Palin stumps for Trump at Strawberry Festival

Former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin was greeted with cheers and throngs of adoring supporters during a Sunday appearance at the Florida Strawberry Festival in support of Donald Trump.
Read more at the Tampa Tribune Read More......

His Presidential Bid Over, Ben Carson Has a Big Polling Lead

Ben Carson, who just days ago dropped his lackluster Republican Party presidential bid amid languishing poll numbers and a disappearing profile, is leading in Florida polling by a wide margin, but in the contest for the Sunshine State's soon-to-be-open Senate seat. Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson speaks during CPAC 2016 March 4, 2016 in National Harbor, Maryland.
Read more at US News & World Report Read More......

Mike Lee backs Ron DeSantis for Senate

Sen. Mike Lee of Utah has endorsed Ron DeSantis for Senate.

"Ron DeSantis is the gold standard for constitutional conservatism in Florida and is the clear conservative choice for the U.S. Senate,” Lee said in a statement.


Read more at the Tampa Bay Times Read More......

Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio are far behind in their own home state

There's fresh evidence here of the unthinkable: Florida's biggest Republican stars, former governor Jeb Bush and Sen. Marco Rubio, run the risk of losing their state's winner-take-all primary next year to an out-of-state contender.
A loss in their home state could force both Bush and Rubio out of the presidential race after March 15, when Florida and three other states will hold the first winner-take-all primaries.


Read more at the Washington Post Read More......

Marco Rubio should resign, not rip us off

Marco Rubio, who hates his job, should follow John Boehner's lead and resign. After five years in the U.S. Senate, Marco Rubio does not like his job. A long-time friend told The Washington Post "he hates it." Rubio says hate might be too strong a word, but he sure acts like he hates his job. Rubio has missed more votes than any other senator this year. His seat is regularly empty for floor votes, committee meetings and intelligence briefings. He says he's MIA from his J-O-B because he finds it frustrating and wants to be president, instead.


Read more at the Sun Sentinel Read More......

Carson closing in on Trump in Florida

Donald Trump continues to lead the Republican presidential field in Florida, but is losing his edge in the key battleground state. The GOP front-runner is the first choice candidate for 21.7 percent of Republican voters in Florida, but only 6 percent of voters named him their second choice in a University of North Florida poll released Monday.


Read more at the Washington Examiner Read More......

Judge's ruling upends Florida's political landscape

The political careers of several members of Congress — including a Republican seeking to become the next U.S. House speaker — could come to an abrupt halt under a sweeping overhaul of Florida's electoral map.


Florida Circuit Judge Terry Lewis on Friday recommended new boundaries for the state's 27 congressional districts, some of which would make it nearly impossible for U.S. Rep. Dan Webster — one of the hard-line conservatives who pushed John Boehner to resign as speaker and then turned on Boehner's No. 2, Kevin McCarthy — to win re-election from his current central Florida district.


Read more at Yahoo News Read More......

Poll of Florida GOP voters shows Jeb Bush, Donald Trump in close battle for Florida

A new poll of likely Florida Republican primary voters shows Donald Trump in a virtual dead heat with former Gov. Jeb Bush. U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio lagged far behind with single digits.
The poll was conducted on behalf of The Florida Times-Union, and two FOX affiliates — WTVT-TV Channel 13 in Tampa Bay and WOFL-TV Channel 5 in Orlando — by Opinion Savvy along with InsiderAdvantage, a company that is affiliated with Times-Union parent company Morris Communications.


Read more at the Florida Times Union Read More......

Walker Tells Private Group He'll Skip Florida Primary

Scott Walker has insisted he will be able to “compete anywhere in the country” as a candidate for president — but, at a private event in St. Louis on Sunday, Walker said he does not plan to compete in Florida, contradicting his own public assertions that he would not skip that primary. During a fundraiser at the St. Louis home of Rex Sinquefield, Missouri’s most active Republican donor, Walker reasoned that it “doesn't make a ton of sense for him to pour cash into Florida” with Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio in the race, said one person who was present for Walker’s remarks. Bush is a former Florida governor, and Rubio is a senator from Florida.


Read more at Real Clear Politics Read More......

Ron DeSantis, Tea Party Favorite, Becomes First Republican to Enter Senate Race

Rep. Ron DeSantis has only been in elected office for two-and-a-half years, but the sophomore congressmen from Jacksonville has decided he's ready for the next step. Today, DeSantis announced his campaign for the senate seat soon to be vacated by Marco Rubio, becoming the first major Republican in the race.
Like Rubio, DeSantis is a Tea Party and conservative favorite and announced his decision with endorsement from three key groups: the Club For Growth, the Senate Conservatives Fund, and FreedomWorks, all of which are known for sticking to hardcore right-wing principals, and aren't afraid to criticize or take on mainstream Republicans who stray from them.


Read more at Miami New Times Read More......

Florida poll: Rollout helps Marco Rubio tie Jeb Bush in home state

Sen. Marco Rubio’s splashy presidential-campaign announcement and his subsequent media blitz has likely helped him catch up with friend and former mentor Jeb Bush in their home state of Florida, according to a new poll of 400 registered Republican voters.
Rubio garnered 31 percent support from Republicans and essentially tied Bush’s 30 percent, according to a Mason-Dixon Polling & Research survey conducted Tuesday through Thursday and shared exclusively with POLITICO. The other likely and announced presidential candidates polled in the single digits and 17 percent were undecided.


Read more at Politico Read More......

Conservative Groups Cheer as Rep. Ron DeSantis Announces Interest in Florida Senate Run

National conservative groups may get one of their first-choice recruits this year in Florida's open Senate race, if Rep. Ron DeSantis follows through on his initial interest in replacing 2016 presidential candidate Marco Rubio.
DeSantis, a 36-year-old Iraq War veteran and founding member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, said in a statement Tuesday that he will consider running to replace Rubio next year. "As it became clear that Senator Rubio was likely to run for president, I received encouragement to consider running for the Senate," DeSantis said, adding that he and his wife "will use the next several weeks to discuss the race with our friends and supporters and will make a decision in short order."


Read more at National Journal Read More......

David Jolly defeats Alex Sink in Florida 13th

Republican David Jolly narrowly defeated Democrat Alex Sink in the special election for Florida’s 13th District on Tuesday in an expensive race watched closely by both parties as the midterm election season kicks into high gear.  With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Jolly beat Sink 48.5 percent to 46.6 percent, according to The Associated Press.  Both Democrats and the GOP plowed millions of dollars into the swing district race in hopes of an election year boost. The results appeared to vindicate the strategy of the GOP, which focused its attacks on linking Sink to Obamacare and managed to win with an untested candidate that many in the national party had grown frustrated with.

Read more at Politico Read More......