Crist, a lifelong Republican who turned independent to avoid running against Marco Rubio in the GOP primary, will appear with Kennedy in Deerfield Beach this morning to make the endorsement announcement.
Crist first hooked up with fellow environmentalist Kennedy at Crist’s climate change summit three years ago.
The state’s top two law enforcement groups – the Fraternal Order of Police and the Police Benevolent Association – have thrown their support behind Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, the Democrat in the governor’s race.
According to Sink’s campaign, it’s the first time the FOP has endorsed a Democrat for governor in 16 years. Their last pick? The late Gov. Lawton Chiles in his 1994 re-election campaign. Sink’s campaign also says it’s been two decades since both law enforcement organizations a Democrat for governor.
Sink’s duties as the state’s chief financial officer include acting as Florida’s fire marshal.
Wednesday, September 8th, 2010 by Michael C. Bender
Former state Sen. Skip Campbell, the Democratic nominee for attorney general in 2006, endorsed Gov. Charlie Crist’s independent U.S. Senate campaign today.
Here’s his statement:
“In his time as Governor, Charlie Crist has worked across party lines to improve the lives of Florida’s working families,” Campbell said. “As a United States Senator, Governor Crist will take the best ideas from both parties to create jobs, protect our environment, and make sure every child has access to a high-quality public education. I am pleased to endorse his candidacy.”
Florida Right to Life’s political action committee gave Rick Scott and Bill McCollum, the two Republicans battling for their party’s gubernatorial nomination, an “A” rating.
The Orlando-based group did take sides in some primaries, choosing to back Republican Jeff Kottkamp over Pam Bondi and Holly Benson in the crowded GOP attorney general race and Ellyn Bogdanoff her race against fellow Republican Carl Domino for the Palm Beach County-based state Senate seat currently held by Jeff Atwater.
The group did not endorse a candidate in the county’s other closely watched Senate race, which includes Republicans Sharon Merchant and Lizbeth Benaquisto, or any of the county’s competitive state House races.
See all of the Florida Right to Life endorsements here.
Florida’s largest labor union gave Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Kendrick Meek its full endorsement, The Palm Beach Post has learned.
The Florida AFL-CIO is in a private meeting this morning to consider endorsements for a slate of state and federal candidates.
Meek got a scare from independent candidate Charlie Crist, who has strong support among the state’s teachers unions. But Meek avoided a potential embarrassment with a rousing speech to the group on Saturday. (Today’s print story.)
The union avoided a fight in the competitive Democratic primary between state Sens. Dave Aronberg of Greenaces and Dan Gelber of Miami Beach. The group agreed to endorse the winner of that race.
Aronberg’s camp viewed the split as a victory, but Gelber’s team said the decision lets each campaign battle for local union endorsements.
Gelber did seek the full endorsement, but ran into a roadblock in Pat Emmert, president of the Palm Beach-Treasure Coast AFL-CIO, who led the change internally for Aronberg.
JACKSONVILLE — Gov. Charlie Crist’s unprecedented independent bid for U.S. Senate brought him to a strange place today: an endorsement convention for the state’s largest labor movement.
In nearly 20 years as a Republican, Crist had never visited the Florida AFL-CIO conference, where Democrats usually earn the group’s support.
But with no party affiliation and strong backing from public school teachers, who account for more than half of the AFL-CIO, Crist launched a bid to steal the endorsement that, until recently, many assumed would go to Democratic candidate Kendrick Meek.
The Florida AFL-CIO just announced the list of speakers for its convention this weekend in Jacksonville, where the state’s biggest labor movement will decide which candidates to endorse (and support financially) in the 2010 elections.
Usually there’s not too much surprise in the endorsements. But we’re heard whispers about a joint endorsement in the U.S. Senate race for Democrat Kendrick Meek and independent Charlie Crist, who made huge inroads with the unions after his veto of Senate Bill 6, a Republican proposal to make it easier to fire teachers.
You’ve got to think that anything less than full support for Meek is more trouble for him.
The convention wraps up Sunday with a closed-door session where 300 delegates decide the endorsements.
Here’s the schedule of speakers:
Ted Deutch, Friday, 2 p.m.
Charlie Crist, Friday, 2:30 p.m.
Scott Maddox, Saturday, 9 a.m.
Kendrick Meek, Saturday, 9:30 a.m.
Remember when former Gov. Jeb Bush said it was “wrong” for Republicans in the U.S. Senate to make endorsements in Florida’s GOP Senate primary?
Well, Florida Republicans don’t have much of a Republican primary left and Bush apparently no longer thinks primary endorsements are inappropriate. ABC News has a takeout today on Bush’s endorsement of Scott Walker, a Republican running for governor of Wisconsin.
Walker is one of five Republicans whom Bush is backing in competitive gubernatorial primaries: the others are former eBay CEO Meg Whitman in California, former state Sen. Bradley Byrne in Alabama, Attorney General Tom Corbett in Pennsylvania and Attorney General Bill McCollum in Florida.
“I proudly endorse Marco Rubio for the U.S. Senate and look forward to working with him in Washington. His genuine principles and proven record are evidence that he will come to Washington and be a consistent advocate for fiscal responsibility, individual liberty and the traditional values that have made America great.” –Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla.
Here’s the breakdown so far for endorsements from the 41 Republicans in the U.S. Senate:
Republican Adam Putnam announced 27 of 76 state House Republicans are backing him in his primary bid against state Sen. Carey Baker for the party’s agriculture commissioner nomination.
