The Democrats' uber-fundraiser, President Barack Obama, has flown more than 20,000 miles raising dollars for Democrats so far in 2013.

The man expected to be confirmed as the chancellor of Florida's university system publicly backed the Common Core State Standards in an opinion piece published Thursday.

Marshall Criser III says the standards are crucial for closing the skills gap in the Sunshine State -- a gap that he believes the standards will fill.

Some excerpts of Criser's piece:

A new poll from Gravis taken for conservative publication "Human Events" finds Attorney General Pam Bondi starts off with a solid lead over her Democratic rivals as she looks for a second term in 2014 but most voters remain undecided.

Bondi takes 30 percent when matched against House Democratic Leader Perry Thurston, D-Fort Lauderdale, who takes 14 percent, while the remainder of voters are undecided. Bondi takes 29 percent against former Deputy Attorney General George Sheldon who garners 11 percent.