66° SUNNY, -
Tuesday, January 06, 2009, 4:02 pm
Jeb Bush won’t run for U.S. Senate
Former Gov. Jeb Bush announced he won’t run for the U.S. Senate in 2010.
Bush sent a statement to the media just moments ago announced his decision.
“After thoughtful consideration, I have decided not to run for the United States Senate in 2010,” Bush said in a statement to the media just moments ago. “While the opportunity to serve my state and country during these turbulent and dynamic times is compelling, now is not the right time to return to elected office.” -
Tuesday, January 06, 2009, 2:38 pm
Buchanan, Rooney and Castor start new terms in Congress
U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan officially begins his second term in office today.This time U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan’s swearing in went on without a hitch.
Buchanan, R-Longboat Key, along with the 434 other members of the U.S. Representatives, took their oath of office just minutes ago. And this time there was no interruption as there was two years ago when Buchanan was first being sworn-in.
In 2007, U.S. Rep. Rush Holt, D-N.J., stopped the swearing in to make sure the dispute over Buchanan 2006 election victory was included in the official congressional record.
There was no such interruption today.
Also sworn in today as U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney, a Palm Beach Republican who is replacing former Rep. Tim Mahoney, D-Palm Beach Gardens. Rooney will represent most of Charlotte County.
U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, a Democrat who represents part of Bradenton and Palmetto, also took the oath of office. Castor, like Buchanan, is starting her second term.
- Jeremy Wallace -
Monday, January 05, 2009, 5:58 pm
Shelin declares candidacy for city commission
Sarasota city commissioner Ken Shelin made official what many already expected: he’s running for re-election.
In a press release sent out to the media today, Shelin explained why he is running for re-election to the 5-member city commission. The reasons included a list of five “strategies” he wants to see to completion.
Here’s the list:
- Create incentives to encourage retail development in the downtown core;
- Expedite projects that improve public transit, infrastructure and the environment;
- Increase connectivity for our downtown streets and the bayfront;
- Encourage green initiatives, including land development permitting changes, and consistency between City and County;
- Change our mindset from the obstructionism of so-called "slow" growth to one of "controlled" growth (Shelin sponsored a cap on barrier-island building height).
Here’s Shelin’s website: http://www.keepken.com/
Shelin, a registered Democrat, is running for one of two at-large city commission seats on the ballot on March 10. The city elections are labeled non-partisan, though both political parties have historically been involved in the contests.
Shelin is the third candidate to announce intentions to run. Licensed mental health counselor Suzanne Atwell and Terry Turner, a former senior manager in the banking industry, have also declared.
-Jeremy Wallace -
Monday, January 05, 2009, 4:43 pm
Crist vs. Jeb undercurrent for 2009?
One of the interesting side effects to former Gov. Jeb Bush’s stated interest in running for the U.S. Senate has been the re-ignition of the notion of a feud between Bush and Gov. Charlie Crist.
That supposed feud first took root in 2006 when Bush was perceived to have done little to help Crist win his election. That following January Crist canceled 283 of Jeb Bush’s final appointments to various boards and commissions.
Though Crist nor Bush has ever acknowledged such a feud, the perception of one existing continues, as demonstrated on Republican websites over the weekend.
On conservative website RedState.com, Erick Erickson suggested Crist is doing his best to stop Bush from running for the Senate in 2010 to replace the retiring Mel Martinez.
Erickson wrote in his blog on Friday:
“Charlie Crist has been on a roll lately undermining conservatives. Behind the scenes, he is trying to drum up opposition to Jeb Bush’s Senate run, not because he doesn’t want another Bush, but because he wants a more moderate candidate.”
Read the full blog here: http://www.redstate.com/erick/2009/01/02/call-charlie-crist-at-850-488-7146-and-tell-him-not-to-pick-labarga
Today, The Miami New Times blog joins in working off of the same RedState post wondering if a “major” feud is brewing between Crist and Bush.
They write: “Either way, if Jeb runs for Senate, it will be very interesting to see how much support Crist sends his way.”
Read the full post here: http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/riptide/2009/01/is_there_a_major_bush_vs_crist.php
Other conservative sites say if Jeb Bush has any intention of running for President in 2016, seizing the Senate seat now is essential.
On the National Review Online this morning, Kathryn Jean Lopez insists its not so crazy to imagine Jeb Bush running for president despite his brothers low approval ratings. She writes:
“Jeb for President can't happen four years from now. But if Jeb Bush runs for the Martinez Senate seat and puts in some hard time there, voters might consider the presidential possibility, even if he would be a third Bush (the media is another story and might make a win impossible). The man is certainly qualified. He'll demonstrate that he is, nationally, if he spends time in the Senate. Again, it's just not the craziest idea, and people might come to agree that it's not two cycles down the road.”
