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9:53PM - Add Senator Mel Martinez to the list of winners tonight. He looks a lot better backing a winning presidential candidate than he does stepping down prematurely as chair of the RNC. - REID WILSON 9:46PM - The other big winner tonight? Gov. Charlie Crist. From the St. Petersburg Times today on the Crist endorsement: "For Crist, the move is a risky one, but one with a big payoff if it makes him look like a kingmaker." - BLAKE DVORAK 9:42PM - Giuliani dropping out helps McCain, right? Well, not so fast. According to the exit polls, 49% of...

JOHN MCCAINMcCain on Fund's Alito Quote: I Don't Recall Saying ThatJohn McCain held a rapidly-called conference call with bloggers this afternoon. McCain begins by saying, "We're flying all over the state of Florida leave her fairly soon, and do an event in Tampa with Governor Crist. It's a coup to have him signed on. We're locked in a tight race."He begins by remarking about Justice Alito — "I supported him, I thought he was a magnificent choice, I spoke on his behalf from the floor of the Senate... I've said several times that I'd like to find clones for Justices...

Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, polling a distant fourth in the upcoming Florida primaries, continued to attack former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, while offering implicit support for his other rival, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in his appearance on "Fox News Sunday." When asked to take sides on a dispute between Romney and McCain over whether the former Massachusetts governor called for a timetable for withdrawal in Iraq last April, Huckabee sided squarely with McCain. “Dishonest? I’ve never seen John McCain say something that is just blatantly untrue,” Huckabee said. Huckabee later praised McCain, saying “we have a civil approach to...

Within hours of the announcement, Democrat Nancy Higgs, a former Brevard County commissioner, said she would run. Two Republican state senators, Mike Haridopolos of Melbourne and Bill Posey of Rockledge, also said they are considering bids.

Fred Thompson's political career might very well be over tomorrow. If so, take this post as a postmortem of his candidacy. It is obvious that Senator Thompson has squandered a great deal of good will during the interminable run up to the announcement of his candidacy and his less than stellar performance in the period September through mid-December. The easy analysis is that Thompson was lazy but I don't think it was laziness. I think it was a misguided attempt to run an issues oriented campaign. Thompson's Socratic style of addressing those early crowds was a good way to discuss...

As has been reported elsewhere today, Fred Thompson's mother is gravely ill right now. Our prayers ought to be with Sen. Thompson, his mother, his wife, and their family. This must be a very difficult time for them. All of this political stuff is of only secondary importance right now. That said, here is what I would do, politically, if I were Thompson: I would just lay low. Just wait. See what happens in Louisiana's caucuses tomorrow. See what happens in Florida next week. See who drops out of the race at some point. And then consider reviving my campaign,...

"United States policy must continue to stand with the Cuban people and against those who have oppressed, terrorized, and murdered so many Cubans over the past half-century. This was my position when I served in the Senate; it is my position today; it will be my position as President. Fidel and Raul Castro are unaccountable dictators who can serve no role in Cuba’s future. We must continue supporting the growing internal opposition in Cuba while also denying the regime any source of funding that could prop up this cruel, illegitimate government. This means keeping current sanctions in place, and increasing...

As Rush points out at the top of the excerpt, he does not endorse candidates in primaries. But that does not stop him from taking note of a fact that many Reagan Republicans are seeing Fred Thompson as the only true conservative in the field of Republican candidates. (VIDEO) With 13.5 million weekly listeners (some have suggested the number is closer to 20 million), Rush’s comments will not go unnoticed. Question is, is it enough to keep Fred in the race through?

It just could happen: “But after a sluggish start, Thompson has sensed an opening in Iowa, and he’s moving decisively to exploit it. The opening arises from a combination of Romney’s changes of position on social issues and Huckabee’s stumbles on foreign-policy questions and immigration. After his winning performance in the Des Moines Register’s debate, Thompson has embarked on a lengthy bus tour of the state. During these final days, his campaign says he’ll hold events in 50 communities and will visit 54 of the 99 counties. On Monday, he picked up the surprise endorsement of Congressman Steve King. Of...

Stick a fork in him: With fewer than 20 days until the Iowa caucuses, three men in the Republican Party stand to get their tickets punched out of the Hawkeye State. While everything is still in flux, those likely winners will be Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee and Fred Thompson. Notably missing out on Iowa’s political rocket fuel is national frontrunner Rudy Giuliani. While most political insiders and pundits have known for months that Giuliani had no plans to compete in Iowa, the general American electorate probably does not. Known to not pay attention to the early political pontificating, the average...

