Health care executive Rick Scott has hit the campaign trail. The Republican gubernatorial candidate, now leading in the polls over Attorney General Bill McCollum for the GOP nomination, campaigned through the Panhandle over the weekend, hit Bartow on Monday and will speak in Tallahassee on Thursday. Hes talked on a number of subjects from abortion to health care to defending his record at HCA/Columbia Speaking of Scott, Rep. Mike Weinstein, R-Orange Park, has introduced the gubernatorial candidate a number of times now. Weinstein said he will not endorse a candidate until after the qualifying period is over -- which is Friday -- but there is increasing speculation on the First Coast that he plans to back Scott. Despite his many years in Jacksonville politics, Weinstein is something of an outsider in the House and was one of the most prominent Republicans to oppose SB 6 earlier in the year
Scott will not be at the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors/Florida Press Association meeting at the Ritz-Carlton in Sarasota later in the week, but most of the other major candidates running for statewide office will be. While Scott is not attending, the rest of the major gubernatorial candidates -- McCollum, Democratic state CFO Alex Sink and independent candidate Bud Chiles will be there. The leading candidates running for the U.S. Senate will also be addressing the meeting -- independent Gov. Charlie Crist, Republican former House Speaker Marco Rubio and Democrats U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek and billionaire Jeff Greene Two attorney general candidates will be in Lakeland this week: Republican Pam Bondi will be speaking there on Thursday; Sen. Dave Aronberg, D-Greenacres will be hosting a fund-raiser there Wednesday night. The Aronberg camp's folks said they held a fund-raiser last week in Lee County that raked in $12,000, making it the most lucrative fund-raising event their candidate has held so far in the campaign ...
Former Suwannee County Commissioner Randy Hatch, now running in the Democratic primary for agriculture commissioner, hit DeLand last week as he continued his Florida at 20 mph tour, hitting the campaign trail on his tractor The Florida Medical Association PAC has been busy backing candidates for the Legislature, including Republican Jack Latvala for the Senate seat being vacated by Charlie Justice, D-St. Petersburg, and Republican Jim Norman for the Senate seat being vacated by Victor Crist, R-Tampa Former Ruth's Chris CEO Craig Miller, currently running in a close Republican primary to take on U.S. Rep. Suzanne Kosmas, is launching an online ad blitz Loranne Ausley, the front-runner for the Democratic nomination for state CFO, is stepping up her fund-raising efforts. Ausley will be holding a major fund-raiser in Miami on Sunday being hosted by Dr. Wil Blechman and Rachel Blechman from the Holland & Knight law firm
Republican congressional candidate Mike Prendergast, looking to defeat Democratic U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, was campaigning at the Tampa Tea Party event last weekend Former House Speaker Allan Bense was elected to the board of directors of Gulf Power Mario Diaz-Balart 2012? Well, probably not, but his former staffer Katie Horgan is now working for the New Hampshire Republican Party handling state representative races in that key presidential battleground Veteran Circuit Judge Jack Springstead is retiring from the bench in November. Appointed to his current position by Gov. Bob Martinez, Springstead is based out of Hernando County.