-Jeremy Wallace -
Thursday, December 18, 2008, 1:56 pm
W encouraging Jeb Bush to run for U.S. Senate
President George W. Bush is all for his brother Jeb Bush running for the U.S. Senate in Florida.
In an interview with CNN’s Candy Crowley this week, President Bush said he told Jeb Bush to run for the U.S. Senate in 2010.
Current Sen. Mel Martinez, an Orlando Republican, announced in early December that he would not seek re-election, opening the door for Jeb Bush to run for the seat. Jeb Bush has said he is seriously considering running.
President Bush told Crowley that though he told Jeb he should run, he still does not know if his younger brother will.
“I really don't know,” Bush said. “I wish he would. He’d be a great senator.”
Those comments are similar to those he gave in an interview published this week on RealClearPolitics.com.
“I think the party would benefit a lot by having Jeb Bush in the U.S. Senate," the President Bush told RealClearPolitics.com. "I think Florida would benefit a lot. I think the country would benefit a lot. And I think the Republican Party would benefit a lot. He is a proven leader who, when given responsibilities, succeeded."
President Bush said he has not spoken to his father, 41st President George H.W. Bush, about Jeb running for the Senate but has a hunch of what his father would say.
“First of all, knowing my dad, I bet he would say I want Jeb to do that which is best for him and then he would go on to say, but if he chose to run, he would be a great United States senator. And he would be,” President Bush said in the CNN interview. -
Thursday, December 11, 2008, 1:24 pm
Buchanan votes against auto bailout
U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan was among the 150 Republicans that voted against the auto company bailout last night.
The vote comes as little surprise given that last week Buchanan told an audience at a townhall meeting in Lakewood Ranch that he opposed the bailout legislation.
Still, the Auto Industry Financing and Restructuring Act passed the U.S. House 237 to 170. One person was absent and 26 others did not vote.
In a statement to the media last night, Buchanan said it was wrong to ask taxpayers to bailout car companies that failed to restructure their operations.
“Although I understand the need to take steps to keep our economy from slipping deeper into recession, I seriously question whether spending billions more in taxpayer money is the right approach,” Buchanan said in the statement.
Buchanan himself is a car dealer. The Longboat Key Republican owns 5 auto dealerships.
One surprise last night was who showed up for the vote. U.S. Rep. Tim Mahoney, D-Palm Beach Gardens, who lost his seat in November after admitting to having “multiple” affairs, voted for the bailout.
Mahoney, who represents most of Charlotte County, has not returned calls seeking comment.
Mahoney is still the sitting Congressman until newly elected Tom Rooney, a Republican, is sworn in.
U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Tampa, also voted for the bailout. Castor represents parts of Bradenton and Palmetto.
--Jeremy Wallace -
Tuesday, December 09, 2008, 4:20 pm
Carlton for U.S. House? Not likely
Some politicians are adept at feeding speculation that they are considering running for higher office just to keep their name in lights.
Then there is Lisa Carlton.
Though a long list is forming of potential Republicans interested in running for the 13th Congressional District should Vern Buchanan jump to the U.S. Senate, Carlton made it clear she is not be on the list.
“I’m not interested in running for Congress,” the former state senator said in an interview earlier today.
Though the popular Carlton would be a good bet to win nearly anything she wants to run for, the Osprey Republican said she doesn’t need to run for office to have an impact on Sarasota County.
She said she hopes to be proof of what she’s been telling school kids for years: “You don’t have to be elected to make a difference.”
Carlton said she is getting more involved with the Nature Conservancy, the Asolo Theatre, the Education Foundation of Sarasota and the Gulf Coast Builders Exchange. -
Thursday, December 04, 2008, 9:47 pm
Why Jeb would not do it, and why he would
Almost immediately when former Gov. Jeb Bush’s name was kicked around as a possibility for the U.S. Senate, those who have watched him closely over the last two decades laughed off the idea.
Surely, Bush who is used to calling the shots wouldn’t survive as one of 100 in a seniority-driven U.S. Senate. Right?
“It’s not a good fit for him,” Darryl Paulson, a University of South Florida political science professor, said he had convinced himself of Wednesday.
No way, added David Johnson the Republican political consultant from Atlanta who closely follows Florida politics.
Paulson, who spoke at length with Bush weeks ago for a book he’s working on about Florida politics, said he initially thought Bush’s personality was all wrong for the position. Plus when he interviewed Bush for his book, he did not get any sense he wanted to run for the Senate or anything else.