Join us December 13th for a Phone for Fred Party! We get thousands of emails every week from regular folks asking how they can get involved and make a big difference even though they don't live in the early states. Next Thursday, December 13th, we are having a nationwide phone bank for Fred. Hosting a phone bank on the 13th is the best way to make a real difference in the final month going into the Iowa Caucus. Take a group picture of everyone at your party, and if your party makes the most calls we'll make it the feature...

Among the top tier Republican candidates, Rush says that only Fred has been a consistent conservative. You have been given your marching orders. Now you know who to vote for. RUSH: …the genuine moderate as opposed to conservative aspects of three of the top-tier, four of the top-tier candidates were on full-fledged display last night. There was one candidate who did not display any moderateness or liberalism or have any of his past forays into those areas displayed, and that candidate was Fred Thompson. … …we have a campaign now where most of the candidates are not genuine conservatives. They...

Falsehoods, exaggerations and stumbles Summary The CNN/YouTube debate among Republicans lacked any talking snowmen, but we did note a few false and misleading statements by the candidates. * Romney claimed New York called itself a “sanctuary city” for illegal aliens. It didn’t. * Giuliani denied New York actually was a “sanctuary city.” But the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service has classified it as such, based on immigrant-friendly policies Giuliani still defends. * Huckabee claimed he would “abolish the IRS.” He failed to mention that he’d replace it with another big tax bureaucracy. * Huckabee said he had proposed to make children...

CNN's YouTube debate was a good one. And Americans -- while wacky at times with their homemade videos -- may have convinced me they can ask better, more direct questions than the media elite usually do. As for tonight's winners and losers, I think John McCain, Fred Thompson and Rudy Giuliani helped themselves; Mike Huckabee and Ron Paul had both ups and down -- and Mitt Romney was an unmitigated disaster... Let's start with Romney. I've said since he first entered the race that I think Republicans would be in bad shape if he emerged as the party's nominee. If...

"I just want to give my buddies here a little air time." -- Fred Thompson sounding like Ronald Reagan (after showing a video about Romney and Huckabee that would take the bark off the trees, and being told the others would have time to respond) ... Thompson's video utilized YouTube clips that have been circulating for quite some time on YouTube. Only this time, they are also being broadcast on CNN. My bet is getting this negative information out is a lot better use of his time than merely putting out some puff-piece ...

Welcome to our Phone for Fred online phone bank! Person to person contact is the most effective way to make a difference in an election. We created the Phone for Fred program for all of you Friends of Fred who want to volunteer and do more for Fred! We need your help in the early primary states. Our Phone for Fred online phone bank makes it easy for you to make a difference! Fred only needs a small commitment of time and you will soon see that your phone calls and person to person contact will help Fred win! Pick...

Fred Thompson's campaign named a handful of volunteer grassroots leaders in Miami-Dade to help boost its outreach to Latino voters -- a territory rival Rudy Giuliani is putting great effort in reaching. County leadership positions announced today include co-chairs: Homestead Mayor Lynda Bell and Miami-Dade Commissioners Joe Martinez and Natacha Seijas. The latter two previously endorsed Thompson when he appeared at Miami's Urbeita Oil in October. Other's involved Lois Jones, Chris Miles and Luis Rodriguez.

The meeting of Ron Paul activists was well under way when organizer Steven Talcott Smith offered the kind of basic advice you probably wouldn't hear at a gathering of any other Republican presidential candidate's supporters. "By the way," Smith told the Internet-driven "meet-up" of about 40 people at a library west of Boynton Beach, "by the end of this year everybody in this room should plan to be a Republican." Florida's Jan. 29 Republican primary is, not surprisingly, limited to registered GOP voters. But a Republican pedigree or a familiarity with the elections process cannot be taken for granted with...

Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson brought his message of beefing up the military and securing the nation's borders to the conservative Florida Panhandle on Friday as he worked to bolster his poll numbers. Thompson, who trails the four top Republican presidential candidates in Florida, told about 100 supporters that the average 20-year-old soldier in Iraq has a better understanding of national security than the average 20-year-veteran of Capitol Hill. And the U.S. should not pull out of Iraq and Afghanistan with "our tail between our legs. We will regret it," said Thompson, who held a private meeting earlier with about...

MC LEAN, Va., Nov. 14 /Standard Newswire/ -- Today the Fred Thompson campaign announced its Students For Fred National and State Leadership Teams. These student volunteers will be actively leading the Fred Thompson grassroots efforts on college campuses across the nation. Matthew Farrar will serve as the Florida Chairman as well as a National Co-Chair of Students for Fred Thompson. A senior political science major at Florida State University, Farrar has previously served on the 2006 Charlie Crist Gubernatorial campaigns and has worked on numerous state races throughout Florida. "Sen. Fred Thompson has made it clear that he is the...

