Reporter William March has covered state and national politics since 1994. Email
Reporter Mike Salinero has covered Hillsborough County government for The Tampa Tribune since 2007. Email
Reporter Lindsay Peterson has been a general assignment reporter at the Tampa Tribune since 2005, focusing on higher education since 2009. Email
Posted Jun 18, 2012 by William March
Updated Jun 18, 2012 at 05:39 PM
President Barack Obama will give a speech to Hispanic elected officials in Orlando, then hold a campaign event in Tampa, Friday.
Details of the Tampa event aren’t available yet, but it will be a public event rather than a private fundraiser, campaign officials said.
Earlier in the day, Obama will speak to the National Association of Latino Elected Officials in Orlando.
Posted Jun 8, 2012 by William March
Updated Jun 8, 2012 at 04:48 PM
Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s approval ratings, after improving over the last few months, have relapsed, leaving him vulnerable to almost any significant Democratic challenger, according to a Public Pollcy Polling survey.
In the poll, 31 percent of registered voters said they approve of Scott’s performance in office, to 56 percent disapproval.
Scott’s actions in initiating and pushing a recent purge of voter rolls aimed at non-citizens—which Democrats and voting rights activists say threatens to disenfranchise legitimate voters and is politically motivated—may have hurt his popularity, the poll suggested. Only 34 percent of those in the poll approved of the purge, and 50 percent disapproved.
In the poll, Democratic state Sen. Nan Rich of Weston, who’s planning to run for governor in 2014, beat Scott 47-35 percent in a hypothetical general election matchup, even though only 14 percent of the voters said they knew enough about her to express a favorable or unfavorable opinion of her.
Scott’s approval dropped as low as 26 percent in a PPP poll in December. It climbed back to 34 percent in subsequent PPP polls, and higher levels in other polls.
The May 31-June 3 PPP poll, using automated dialing or “robopoll” methodology, included 642 Florida voters for an error margin of 3.9 percent. PPP is a North Carolina-based, Democratic oriented polling and consulting firm, but says its published polls are neutral and are not paid for by any candidate or party. Full results here.
Posted Jun 8, 2012 by William March
Updated Jun 8, 2012 at 04:32 PM
After announcing he’ll skip a televised debate in the Senate Republican primary, Connie Mack IV will also miss a candidates’ forum and straw poll at the state Young Republicans convention in Palm Beach this weekend.
YR’s Chairman Peret Pass of Jacksonville said she was surprised that two candidates—Mack and Mike McCalister—both declined the invitation to appear.
McCalister, she said, declined after being told there was to be a straw poll after the event. She said Mack never provided any reason why he’s not coming.
She said the forum and straw poll will go forward with candidates George LeMieux and Dave Weldon expected to attend.
Mack campaign spokesman David James said the campaign is “focused on running our campaign against liberal Bill Nelson and have other events planned this weekend.” He said he expects any straw poll won’t include Mack’s name.
Pass said Mack “doesn’t seem to want to do anything grass-roots oriented. We think it’s unfortunate. Our clubs across the state have tried to reach out to the candidates and have them address the local clubs. The only candidates who have been making that effort at the local level have been George LeMieux and Col. McCalister.”
Mack said this week he won’t participate in a planned June 26 debate to be broadcast statewide on public television and radio networks because, in effect, the primary race is over and he has won.
“It’s clear the race for the U.S. Senate in Florida is now between Connie Mack, the Republican, and Bill Nelson, the Democrat. A primary debate among Republicans would only serve to benefit Bill Nelson,” Mack campaign manager Jeff Cohen wrote in declining the debate to an editor of the Tampa Bay Times, one of the sponsors.
Posted Jun 7, 2012 by William March
Updated Jun 7, 2012 at 02:19 PM
Connie Mack IV has a long lead in the Republican U.S. Senate primary, but incumbent Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson has double-digit leads over Mack and all other potential Republican challengers, according to a new Public Pollicy Polling survey.
The numbers:
—In the GOP primary, Mack led with 34 percent to George Lemieux’s 13 percent, Mike McCalister’s 10 percent and 6 percent for former Rep. Dave Weldon, a new entry to the race. But “undecided,” at 28 percent, together with “someone else,” 9 percent, still took first place.
—Mack led the primary despite anemic favorability ratings. Among all voters, those with unfavorable opinions outnumbered those with favorable opinions, 27 percent to 19 percent, with 53 percent “not sure” answers. Among Republicans, he got 27 percent favorable to 20 percent unfavorable and 53 percent unsure ratings.
—In general election matchups, Nelson led Mack Mack by 49-36 percent; LeMieux by 48-35 percent; McCalister 47-33 percent and Weldon 47-31 percent.
—Nelson held those strong leads despite less-than-stellar approval numbers. Only 39 percent approve of his performance as senator, while 31 percent disapprove and 30 percent said they don’t know.
Pollster Tom Jensen said Nelson appears “safe” in his Senate seat, at least for now, based in part on significant amounts of crossover support from Republicans and big leads among independent voters.
The PPP results are roughly similar to an NBC/Marist poll poll last month that showed Nelson with a smaller lead over Mack, 43-38 percent. They differ from a Quinnipiac University poll that showed a statistical tie, Mack at 42 percent to Nelson’s 41 percent. The Quinnipiac poll also showed Mack with a larger lead in the primary.
Posted Jun 6, 2012 by William March
Updated Jun 6, 2012 at 02:26 PM
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Connie Mack IV has announced an endorsement by former Gov. Jeb Bush in the Republican primary.
It’s the biggest prize yet in the endorsement battle between Mack and his leading opponent, George LeMieux, and a blow to the hopes of former congressman Dave Weldon, a new entry to the race.
In an announcement from the campaign, Bush called Mack a “principled conservative” and said he “has the courage, conservative values, experience and determination to confront the tough issues facing our nation.”
Mack has led in the race with LeMieux for endorsements from major GOP political figures, winning backing from Mitt Romney; the American Conservative Union and its president, Al Cardenas; Puerto Rico Gov. Luis Fortuno; and most recently, Utah Sen. Mike Lee, a tea party favorite.
But LeMieux has grabbed his share of support, getting backing from some big names including 35 state legislators and another senator who represents the GOP’s conservative wing, Tom Coburn of Oklahoma.
The Bush endorsement, however, is the biggest announcement in the race so far, from the man who is, along with Sen. Marco Rubio, one of the two most influential and best-known Republicans in the state.
Rubio hasn’t taken sides in the race yet, but it seems unlikely he would back LeMieux, given LeMieux’s role in the 2010 campaign against Rubio by former Gov. Charlie Crist, LeMieux’s long-time political patron.
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