State Rep. Carl Domino, R-Jupiter, finally cranked up his fund-raising operation for his GOP Senate primary against state Rep. Ellyn Bogdanoff, R-Fort Lauderdale, during the final quarter of 2009. But Bogdanoff still outraised Domino 2-to-1 during the quarter and has a $336,626-to-$48,965 lead in overall contributions.

Domino has also put $110,000 of his own money into the primary to succeed Senate President Jeff Atwater, R-North Palm Beach. Atwater is running for chief financial officer.

In another closely watched GOP Senate primary, Wellington Councilwoman Lizbeth Benacquisto raised $33,810 during the fourth quarter while Republican rival Sharon Merchant raised $14,449. Benacquisto has an overall money edge of $150,040 to $72,099.

Benacquisto and Merchant are running for the seat of attorney general candidate Sen. Dave Aronberg, D-Greenacres. Democratic Senate hopefuls Peter Burkert and Kevin Rader hadn’t turned in their fourth-quarter reports late this afternoon.

Palm Beach County voters can expect two blockbuster state Senate races if trends from recent campaign finance reports hold up.

In two primary battles among candidates hoping to replace Sen. Dave Aronberg, D-Greenacres, the candidates combined to collect more than $305,000 during the third quarter. The four have a total of $826,000 on hand, more than 10 months away from the August primary.

In the race to replace Sen. Jeff Atwater, R-North Palm Beach, Rep. Ellyn Bogdanoff, R-Fort Lauderdale, collected $132,921 from July through September. About 20 percent came from insurers and attorneys.

Read the rest here. The story was printed in the Oct. 15 edition of The Palm Beach Post.

To see how all the bankrolls are shaping up for candidates in contested races on the Palm Beach County and Treasure Coast, click here.

With Democratic Palm Beach County Commissioner Jess Santamaria remaining enigmatic on his 2010 reelection plans, Republican and longtime Wellington Councilman Carmine Priore says he’d consider running for Santamaria’s western District 6 seat if it’s open next year.

That’s potentially good news for a local GOP that hasn’t been able to recruit a District 6 candidate. The bad news: Priore says he’ll cross party lines and support Santamaria if the incumbent runs again.

Santamaria says he’ll announce in January or February whether he’s running. Meanwhile, attorney Elissa Pearl has opened a Democratic campaign in District 6.

Pearl and Santamaria recently met for the first time.

“Our philosophies are similar and it appears that we care about the same things,” said Pearl after the hourlong sit-down in the commissioner’s office.

Santamaria, 72, called the 37-year-old Pearl “a good person” with “a young person’s idealism. We need people like that.” But Santamaria said a commissioner’s job is tough and complicated.

“My question is, (for) Elissa Pearl or anybody else, do they really have the background, the experience, the education, the training, the psychological framework to handle all of these variables on a day-to-day basis?” Santamaria said. “My first impression is, she’ll have a lot to learn.”

Pearl lives just outside District 6, which irks potential GOP candidate Priore. If Santamaria doesn’t run, Priore said, he’d consider the race because “I wouldn’t want to leave the door open to someone that doesn’t live in our area.”

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Pleased with the grass-roots volunteer organization for her 2010 Democratic campaign for county commission, school board member Paulette Burdick has put paid consultants Eric Johnson and Neil Schiller on hold — at least temporarily. Burdick is running against state Rep. Mary Brandenburg, D-West Palm Beach, in a Dem primary to succeed term-limited Commish Jeff Koons.

Burdick paid $1,000 in June for the consulting expertise of Johnson, who’s also chief of staff to U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Boca Raton, and who works with Schiller on several local races.

“My idea was she didn’t need them,” said Palm Beach Democratic Club President Elna Laun, an unpaid Burdick backer and adviser. “I think I was one of many” offering that advice, Laun said.

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Both GOP District 27 state Senate candidates — Wellington Councilwoman Lizbeth Benacquisto and former state Rep. Sharon Merchant — are from Palm Beach County, but about 60 percent of the GOP primary voters are in Lee County.

In the scramble for Lee County support, Benacquisto will be in Fort Myers Friday for a fund-raiser whose hosts include state Rep. Trudi Williams, R-Fort Myers, Lee County Commissioner Frank Mann, school board member Elinor Scricca and longtime Property Appraiser Ken Wilkinson.