The Florida Family Policy Council will be hosting, An evening with… Fred Thompson Friday November 16, 2007 VIP Reception 5:30-6:30pm Dinner 6:30-9:00pm Westin Diplomat Hotel: 3555 South Ocean Drive, Hollywood, Florida http://www.flfamily.org/events_details.php?id=47

Today Fred Thompson received the endorsement of two experienced members of the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners. Commissioner Natacha Seijas and Commissioner Joe Martinez have both announced their support for Fred Thompson for President of the United States. Commissioner Natacha Seijas was elected to the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners in 1993, becoming the first Hispanic woman to be elected to the County Commission. Representing the Hialeah, Miami Lakes, Palm Springs and Country Club regions, she serves as Chairperson of the Infrastructure and Land Use Committee and was recently appointed to the Governmental Structure Task Force. "I am proud to...

In a statewide survey of registered Florida voters who said they were likely to vote in next January’s Republican primary, former Sen. Fred Thompson led former Mayor Rudy Giuliani by a six-point margin. The telephone survey of 500 likely voters in the GOP primary - conducted as part of a larger survey for the Florida Chamber of Commerce Sept 6-10 - had a margin of error of 4 percent and was weighted for age, race, gender, and political affiliation. The poll was first reported by our sister publication, Southern Political Report. On the Republican side, the results were: Thompson: 27%...

Hosts Steve and Leigh got quite a surprise for their regular scheduled Open Mic night at La Casa Dolce Coffee House in Tampa Florida. Rudy Giuliani, Republican Party presidential front-runner, was coming to make an appearance. Heather Weintraub, the local campaign coordinator, did not know that Monday is Open Mic night, after all, Rudy was supposed to arrive at 5:30 p.m., and the performers take the impromptu stage at 7, so who would have thought that there would be a conflict? Heather did not know that this same venue is also a regular host to the tie dyed, anti-war, unknown...

http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070917/BREAKINGNEWS/70917062 Cannot be posted due to copyright issues...

U.S. presidential candidate Fred Thompson is scheduled to speak in Cape Coral Friday afternoon. Thompson will be at Jaycee Park, 4125 S.E. 20th Place, around 1:20 p.m., according to his schedule on his campaign Web site, http://fred08.com. Anyone who would like to attend Friday’s event can R.S.V.P. at Thompson’s campaign site. http://www.ImWithFred.com

NEW PORT RICHEY - Fred Thompson will stop here Friday during his first Florida tour since formally announcing last week that he is running for president. The former actor and senator becomes the star attraction at the fourth annual Reagan Day Dinner at Spartan Manor, 6121 Massachusetts Ave. Social hour is at 6 p.m. and dinner at 7. About 60 tickets remain at $60 each. Also scheduled to speak at Friday's gathering, sponsored by the Republican Party of Pasco, is Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum, who is state chairman for the Rudy Giuliani presidential campaign. For information, call Shari Kotsch...

Barely a week after he announced his presidential candidacy on the "Tonight Show,'' former Senator Fred Thompson is scheduled to make a campaign stop in Fort Myers. Thompson's campaign has reserved the pavilion at Centennial Park from noon to 5 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 14, said Fort Myers city spokeswoman Jennifer Hobbick. She said an aide to Thompson called the city's recreation department to make the reservation. She said the five-hour reservation probably would include some set-up time and she didn't know the exact time of the rally. Thompson, a former Republican senator from Tennessee and an actor, had made...

Voters in one of the nation's most-watched congressional races may be told at the polls that a vote for disgraced former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley is really a vote for state Sen. Joe Negron. A state appeals court on Friday ruled election supervisors in the eight counties of the 16th Congressional District can give out notices that explain to voters that Negron will receive any votes cast for Foley. He resigned from Congress after his lewd messages with teenage congressional pages were discovered. This leaves the decision whether to post notices up to the individual elections supervisors. ''The voters of...

24. If the election were held today for United States Senate, whom would you support, Bill Nelson, the Democrat, or Katherine Harris, the Republican? Bill Nelson 63% Katherine Harris 20% Undecided 17%

Republican Tramm Hudson defended himself against charges of racism Thursday, after a video clip surfaced in which the 13th District Congressional candidate made negative comments about the swimming ability of black people. In the 27-second clip, which first appeared on the conservative Web site redstate.com and quickly spread to other blogs, Hudson spoke about a training exercise during which the infantry company he commanded was to cross a river. “A large number were black,” Hudson said. “I grew up in Alabama. I understand, uh, I know from experience, that blacks are not the greatest swimmers or may not even know...

