Bits and pieces from the Republican presidential debate in Jacksonville on Thursday night ...
Mitt Romney was subjected to an aerial attack over his taxes before the debate. A plane flew over the University of North Florida with a banner reading Betya 10k your tax rate is higher than Mitts ... Ron Paul backers were out in full force at UNF, waving signs and chanting the congressmans name. Struggling to break double digits in polls of the Sunshine State, Paul will be spending Friday and Saturday in Maine, which holds its caucus over a week in early February ... Newt Gingrich scored points on the First Coast in his introduction by noting his support for a nuclear aircraft carrier based in Mayport ...
Florida state Rep. Scott Plakon, R-Longwood, was out front and center for Rick Santorum in the spin room after the debate. Plakon, who had backed Herman Cain earlier in the race, endorsed Santorum on Thursday. Rick Santorum is the principled, consistent, conservative of all the candidates, Plakon told Sunshine State News on Thursday night. Noting that Santorum backed the proposed state constitutional amendment that would allow Floridians to opt out of the federal health-care law signed by President Barack Obama, Plakon called it a clear, bright line dividing his candidate from Romney and Gingrich. Plakon also told Sunshine State News that Santorum has no intention of dropping out of the race no matter the result in Florida ... Santorum himself made an appearance in the spin room, something none of the other candidates did ... Incoming Florida House Speaker Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, worked the spin room for Romney. Weatherford praised Romneys performance, insisting to Sunshine State News that it was his strongest yet. The legislative leader predicted a win for Romney on Tuesday ... U.S. Rep. Connie Mack, R-Fla., and his wife, U.S. Rep. Mary Bono Mack, R-Calif., were part of Romneys team in the spin room. So was former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who had been a candidate in the race before pulling out after a disappointing finish in the Iowa straw poll in August ... Gingrich was well-represented by former Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum, former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee and former U.S. Rep. J.C. Watts of Oklahoma ... Press Secretary Gary Howard represented Ron Paul in the spin room ...
Mack, part of a crowded primary field looking to challenge Democrat incumbent U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in November, has been doing yeomans work to push Romney in the Sunshine State, but he wasnt the only Senate candidate working the debates. Former U.S. Sen. George LeMieux, who is also running for the nomination, was in attendance -- just as he was earlier in the week after the debate in Tampa. While most of the focus has been on the presidential primary, LeMieux has had a good week with two appearances on Fox News and one on MSNBC. He has not endorsed any candidates for president ... Republicans were seeing red as South Florida U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, attended the debate -- literally since she wore red. Wasserman Schultz worked the media, holding a news event on Thursday afternoon to trash Romney. She also spoke on CNN from the debate site ... Republican Party of Florida Chairman Lenny Curry spoke to the crowd before the debate and recognized Florida GOP activist Sharon Day, the co-chairwoman of the Republican National Committee. Curry also singled out two First Coast Republican leaders -- U.S. Rep. Ander Crenshaw and Florida state Sen. John Thrasher. Curry also worked the spin room, praising the debate and insisting that Republicans would be united in the Sunshine State come November ...
Students carried signs urging Americans to swoop for our vote -- a reference to the UNF Osprey teams. UNF President John Delaney, the Republican who served two terms as mayor of Jacksonville, was beaming before the debate, taking photos with students outside the media center. Delaney addressed the crowd before the debate ... Before the debate, Wolf Blitzer, the moderator for CNN, went out of his way to praise UNF, the campus and students ... Jacksonville University -- UNFs River City Rumble rival -- also received some national exposure with a forum held there on fiscal issues Thursday. JU President Kerry Romesburg was in attendance and introduced the speakers, including former U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez ... Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown showcased the Bold New City of the South on Thursday night. Brown, along with Visit Jacksonville and the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce, held a reception at UNF to highlight the city.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
