with 47 percent with 5 percent remaining undecided.

Battling for an open seat in the Florida House representing parts of Hillsborough and Manatee counties, businessman Jake Raburn has the edge over his opponent for the Republican nomination and the Democrat in the race.

While stressing his conservatism and ties to the area, Raburn has also played up his connections to the agriculture community. Raburn, who is now with Hinton Farms, had worked for the state Department of Citrus and one of his biggest backers is Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam.

Joe Gibbons, D-Pembroke Park, is seeking a fourth term in the Florida House but faces a serious opponent in the Democratic primary come Aug. 14. But Gibbons has kept his money in the bank, giving him a healthy war chest as the primary battle enters its final days.

As she continues to run for a fourth term in Congress, U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Fla., is a heavy favorite to keep her seat in the Tampa Bay area.

An easy winner over architect Eddie Adams, the Republican who faced her in 2006 and 2008, Castor had a harder time with Mike Prendergast, a veteran and businessman who emerged out of the GOP primary to challenge her in 2010. While Adams took 30 percent in 2006 and 29 percent in 2008 against Castor, Prendergast pulled 40 percent -- but Castor still won handily.

On Aug. 14, two Democrats serving together in the Florida House of Representatives -- Jeff Clemens of Lake Worth and Mack Bernard of West Palm Beach -- will clash in a primary for the SD 27 open seat in the state Senate that represents parts of Palm Beach County.

Both Democratic hopefuls have done well fundraising, but Clemens has the edge in the money chase. As of July 20, he had raised more than $119,500 and relied on more than $23,000 in loans. Of that, he had spent more than $83,000, giving him just under $60,000 in the final weeks before the primary.

As he seeks a second term in the Florida House, Rep. Carlos Trujillo, R-Miami, faces a serious challenger in the Republican primary on Aug. 14 and is looking at a very different district than the one he currently represents.

First elected to the Florida House in 2010 after serving as an assistant state attorney, Trujillo currently represents parts of Miami-Dade County. But, after the Legislature tackled redistricting earlier in the year, Trujillo now is running for a seat that contains parts of Broward and Collier counties as well as parts of Miami-Dade.

With Rep. Dorothy Hukill, R-Port Orange, facing term limits and running for a seat in the Florida Senate, an interesting battle is developing to see who will represent the southern part of Volusia County in the Florida House of Representatives.

Two candidates are battling for the Republican nomination in the Aug. 14 primary in HD 27 and David Santiago, an Army veteran and a former Deltona city commissioner, has a solid lead in the money chase.

Though he got involved this week in a rare primary battle between two incumbent congressmen, former Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas is playing less of a role in the 2012 election cycle than he did in 2012 in Florida -- where he moved after his bid for the Republican presidential nomination. But Huckabee shows no signs of playing less of a role on the national stage.

Late Wednesday, he announced that he was backing U.S. Rep. John Mica who is facing U.S. Rep. Sandy Adams in the Aug. 14 Republican primary.

Seeking a third congressional term this November, U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney, R-Fla.,starts off as a heavy favorite to win renomination and the general election in November, despite facing CD 17, a different district than the one he currently represents.