If you’re a Republican member of the Florida Senate and you haven’t taken sides in the Sharon Merchant-Lizbeth Benacquisto District 27 GOP primary, you’re in the minority.

Former state Rep. Merchant today launched her campaign for the West Palm Beach-to-Fort Myers seat and announced that she’s been endorsed by nine members of the Senate. Two of her backers — Sens. Paula Dockery of Lakeland and Alex Villalobos of Miami — stood with Merchant as she made her announcement at her family’s equipment rental business in West Palm Beach.

Benacquisto, who entered the race last month, has endorsements from eight Senators.

So 17 of the 26 Republicans in the Florida Senate have already taken sides for a primary that’s nearly 14 months off. Merchant and Benacquisto are vying for the seat of Sen. Dave Aronberg, D-Greenacres, who’s running for attorney general.

Read the endorsement lineups after the jump…..

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State Sen. Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, became the eighth Republican Senator to endorse Wellington Councilwoman Lizbeth Benacquisto’s bid for the District 27 seat, Benacquisto announced.

Haridopolos is in line to become Senate president in November 2010. Current Senate Prez Jeff Atwater, R-North Palm Beach, has endorsed Benacquisto, as has previous Senate President Ken Pruitt, R-Port St. Lucie, and Majority Leader Alex Diaz de la Portilla.

Republican Sharon Merchant, expected to launch her own Senate campaign Wednesday, has endorsements from three Republican Senators.

District 27 is now represented by Sen. Dave Aronberg, D-Greenacres, who is running for attorney general.

State Sen. and potential GOP governor candidate Paula Dockery of Lakeland will be in West Palm Beach Wednesday morning when former Republican state Rep. Sharon Merchant makes “a major political announcement.” West Palm Beach City Commissioner Kimberly Mitchell will also be on hand.

Merchant has said she’s running for the state Senate District 27 seat of Sen. Dave Aronberg, D-Greenacres, who’s running for attorney general. In addition to Dockery, Republican Sens. Nancy Detert of Venice and Alex Villalobos of Miami have said they’ll back Merchant.

Another Republican, Wellington Councilwoman Lizbeth Benacquisto, has already launched a campaign for the seat. She’s backed by seven GOP Senators: President Jeff Atwater of North Palm Beach, Majority Leader Alex Diaz de al Portilla and Sens. Michael Bennett, Garrett Richter, Ken Pruitt, Don Gaetz and Andy Gardiner.

On his way to winning the state House District 78 seat last year, state Rep. Kevin Rader, D-Delray Beach, often reminded voters that he actually lived in the district while Democratic primary rival Steve Nichol did not and candidate Steven Perman had merely rented an apartment there while owning a house in Broward County.

Now Rader is entertaining thoughts of running next year in a state Senate district where he doesn’t live.

He has plenty of company.

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Wellington Councilwoman and Republican state Senate hopeful Lizbeth Benacquisto announced two more endorsements from Republican Senators today: Michael Bennett of Bradenton and Garrett Richter of Naples.

For those keeping score, that’s seven of the 26 Republicans in the Florida Senate backing Benacquisto, who’s running for the District 27 seat that Sen. Dave Aronberg, D-Greenacres, is leaving to run for attorney general.

The other five Senators to endorse Benacquisto are Senate President Jeff Atwater of North Palm Beach, Majority Leader Alex Diaz de la Portilla of Miami, Ken Pruitt of Port St. Lucie, Don Gaetz of Niceville and Andy Gardiner of Orlando.

Former Republican state Rep. Sharon Merchant of Palm Beach Gardens, who says she’s running but hasn’t opened a campaign yet, has already lined up endorsements from three Republican Senators: Nancy Detert of Venice, Paula Dockery of Lakeland and Alex Villalobos of Miami

With state Sen. Dave Aronberg, D-Greenacres, running for attorney general and no other Palm Beach County Democrat declaring interest in running for Aronberg’s Senate seat, state Rep. Kevin Rader, D-Delray Beach, says he isn’t ruling out the possibility of running.

Freshman state Rep. Kevin Rader, D-Delray Beach, isn’t ruling out a 2010 run for the West Palm Beach-to-Fort Myers state Senate seat that Sen. Dave Aronberg, D-Greenacres, is giving up to run for attorney general.

“I’ll have to look at the numbers and see if, A, it’s a winnable seat and, B, if I have the time to do it,” Rader said today of the roughly 130-mile-long district. “Campaigning for that seat is very difficult.”