And then there’s the yoke of his older brother’s image. Given how unpopular George W. Bush is, Jeb Bush would not only have to battle whatever Democrat he faced, but he would be carrying the baggage of his brother.
Granted Jeb Bush was very popular as governor, but by the time the election occurs it will be four years since he held office, which in Florida politics is an eternity because of the states constant influx of new arrivals.
Both were good points...24 hours ago. Paulson said he was one of those who first thought no way Jeb Bush would run.
But now?
“I think its more likely than I thought in my own initial assessments,” he said.
So the two biggest cons for Bush are:
1. Surviving his brother’s lack of popularity and
2. his own personality of not easily being submissive to the will of 99 other Senators.
What about the pros?
Let’s review, with a big assist from Paulson, who by the way, will be on a live episode of Florida This Week on WEDU (http://www.wedu.org) with me between 8:30 and 9:30 p.m. on Friday night.
1. Redemption. Paulson said Jeb Bush could restore the family name quickly. He’d not only cruise in the primary, but would have a good chance in a general election battle against anyone the Democrats could put up. Plus Jeb Bush was always considered a smart politician with an almost wonkish attention to public policy details. That could counter the popular image of George W. Bush, frequently lampooned for his misstatements.
2. Republican branding. Bush is honestly troubled by the direction of the GOP and is convinced he could help re-brand it.
3. Hispanic voters. With Sen. Mel Martinez not running again, there will be no Hispanic Republicans in the U.S. Senate. Bush of course is not Hispanic, but his fluent Spanish has always made him a favorite with Hispanic voters.
4. Presidential aspirations. If Bush foresees running four or eight years from now, time in the Senate on the national stage would keep him in the public eye until then.
What am I leaving off here? Can anyone think of other reasons Jeb Bush would not run or reasons he might? You can leave a comment here, or shot me an email at jeremy.wallace@heraldtribune.com -
Wednesday, December 03, 2008, 6:09 pm
Jennings not likely to run again for Congress
Even if U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan leaves the 13th District to run for the U.S. Senate, Democrat Christine Jennings appears unlikely to run for the vacated seat.
Jennings, who has twice lost to Buchanan for the 13th Congressional District, left a message with me today to make it clear she’s not thinking about running again, especially just four weeks after the last campaign.
“Right now I have no intention of running again,” Jennings said.
Another State Rep. Keith Fitzgerald, D-Sarasota, said he too isn’t thinking about the race right now. He said he is still recovering mentally from his Nov. 4 campaign over Republican Laura Benson and doesn’t even want to think about running again right now. -
Wednesday, December 03, 2008, 1:04 pm
Detert not likely to run for Congress, but many others on the list
If U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan opts to run for the U.S. Senate seat in 2010, don’t expect to see State Sen. Nancy Detert, R-Venice, on the list of potential candidates for Congress.
Detert finished second to Buchanan in 2006 in the GOP primary, and won Sarasota County.
But having just won a seat in the state senate, Detert said she feels an obligation to serve as the state senator.
Even without Detert, the list continues to grow. Here’s my updated list of people I’m trying to get a hold of as potential candidates (in no particular order) for the 13th District should Buchanan depart.
- State Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton. Bennett is not termed out of the Florida Senate until 2012, but given he already represents a district that covers the same counties as the Congressional District he would be well positioned. What he’s said so far: He might have a lot to think about if Buchanan jumps.
- Tramm Hudson, Sarasota Republican. Sure he lost the last election, but Hudson has deep Republican roots still and has shown an ability to raise money even when he faced Buchanan in 2006. What he’s said so far: He doesn’t rule it out.
- State Rep. Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton. Galvano announced his intentions to run for Congress in 2006, but dropped out of the race three weeks later to help pave the way for Buchanan, who he has built an alliance with since. What he’s said so far: He’s had interest before but its too early to say right now.
- State Rep. Ron Reagan, R-Bradenton. Reagan, like Galvano are termed out of the Legislature in 2010. If Bennett runs for Congress both could seat the state senate seat. If not, with a name like Reagan in a crowded Republican primary he might be tempted. What he’s said so far: Did not call me back yesterday.
- Nora Patterson, Sarasota County Commissioner. Patterson expressed interest two years ago. What she’s said so far: She didn’t encourage me to put her on my list, but she also didn’t discourage me.
- Pat Neal, developer and former state senator. The Republican and former Democrat has an ability to self fund and statewide political connections as the former state director of the Christian Coalition. What he’s said so far: He was quite cryptic when reached yesterday. He refused to say if he’s considering it or not.
