Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, a former RNC chairman and a possible presidential candidate in 2012, will be attending the RPOFs dinner on Friday night. Barbour, who is currently chairman of the Republican Governors Association, will be there with GOP gubernatorial candidate Rick Scott -- who Barbour ripped into during the Republican primary Democratic congressional candidate Heather Beaven got the backing of Gen. Wesley Clark in her bid to knock off U.S. Rep. John Mica. Clark is best known for his command of NATO forces in the Balkans and his stab for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown announced on Wednesday that the state of Florida was getting $200 million to deal with housing from the federal government, including funds for people facing foreclosure. Brown announced that $40 million of that was headed to her district -- something she is sure to bring up on the campaign trail as she tries to hold off Republican challenger Mike Yost
The Republicans will be converging on the Sarasota County Fairgrounds on Saturday, led by former House Speaker Marco Rubio, the GOP candidate in the U.S. Senate election. Also in attendance will be the Republican gubernatorial ticket -- Scott and running mate Rep. Jennifer Carroll of Jacksonville. State CFO nominee Senate President Jeff Atwater of North Palm Beach will be there; so will former Assistant State Attorney Pam Bondi who won the Republican nomination for attorney general. U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan and a host of state legislators and candidates will also be attending the event Democrats had their own rally in Orlando earlier in the week. On Monday, Labor Day, the AFL-CIO held a rally that was led by U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek, the Democratic nominee in the U.S. Senate contest. Also there was U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson who faces a serious fight in November from former House Speaker Dan Webster and TEA Party candidate Peg Dunmire for re-election. Two candidates for statewide office were attending: former Rep. Loranne Ausley who is battling Atwater for the CFO job, and former Tallahassee Mayor Scott Maddox who is running to be commissioner of agriculture and consumer services
Gov. Charlie Crist named former Neptune Beach Mayor Dick Brown to the Jacksonville City Council seat vacated when Art Graham went to the PSC. Brown served on the council for most of the '90s Yet another Democrat is backing Crist, who is running without party affiliation, for the U.S. Senate race over Meek. Former Sen. Skip Campbell, best known for being the Democratic candidate who lost the attorney general race to Bill McCollum back in 2006, endorsed Crist earlier this week Former Gov. Jeb Bush continues to travel the country stumping for candidates. Bush hit the campaign trail in Kansas earlier in the month with U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback, who launched a short-lived attempt at the Republican presidential nomination in 2008, and is now running for governor
Delegates from FIFA visited Miami on Wednesday as America pushes to host the World Cup in either 2018 or 2022. While the FIFA officials met with various sports executives, they also met with former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala who currently serves as president of the University of Miami Rep. Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, is a heavy favorite over Democratic nominee Coast Guard veteran Elena McCullough come November. While he has a huge fund-raising advantage, Weatherford is putting together a ground game and will be hitting Land OLakes on Saturday Michael Worley from Barry University has been named communications director of the national College Democrats of America. Worley worked as an intern for House Minority Leader Franklin Sands of Weston and on Sen. Dave Aronbergs unsuccessful bid for the Democratic nomination for attorney general.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