For the full list, which includes Dean Cannon & Will Weatherford — the chamber’s next two Republican leaders, continue reading..
Former Republican Party of Florida Chairman Tom Slade is backing Sen. Paula Dockery in her challenge against Attorney General Bill McCollum for governor.
Slade, who served as chairman from 1992-2000, is an unabashed critic of his own party and carries a considerable cachet among GOP insiders.
“McCollum is a nice guy, but I think he would be better in the U.S. Senate, where I think his skills are better suited. But I think Paula would do a better job of being governor. She’s got the kind of tenacity you need, and she’s got the knowledge,” Slade said in a press release.
Slade’s backing of Dockery, considered an underdog early in the race, comes as state GOP leaders gather in a secret session tomorrow to try to reunite their splintered party.
Several county leaders have asked for Chairman Jim Greer’s ouster and criticized what some call his heavy-handed tactics, including efforts to quash primary races and premature endorsements of McCollum and Gov. Charlie Crist. Crist is running against former House Speaker Marco Rubio, a GOP conservative sweetheart, for U. S. Senate.
Wednesday, November 18th, 2009 by Michael C. Bender
Gov. Charlie Crist and then-Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin at the Republican Governor's Association meeting in Miami in 2008.
Former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin told National Review on Tuesday that she’s considering an endorsement in the Florida’s Republican U.S. Senate primary between Gov. Charlie Crist and former House speaker Marco Rubio:
She says she’s had a chance to look at the Crist-Rubio race “just on the surface.” But she adds, “I’m just being asked about it really in the last week or two, so I’ll dig more into it. I’ll find out what the guys are holding in terms of positions and see where maybe I can help.”
Keep in mind that her 2008 running mate, John McCain, has endorsed Crist. And with the McCain & Palin camps already trading blows in the wake of the former Alaska governor’s Going Rogue biography, imagine the potential sideshow a proxy fight could set off if Palin lines up behind Rubio…
Palin will be in Florida on Tuesday for her book tour:
*Noon: Jacksonville, Books-A-Million, 1910 Wells Road.
*4 p.m.: The Villages, Barnes & Noble, 1055 Old Camp Road, Lake Sumter Market Square.
*7 p.m.: Orlando, Barnes & Noble, Colonial Plaza, 2418 East Colonial Drive.
The endorsement is from the International Union of Painters & Allied Trades (IUPAT), which claims 5,000 members in Florida.
State Sen. Dave Aronberg of Greenacres is competing against fellow Sen. Dan Gelber of Miami Beach for the Democratic nomination in the attorney general race.
The state Fraternal Order of Police is endorsing state Sen. Dave Aronberg, D-Greenacres, in the 2010 Democratic primary for attorney general.
Aronberg is running against state Sen. Dan Gelber, D-Miami Beach, for the Democratic nomination to succeed Republican Attorney General Bill McCollum, who’s running for governor. GOP candidates for AG include Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp.
Says FOP Florida President James Preston: “Dave Aronberg’s history of commitment to public service, and his legislative record of giving special attention to the area of public safety has earned this valuable endorsement. His experience as an assistant attorney general and his leadership in the Legislature as an advocate for public safety and on behalf of law enforcement make him a perfect fit to serve as Florida’s next chief law enforcement official…We are confident in the leadership that Dave Aronberg will bring to the office of Attorney General.”
WEST PALM BEACH — Appearing with a dozen Democratic elected officials a few blocks away from potential rival Lois Frankel’s office, state Sen. Ted Deutch, D-Boca Raton, said his congressional campaign has already topped $100,000 in contributions since setting up a campaign web site late Thursday.
Deutch is running for the seat of U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Boca Raton, who last week announced he’s stepping down in January to head the nonprofit Center for Middle East Peace and Economic Cooperation.
Deutch’s campaign today announced endorsements from 16 elected Democrats. Most of them stood behind Deutch outside the Palm Beach County Governmental Center this morning. The endorsers include County Commissioner Burt Aaronson, who said he gave “a lot of thought” to running for Wexler’s seat.
Fifteen elected Democrats from Palm Beach County are slated to appear this morning with state Sen. Ted Deutch, D-Boca Raton, to show their support for his special-election bid for the congressional seat of think tank-bound U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Boca Raton.
The event will take place at 11:30 a.m. outside the Palm Beach County Governmental Center — a block or so away from the office of West Palm Beach Mayor Lois Frankel, who’s considering entering the congressional race herself.
In addition to Frankel, the other big question mark is Broward County Mayor Stacy Ritter.
Read the list of Deutch’s endorsers after the jump…..
Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009 by Michael C. Bender
State Sen. Dan Gelber, D-Miami Beach, announced a round of endorsements today from Jacksonville-area Democrats. Gelber is running against fellow Sen. Dave Aronberg of Greenacres for the Democratic nomination in the attorney general’s race. The contest, so far, is the highest profile statewide primary for Florida Democrats.
Endorsing Gelber today were state Reps. Audrey Gibson and Mia Jones; Jacksonville City Council members Glorious Johnson and John Crescimbeni; St. Augustine Mayor Joe Boles; and former House Democratic Leader Doug Wiles.
“After learning about Dan’s background and his passion to bring change to Florida, I know he is the perfect choice to serve as our next Attorney General. His near decade of service as a federal prosecutor and his time in the Florida Legislature make him well suited to meet the challenges of today with thoughtful solutions,” Johnson said.
Republican Adam Putnam announced 27 of 76 state House Republicans are backing him in his primary bid against state Sen. Carey Baker for the party’s agriculture commissioner nomination.
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