- Henry Rodriguez, Osprey developer and businessman. Those close to Rodriguez say he’s considering the seat, though Rodriguez has previous expressed little interest in running for office himself. What he’s said so far: Hasn’t returned my call.
- Joe Gruters. Twice the Republican has tried to run for the state Legislature and was Buchanan’s campaign manager in 2008. He’s expected to take over as the county GOP chairman this year, but he has as up-to-date of a view on the 13th District as anyone by running Buchanan’s campaign. What he’s said so far: He hasn’t returned my call.
- Joe McClash. The Manatee County commissioner, a Republican, seriously considered running for Congress in 2006. What he’s said so far: I haven’t reached him.
-State Rep. Keith Fitzgerald, D-Sarasota. Democrats don’t have a lot of options here, but Fitzgerald’s success in a Republican-heavy state house district could make him a focus of Democrats who might want him to run for the seat. What he’s said so far: I haven’t reached him yet.
-Morgan Bentley, Sarasota Democrat. Bentley lost his state senate bid this year, but as a conservative Democrat with great charisma he could be encouraged to run. What he’s said so far: I haven’t reached him yet.
-Christine Jennings. Three times the Sarasota Democrat has run. Not sure she would want to take a fourth shot, even though an open seat offers a better opportunity. What she’s said so far: She hasn’t returned my phone call yet.
-Jan Schneider. Hey, she’s run four times already. She certainly should be on the list right? What she’s said so far: I haven’t reached her yet. -
Monday, December 01, 2008, 3:43 pm
Locals give more money to Obama transition
It’s nowhere close to the $827,154 Barack Obama raised during the campaign in the Sarasota-Bradenton area, but the Democratic president-elect continues to collect money from donors in the area for his transition team.
According to newly posted data on the transition teams official website, Obama has raised, as of Nov. 15, about $1.2 million from 1,776 donors. That list includes five donors from the Sarasota-Manatee region that chipped in a total of $1,200.
Here’s the list of local donors:
Linda Burke, Oneco, $250
George Keane, University Part, $100
Lee Lumpkin, Osprey, $200
Britta Mackey, Sarasota, $250
Nancy Wilkins, Sarasota, $500
The Obama campaign is posting the data as part of its pledge to be transparent. They say they will post new donors monthly. Check out the full list of donors here: http://change.gov/page/content/donors/
Again, this is nothing close to the stunning financial boost Sarasota-Bradenton gave Obama during the campaign. How stunning was the $827,154 that Obama raised? Go back four years ago and you will see John Kerry raised just $251,000.
John McCain, meanwhile, raised almost the exact same dollar amount from the region that George W. Bush raised four years ago. McCain raised $584,266 while Bush raised $583,668.
However, the 2008 numbers are not complete. Both campaigns still have to file and end of year campaign report that could increase the donation numbers in this cycle. -
Tuesday, November 18, 2008, 3:46 pm
For Bentley, the money just ran out
State Senate candidate Morgan BentleyMorgan Bentley has no regrets about running for the State Senate. Though the Democrat won just 42 percent of the vote against Republican Nancy Detert on election night, Bentley said he’s not discouraged at all about politics.
“Absolutely it was a great experience,” Bentley said.
Speaking with me earlier this week, Bentley said he and state Democrats honestly thought they had a formula to beat Detert in District 23.
But, he said, neither he nor the state party had the money left in the bank at the end of the campaign to do the type of television advertising he had expected the campaign was going to end with.
That lack of advertising hurt Bentley badly as he tried to overcome a barrage of negative ads from the state Republican Party. Those ads branded him as an attorney who represented unsavory characters. Bentley never was able to define himself in the way that he said he wishes he would have been able to.
He said there was one positive ad he shot with his family that barely made it to the airwaves.
Bentley said it isn’t like he is so green that he didn’t understand the role of money in politics. But he said his race really showed how critical money is because of the size of the district he was running in. The 23rd District runs from Manatee County’s islands to the Charlotte County border with Lee County.
“I really, really learned that lesson,” Bentley said.
Detert partly gets an assist from Mike Grant, the former state representative who ran against her in the GOP primary. It is clear his campaign also knew that Detert had once sponsored legislation to allow DUI offenders to get their drivers licenses back after a five year suspension. Detert pulled the bill after just two weeks, but the information could have been the difference in the race against Grant. However, Grant never used the information in his campaign in losing by 4 percentage points.
Republicans say there was a lot of pressure from Tallahassee on both Grant and Detert to refrain from getting too rough with one another, fearing damaging one another would open the door for Bentley.
Bentley said if that information had been out sooner, it may have had a better chance of sticking. But, he said he’s not sure the public had a chance to hear the information by the time they went to vote.
