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House District 68 candidates show little difference on the issues in Tiger Bay forum

in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by

Perhaps the first thing to know about the three candidates who are vying to become the next state Representative of House District 68 in Pinellas County is that none of them awoke on New Years Day this year with the dream of winning this seat. Republican JB Bensmihen spent most of 2015 preparing to run against Democrat Lois Frankel in Florida’s 22nd Congressional District, and didn’t opt to enter the HD 68 contest until April – actually making him the first candidate to declare his…

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Pinellas newcomer Joseph ‘JB’ Bensmihen is convinced he will win the HD 68 seat this fall

in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by

Joseph “JB” Bensmihen hasn’t been in Pinellas County very long. In fact, he officially became a resident only within the last week. So while you might consider that fact alone makes him a decided underdog in the now wide open Pinellas County state House District 68 seat, he doesn’t. And he has an impressive history of exceeding people’s expectations about himself. “I don’t want to sound silly, but I got a gift,” the 47-year-old home health care business exec said last week while speaking…

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Dwight Dudley says he wants more time at home, and is looking at running for judge in Pinellas County

in 2017/Top Headlines by

(updated) Dwight Dudley will not be running for re-election in House District 68. The news surprised Tallahassee observers, but Dudley said on Monday that the recent death of his mother – in which he barely had time to say goodbye to her before she passed away as the 2016 session ended in March – was a catalyst in his decision making process. “In the last four years, I’ve been gone a lot,” the Democratic lawmaker said, referring  in particular last year, when the Legislature…

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Lois Frankel endorses Susannah Randolph for Congress in CD 9

in 2017/Top Headlines by

Democratic hopeful Susannah Randolph scored a major endorsement in her bid for Congress, announcing the support of South Florida U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel on Wednesday. Randolph, who is seeking to succeed her former boss U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson in the Orlando-based 9th Congressional District, trumpeted the move just days after Progressive Caucus Co-Founder U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison also gave her campaign his stamp of approval. “I am pleased to endorse Susannah,” Frankel said in her endorsement. “She has a long history of fighting for our working families, seniors, and women…

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Lois Frankel knocks Marco Rubio’s absentee record, says Florida needs two senators

in 2017/Top Headlines by

Marco Rubio is far from the first U.S. senator to miss a number of votes while he runs for president, but he seems to be getting bashed more than most. By most accounts, he’s missed up to 30 percent of his votes in the Senate this year. While that makes him worse than fellow GOP senators/presidential candidates like Ted Cruz, Lindsey Graham and Rand Paul this year, it’s not as bad as John Kerry in 2003 or Barack Obama in 2007. Kerry…

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Florida House panel OKs congressional map despite criticism

in Statewide/Top Headlines by

Despite sharp criticism from a Florida congresswoman that it would disenfranchise black voters, the Florida House is moving ahead with a substantial overhaul of the state’s 27 congressional districts. A House panel split along party lines on Thursday and approved a proposed map that would substantially alter the state’s political landscape and which could lead to the defeat of several incumbents now in office. The Legislature is holding a rare August special session because the state Supreme Court ruled lawmakers…

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The mother of all analyses of Florida’s proposed congressional ‘base’ maps

in Statewide/Top Headlines by

The Florida Legislature released its base map heading into next week’s Special Session on redistricting. The map makes changes to 22 of the 27 districts. Some changes are small while others are very large. Many voters will find themselves in brand new districts if the base map becomes law. The map below shows areas that will change districts and those that will remain the same. As the map shows, many folks (those in the red) will find themselves in new…

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