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There are 26 Republicans in the Florida Senate. So far, at least seven of them have taken sides in the emerging GOP primary battle between Wellington Councilwoman Lizbeth Benacquisto and former state Rep. Sharon Merchant of Palm Beach Gardens for the seat of Democratic Sen. Dave Aronberg, who’s running for attorney general.

Benacquisto has a fund-raiser in Tallahassee next week with five state Senators on the host committee: President Jeff Atwater of North Palm Beach, Majority Leader Alex Diaz de la Portilla of Miami, Don Gaetz of Niceville, Andy Gardiner of Orlando and soon-to-retire Ken Pruitt of Port St. Lucie.

Merchant has not formally opened a campaign, but Republican Sens. Nancy Detert of Venice and Paula Dockery of Lakeland say they’ll be on her team. Many insiders also predict that Sen. Alex Villalobos of Miami, who was defeated by Atwater in a GOP leadership struggle, will take sides with Merchant against Atwater’s favored candidate. Villalobos couldn’t be reached today.

Wellington Councilwoman Lizbeth Benacquisto snagged some big GOP endorsements last week in her bid for the District 27 seat of Democratic state Sen. Dave Aronberg, who’s running for attorney general. But the Benacquisto blitz isn’t deterring fellow Republican Sharon Merchant, the former state House member who says she’ll enter the race soon.

Read about it here.

Another heavyweight Republican endorsement for Wellington Councilwoman Lizbeth Benacquisto in her state Senate bid: U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney, R-Tequesta, is backing her in the 2010 race for the seat of Sen. Dave Aronberg, D-Greenacres, who’s running for attorney general.

Rooney called Benacquisto “a tireless advocate” for Wellington “and I know she will bring the same dedication to Tallahassee.”

Earlier this week, Benacqusito picked up endorsements from three big Senate Republicans: President Jeff Atwater, R-North Palm Beach, Majority Leader Alex Diaz de la Portilla, R-Miami, and former Senate President Ken Pruitt, R-Port St. Lucie. The three Senators are hosting a fund-raiser in Tallahassee for Benacquisto this month.

Benacquisto was also endorsed this week by Lee County Republican Matt Caldwell, the GOP’s unsuccessful 2008 candidate for the seat.

Benacquisto is the only announced Republican in the Senate race, though former Republican state Rep. Sharon Merchant has said she’ll probably run. Democratic attorney Peter Burkert is also likely to enter.

In a geographically significant announcement, Fort Myers real estate appraiser Matt Caldwell, the GOP’s unsuccessful 2008 candidate for the state Senate District 27 seat, said today he will not run for the seat in 2010 when incumbent Sen. Dave Aronberg, D-Greenacres, runs for attorney general.

Caldwell also announced he’s supporting a Palm Beach County Republican — Wellington Councilwoman Lizbeth Benacquisto — in the 2010 Senate race.

District 27 runs from West Palm Beach to Fort Myers. About 54 percent of voters live in Palm Beach County and about 45 percent live in Lee County. In a Republican primary, however, Lee County is dominant, with about 60 percent of GOP voters living there.

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With state Sen. Dave Aronberg, D-Greenacres, running for attorney general, the scramble is on to fill his trans-Florida District 27 Senate seat, which runs from Palm Beach County to Lee County on Florida’s Gulf Coast.

The district is about 40 percent Democratic and 36 percent Republican. About 54 percent of voters live in Palm Beach County and about 45 percent live in Lee County, with a handful of voters in Charlotte, Glades and Hendry counties.

When handicapping primaries, keep in mind that most of the district’s Republicans live in Lee County and most of the Democrats live in Palm Beach.

So far, Wellington Councilwoman Lizbeth Benacquisto (R) says she’s running, former state Rep. Sharon Merchant (R) and Fort Myers lawyer Peter Burkert (D) say they’ll probably run and Cape Coral Mayor Jim Burch (D) has been mentioned but couldn’t be reached today for comment.

Casting himself as a consumer advocate

and a protege of popular former Democratic attorney general Bob Butterworth, state Sen. Dave Aronberg, D-Greenacres, announced today he’ll run for attorney general in 2010.

Attorney General Bill McCollum, a Republican, is running for governor in 2010. Several Democrats and Republicans have been eyeing his job.

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