Peter Schorsch - page 419

Sunburn – The morning read of what’s how in Florida politics. Today’s Rise and Shine Fact-iversary is brought to you by Sachs Media Group, the public affairs firm known for unparalleled relationships and winning strategies: Today Florida marks the 195th birthday of one of its two “Henry” robber barons. Henry B. Plant, who shaped Florida’s west coast just as Henry Flagler fashioned its east coast, was born on this date in 1819. Plant seized his opportunity after the Civil War left most of…

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Coming off a “very good Saturday,” Steve Schale’s most recent turnout memo notes that the Democrats cut the Republican advantage by nearly a point: 8.3 percent from 9.2 percent. Schale compares it to the 2010 gubernatorial election, where the same-point GOP lead was 18.1 percent. Undoubtedly, the first Saturday of early voting statewide provided a substantial African American turnout. Compared to 2010, Schale says African American turnout on first Saturday was up in Duval County by 191 percent; 125 percent…

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State Sen. Jeff Brandes holds his title as one of the state’s top fundraisers in Florida Senate races, by adding another $25,240 to his campaign for Oct. 11-17. According to recently filed Division of Election reports, the St. Petersburg Republican has now brought his total to $745,146 for his re-election effort in District 22. Brandes faces Democrat Judithanne McLauchlan, who during the same weeklong period took in $14,305 – with another $2,153 from the Florida Democratic Party for campaign staff…

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As we continue to be bombarded by hyperbolic memos about the state of Florida’s gubernatorial race, take a moment to read what was written in 2012 by Mitt Romney’s political director Rich Beeson on the eve of the presidential election: “The firewall that I think they talked about was Iowa, Wisconsin, and Ohio,” Beeson told reporters. “Right now their firewall is burning.” Um, Barack Obama won Iowa by six points, Wisconsin by seven, and Ohio by two. About Florida, Beeson outlined the campaign’s…

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As noted in this column posted in Context Florida, Rick Scott has dropped the “I’m no scientist” posture and actually agreed with the man seeking his old job back (a.k.a. his fantagonist) that it’s time to work on solving problems. The same day that column ran (this past Friday), The New York Times ran a Florida-centric story about political pragmatism on the issue, stating that, for many, it’s time to put the discussion over how we got here in the…

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Charlie Crist celebrates the home stretch of the General Election with a new ad attacking Republican Gov. Rick Scott’s “high-cost, low-wage” economy. “Working,” which launches Saturday, marks the first full day where everyone in Florida can vote early. Crist’s campaign expects the 30-second spot to act as a counterweight to the millions of dollars of “ill-gotten money” the incumbent will spend on TV this week. Although Scott’s ad spending is roughly the same as the cost of his “beachfront mansion,” the Crist…

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As the first full weekend of early voting approaches, Democratic voters have been steadily chipping away at the traditional GOP early vote and absentee ballot lead, according to Democratic advisor Steve Schale. Schale, who works with the Charlie Crist campaign, now provides nearly daily vote number updates as part of the campaign memo war with Tim Saler, his counterpart over at Republican Rick Scott’s camp. It’s all about momentum, he says, particularly compared with 2010 numbers, when Scott won by just over 61,000…

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