Also, Bentley was no big fan of my column on Monday, where I pointed on that he was among the candidates not to call their opponents on election night to congratulate them.
“I forgot,” Bentley said.
He said he wasn’t trying to be a jerk about it. He said with all the emotion on election night, he just forgot. -
Wednesday, November 12, 2008, 2:34 pm
McCain’s margin in Sarasota shrinks to 207
Sarasota County is still red.
Revised results posted on the Florida Division of Elections website now shows Republican John McCain won Sarasota County by just 207. That’s 20 votes less than initially reported last week.
The latest number includes provisional ballots and absentee ballots which were counted on Friday, Sarasota’s assistant supervisor of elections Scott Farrington said.
(Oddly, seven voters instead of bubbling in the circle for either Obama or McCain, hand wrote their choice on the ballot. Five were for Obama and two for McCain.)
The number can still change some more on Friday, the deadline for overseas ballots to arrive. Farrington estimated the county has about 100 ballots that still could come in by Friday.
On Sunday, the election results are scheduled to be certified by the state.
The race between McCain and Barack Obama was no where near as close in Charlotte and Manatee counties.
In Charlotte, McCain won by 6,174 votes. In Manatee, McCain won by 10,686.
-Jeremy Wallace -
Tuesday, November 11, 2008, 12:54 pm
Less business, more politics for Buchanan
U.S. Rep. Vern BuchananVern Buchanan is out to shed more of his stake in the business community as he prepares for his second two-year term in office.
Following his election, Buchanan, R-Longboat Key, said the string of lawsuits filed against him and his businesses were a lesson. He said his aim now is to sell more of his business empire to curtail the people who might target him for legal action to embarrass him politically.
Buchanan and his companies were sued by several former employees and customers alleging consumer fraud and campaign violations. Buchanan has denied the charges and his companies have sued Duane Overholt, a consumer advocate working with some of the people who have sued Buchanan.
“We’re going to reduce my exposure,” said Buchanan who had more than 60 businesses, including 19 car dealerships two years ago.
Buchanan is down to less than a half-dozen car dealerships and hopes to sell others. Given the state of the auto industry, Buchanan said he wished he sold them off two years ago.
Also, keep an eye out for possible new committee assignments for Buchanan in the next Congress. With fewer Republicans returning to the House, there will certainly be a reshuffling of committee assignments. Buchanan said he’s in no rush to change his committees, which include Transportation, Veterans and small business, but if another plum spot opens up he’ll look into it.
-Jeremy Wallace -
Monday, November 10, 2008, 7:01 pm
The political divide, a.k.a. University Parkway
Sarasota and Manatee counties are separated by University Parkway, but politically the road is looking like a much greater chasm following last week’s results.
No race showed that more than the Public Defender race, which covers three counties. Democrat Adam Tebrugge won both Sarasota and DeSoto counties by a more than 6,000 votes over Republican Larry Eger.
But those gains in two traditionally Republican voting areas disappeared in Manatee County. Eger won Manatee by more than 9,500 votes.
“If Adam Tebrugge had just been running for Public Defender in Sarasota County he would have won,” Sarasota Democratic Party chairwoman Rita Ferrandino said in a statement sent out this morning to the party faithful recapping the 2008 elections season.
The divide between the two counties could also be seen in the 13th Congressional District again.
Just like in 2006, Democrat Christine Jennings did better in Sarasota than in Manatee County in the five county district.
Jennings won almost 40 percent of the vote in Sarasota County on Tuesday, but had less than 35 percent of the vote in Manatee County.
In 2006, Jennings won Sarasota County with almost 53 percent of the vote, but again in Manatee County had a noticeable drop off. She won just 47 percent of the vote.
Democrats say Manatee County Democrats just don’t have the organizational structure that Sarasota County has developed over the last three years.
Tebrugge said another factor was that there were not a lot of other Democrats on the ballot in Manatee. While Sarasota had 20 candidates on the ballot, Manatee had only two Democrats running countywide: Barack Obama and Tebrugge. The 13th Congressional District doesn’t include downtown Bradenton or parts of Palmetto.
In Sarasota the result was that there were more Democratic candidates out trying to get voters to the polls.
That makes Manatee County a serious Republican counter-weight to Sarasota’s recent Democratic advances.
The disparity between the two counties didn’t suprise anyone, least of all organizers with the Christine Jennings campaign. Jennings’ campaign manager, Lonny Paris insisted early on that Jennings would do better in Manatee County in 2008 because of the extra focus they were trying to put on the county. Jennings picked up an endorsement from former Bradenton mayor Bill Evers early, hoping it would help her do better in Manatee.
--Jeremy Wallace
