When Rep. David Rivera, R-Miami, announced that he had hauled in $700,000 for his congressional campaign, he opened eyes in Washington. Now, more than 30 Republicans in Congress are holding a fundraiser for Rivera with some of the biggest conservative stars in the House taking part, including Minority Leader Rep. John Boehner, R-OH. With his superb fundraising and now national support, Rivera may have enough backing to scare Senate Majority Leader Alex Diaz de la Portilla, R-Miami, from entering the race...
Seeking to close the fundraising advantage of Senate President Jeff Atwater, R-North Palm Beach, the Republican frontrunner for the state's chief financial officer post, Democrat Loranne Ausley, will be holding a fundraising event in Washington next week. While U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson and part of the Florida delegation in the U.S. House will be hosting the event, one of the more interesting names associated with it is the founder of the moderate-leaning Democratic Leadership Caucus Al From Although the Legislature is in session, Sen. Dan Gelber, D-North Miami Beach, continues to hit the campaign trail for his bid to become the Democratic nominee for attorney general. Having spent last weekend in Gainesville, Gelber will be in Lake Mary, Davie and Sunrise this upcoming weekend.
DeLand Mayor Bob Apgar will be seeking a third term in office. Hes drawn a challenger in businessman Robert Q. Booth Lake Wales is taking a serious look at its government and is considering the first serious city charter revision in three decades. Looking for a representative in Floridas congressional delegation who is strongly backing President Obamas call for drilling 125 miles away from the shore? Based on his comments to the press, Republican Rep. Ander Crenshaw is increasingly backing the measure
Is Rep. Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda, D-Tallahassee, in trouble? She is being challenged by former Leon County Democrats Chairman Rick Minor in a primary. Minor is keeping pace with the incumbent and, when in-kind donations are included, exceeded Rehwinkel Vasilindas fundraising in the first quarter of 2010...Mike Tolbert, the political guru who helped political unknown John Peyton become mayor of Jacksonville, just left publisher Jim Baileys mayoral campaign. While this is only a week after Bailey announced his decision to enter the race, Tolbert said he had opportunities to work on the West Coast that he could not refuse...
Hundreds of thousands of dollars are flowing into the fight to replace Victor Crist, R-Tampa, in the Senate. Hillsborough County Commissioner Jim Norman has now raised over $450,000 for his bid for a vacant state senate seat. One of Normans rivals for the Republican nomination, Rep. Kevin Ambler, R-Tampa, has brought in over $266,000. Who says money is tight?...
Former Jacksonville Mayor Louis Ritter passed away at the age of 84. Best known for his tenure as mayor from 1965 until 1967 and his commitment to civil rights, Ritter was a long time member of the city council, one of the leaders of John F. Kennedys state campaign operation in 1960 and a member of the Johnson administration, in which he served as one of the chief aides to Sargent Shriver. Ritter would later serve in Gov. Reubin Askews administration and work in Tallahassee as a lobbyist South Daytona Mayor Blaine ONeal passed away at the age of 43 from an apparent heart attack. ONeal spent the last decade in public service, including five years as mayor and five years on the South Daytona City Council...
Longtime Panhandle legislator Thomas Tom Tobiassen passed away last week at the age of 78. Tobiassen served 16 years in the House and 8 years in the Senate as both as a Democrat and Republican. Tobiassen was active on a number of issues during his many years in the Legislature, including tax reform and maritime issues. A budget hawk and a fiscal conservative, he joined other Democrats in opposing the sales tax increase that Gov. Bob Martinez backed in 1987. Tobiassen had been in the news a good deal the past month after his grandson shot and killed his father, Tobiassens son-in-law, on March 11.