The Tarrance Group is pleased to present the Hudson for Congress Committee with the key findings from a survey of voter attitudes among likely Republican primary voters in the Thirteenth Congressional District of Florida. These key findings are based on telephone interviews with N=300 “likely” Republican primary voters throughout the district. Responses to this survey were gathered August 2-3, 2006, and the confidence interval associated with a sample of this type is + 5.8%. KEY FINDINGS - Tramm Hudson has surged ahead to take the lead in the Republican primary election for Congress in the Thirteenth Congressional District of Florida,...

First and foremost, we must secure our borders and stem the tide of illegal border crossings. Only when our borders are secure can we begin to deal the issue of those already here. To secure the border we must fully fund the border patrol and all customs and immigration services. They are the first line of defense along our borders and must have the agents and resources to perform effectively. They should be supported with military assets such as drones and satellites if necessary. Only with a strong border patrol can we hope to stop the stampede of illegal border...

(Tampa, FL)--- Congresswoman Katherine Harris, the Republican candidate for United States Senate, has accepted the primary election endorsement of the Florida Right to Life Political Action Committee (FRTL). This endorsement was granted to Harris based on her strong commitment toward defending human life. “Florida Right to Life would like to thank you for your commitment to the Pro-Life cause…” stated Carrie Eisnaugle, Chairman of the FRTL, in her letter to Congresswoman Harris. “This position reflects our appreciation for your stand for the rights of unborn children, the elderly, and the infirmed.”Representative Harris has voted in support of a number of...

BRADENTON - Candidates and their supporters buzzed around the room at a Bradenton American Legion post Tuesday night, but it was obvious when the biggest name in the local ranks walked into the fray.A circle of people at the door made it known with vigorous applause that Republican Congresswoman Katherine Harris still had their support. Despite turnover in her campaign staff, questions about her ethics and sagging poll numbers, these supporters and volunteers proudly donned her Senate campaign T-shirts and stickers.Dozens of Republican candidates set up booths at the Manatee County Republican Party's meet-the-candidates night. Harris, of Longboat Key, was...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Jennifer Marks August 1, 2006 (813) 288-8400 Keep supporting Israel Harris condemns Hezbollah inhumanity Tampa, FL – Representative Katherine Harris, the Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate, supports Israel’s right to defend itself against militant Islamic terrorists, and its right to live freely in the one true democracy in the Middle East. Harris urges the civilized world to hold Hezbollah accountable for its despicable and cowardly tactics, most notably the use of civilian populations as human shields in its ongoing jihad against the State of Israel. Congresswoman Harris notes, “The people of Israel have already conceded...

The race to replace Katherine Harris in Congress is growing nasty in Sarasota, with the leading Republican candidate pledging $700,000 of his own money to defend himself against what he says is a smear campaign by a Republican opponent. Sarasota car dealer Vern Buchanan leads the crowded Republican field in the polls and raising money in a congressional race expected to be one of the most competitive in the state. But he announced this week he's contributing another $700,000 to his own campaign to combat "an onslaught of negative attacks" by opponent Tramm Hudson. Supporters of Hudson, a banker, have...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact Jennifer Marks July 31, 2006 Letter not applicable today Tampa, FL— Florida GOP Chairman Carole Jean Jordan informed Congresswoman Katherine Harris this afternoon that a previous letter unethically leaked in today’s news is not applicable to current party beliefs. Further, Jordan stated that the Florida Republican Party does not officially endorse or take positions in a primary. Representative Harris commented “this confidential letter was old news and Chairman Carole Jean Jordan has stated repeatedly this letter is not applicable today; further, Chairman Jordan said that she never expressed concerns about my campaign but rather the race...

KATHERINE HARRIS RALLIES IN WEST CHARLOTTE COUNTY FRIDAY, JULY 28TH We want to be sure that all county Republicans know that Katherine Harris will be in town on Friday the 28th and will arrive between 4:30 to 5 PM at the first event. THE GRAND OPENING OF THE ENGLEWOOD REPUBLICAN HEADQUARTERS. The headquarters office is located at 2400 S. Mc Call Rd. (776) inside of the Gasparilla Properties Real Estate Office. Coming from Port Charlotte area on 776 it will be on the right hand side and you will see plenty of signs both for Harris and for the West...

27. If the election were held today for United States Senate, whom would you support, Bill Nelson, the Democrat or Katherine Harris, the Republican? Bill Nelson 60% Katherine Harris 22% Undecided 18%

Katherine Harris' floundering U.S. Senate campaign lost its high-level staff again this week and is groping for a message -- which doesn't surprise Republican insiders who trace the seeds of her trouble to the story of ``Joe's dead intern.'' This wasn't any old Joe. It was Joe Scarborough, host of the prime-time MSNBC show Scarborough Country and a former Pensacola Republican congressman who was courted last summer by national Republicans to run against Harris. But before he could announce he wouldn't, Harris called major donors and suggested Scarborough would have to answer questions about the strange death of a former...

EAST PALATKA -- U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris said she is getting support in strange places in her fall bid for the U.S. Senate. Harris, the Republican who represents Florida’s 13th District, spoke at a Lincoln Day dinner held by the Putnam County Republican Executive Committee on Saturday night, saying House Democrats have told her they want her to beat incumbent Democrat Sen. Bill Nelson in their race for the U.S. Senate this November. “I’ve had Democrats in the House of Representatives come to me and say ‘You know, we’d really like to take the majority in the U.S. Senate’ —...

In this tony Gulf Coast city that prides itself on a refined attitude and a generous commitment to all things cultural, a nasty fight is brewing. The race to replace Republican Katherine Harris in Congress has turned into a free-for-all where seven candidates have raised millions of dollars and are now resorting to name-calling.

This Saturday, June 3rd, Republican US Senate candidate Will McBride will begin a statewide listening tour in Winter Garden. The tour will begin Saturday morning at 10:30 AM at the home of Will McBride’s parents-1058 Autumn Leaf Drive, Winter Garden, FL-- with a “campaign run” with Will McBride supporters. The public is welcome to join Will on the run. McBride will then be running in the annual Puerto Rican parade Sunday in east Orlando. For the rest of the month of June Will McBride will be traveling the state on a listening bus tour. The theme of McBride’s bus tour,...

All seven candidates for the 13th Congressional District seat made a joint appearance Thursday, answering questions on a variety of topics, such as abortion, national security and veterans benefits. Appearing before a couple hundred people at the Tiger Bay Club at Michael's on East, the five Republican and two Democratic candidates were first asked by a moderator to describe themselves as liberal or conservative, and then to explain what they meant. The two Democrats, Jan Schneider and Christine Jennings, described themselves as moderate Democrats, while two of the Republicans, Vern Buchanan and Mark Flanagan, said they were Ronald Reagan Republicans....

- There are two sides to Republican Rep. Katherine Harris (news, bio, voting record) — one that attracts talented people to her, and another that drives them away. The stories from former staff members are consistent, whether they worked with her at the Florida secretary of state's office, in her congressional office or on her current campaign to unseat Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson (news, bio, voting record): The woman who was both celebrated and vilified for overseeing the 2000 Florida recount is smart, charming and energetic and works hard. She is also a micromanager, easily angered and sometimes bursts into...

Gov. Jeb Bush ratcheted up his criticism about the foundering U.S. Senate candidacy of fellow Republican Katherine Harris Thursday, saying he was concerned her woes made it difficult for his party to defeat incumbent Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson. He said he has not been asked to intervene in the race in any way, and Bush has emphatically said he won't enter the race in his last year as governor. Last month, Bush issued Harris advice via the media, saying the congresswoman from Longboat Key needed to make the race less about her turmoil and more about Nelson and the future...

The last of U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris' key staffers appear ready to abandon her campaign for the U.S. Senate in a wave of resignations expected to start this weekend. Sources close to the campaign said Friday that the defections would touch virtually every level of her operation. Harris, who is running against Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson, is likely to lose her chief political strategist, her campaign manager, her spokeswoman, her director of field operations and even a traveling aide who helps hand out stickers at campaign appearances. It is the latest and most dramatic indication so far that her campaign...

Below are the poll results based on telephone interviews with 1200 likely voters in Florida, aged 18+, and conducted March 24-26, 2006. The margin of sampling error is ±3 percentage points.

President Bush did not actually invite the Taliban to visit Texas. He merely voiced his approval, in reference to the invitation, his buddies in Unocal set forth to the Taliban. No other clarifications are necessary, for the truth cannot be improved upon. I’ve listened closely to all the responses, and in doing so, I‘ve become confused about what a “Conservative”, actually is. It has always been my impression that conservatives believe in hard work, character, integrity, and above all, self-reliance. Many times I’ve heard tales of conservatives that started from nothing, and using sheer determination and will, maybe some inherent...