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On the eve of the Iowa caucuses, Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida, a former ally of Donald J. Trump, delivered a blistering critique of the former President, implying that Trump prioritizes personal loyalty over the nation’s welfare. In 2017, Donald Trump, who was then serving as President, threw his support behind Ron DeSantis in the race for Florida’s governorship. This endorsement from Trump was a significant boost for DeSantis, a tea-party conservative, enabling him to surpass the right-wing GOP candidate Adam Putnam, who was serving as Florida’s agriculture commissioner at the time, Politico reported. “Congressman Ron DeSantis is a brilliant...

'If he wanted to run, that's OK with me. I think we'd win by a lot.' Former President Donald Trump continues to say Gov. Ron DeSantis won’t run against him in 2024 and can’t beat him if he does, while reminding voters DeSantis wouldn’t be Governor without Trump’s endorsement. During an interview with South Florida radio host Brian Mudd, Trump offered his latest in a series of statements essentially claiming he made the Governor and DeSantis knows better than to run against him in 2024. “I do think if I run, he won’t,” Trump said. “I know they try and...

National Rifle Association lobbyist Marion Hammer this week sent out a blistering critique of Democratic Agriculture-Commissioner candidate Nikki Fried, who opened October by saying she would curtail Hammer’s access to the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Hammer’s Monday statement to members of the NRA and the Unified Sportsmen of Florida labeled Fried an “anti-gun extremist who will eliminate our freedoms.” The lobbyist also reaffirmed the NRA’s endorsement of Republican Matt Caldwell to replace term-limited Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam. In addition, Hammer pointed out that Everytown for Gun Safety, a gun-control group co-founded by former New York Mayor Michael...

Florida is the largest swing state in the union and possibly the most demographically representative with transplants from the Northeast and Midwest, along with natives of the South. Plus it’s the third largest state after California and Texas, which are not as representative. That makes the results of Tuesday’s primaries so intriguing to the tea-leaf reading set. In this case we can see some real actual trends, because it is not just one special election that both sides were trying to make into a national referendum — it’s a mini three-quarters of America. One big takeaway: The establishment, “centrist” portions...

Adam Putnam is running for governor of Florida, against Ron DeSantis in the Republican primary. During Trump's campaign, he took some pretty vicious swings at Trump as he was a Jebby guy. Now that Putnam sees how popular Trump is, he's pretending he never said negative things about trump. We know that's a big lie. Now he's running repetitive ads in FLA that DeSantis wants to raise taxes by 23%. A whole lot of drama about how that will doom our state. It seems he's decided if he can trick the bulk of the low information voters they'll vote for...

JACKSONVILLE, Florida – With just over a month to go until Florida Republicans vote to select their nominee for the governor’s race, Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) is pulling ahead of Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, according to recent polling data. Past polling showed DeSantis trailing Putnam by a wide margin. One poll from June 21, conducted by Fox News, had DeSantis down by 15 points. This month’s polling, however, shows the trend is decidedly in DeSantis’ favor. A survey from Remington Research conducted July 2-5 has DeSantis up 17 points. Another survey conducted by pollster Tony Fabrizio has DeSantis up...

The lessons learned from the 2016 presidential and down-ballot elections seem to be lost on the old guard Republican establishment in Florida. The wave of voter alienation and dissatisfaction with “politics as usual” that President Trump rode into office is as strong as ever, as is disdain for career politicians. Yet, the party establishment has lined up in the gubernatorial primary behind a career politician – Adam Putnam – who opposes the president’s efforts to secure our southern border and stop illegal immigration. Worse, Putnam did his best to sabotage Trump’s election by saying, among other things, that he is...

“I did not call the president those things,” Adam Putnam said _______________________________ In Florida’s Republican primary for governor, Adam Putnam has an early lead in the polls, but he doesn’t have the endorsement of President Donald Trump. And so, in a Thursday evening debate, the state’s agricultural commissioner used some rhetorical sleight of hand to make it sound as if he had never been a Trump critic. Fox News’ Bret Baier — who hosted the nationally televised debate with colleague Martha MacCallum — noted that in 2016, Putnam used the words “vile,” “obscene,” and “dishonorable” to describe then-candidate Trump’s behavior....

Survivors of the mass shootings at Pulse nightclub and Parkland are planning to pressure Walt Disney Co. to withdraw its support of self-described “NRA sellout” Adam Putnam by holding a “die-in” at a Disney property sometime this month. National Die-In, a group co-founded by Parkland survivors, is in the early stages of organizing the demonstration where protesters lie in a corpse-like pose to emphasize the effect of shooting massacres. The protest would be at a Disney headquarters or Orlando theme park. “We want to keep doing these protests to show people we aren’t backing down,” Nurah Abdulhaqq, a Georgia teen...

It was likely always going to be an uphill battle for establishment candidate Adam Putnam in the race for Florida governor. Yes, the state commissioner of agriculture has raised a lot of money from special interests in Tallahassee, but as we’ve seen in recent history, no amount of money can paper over a problematic record that, in Putnam’s case, includes support for amnesty (both the Arlen Specter-sponsored immigration bill in 2006 and the so-called Gang of 8 measure in 2013), opposition to E-Verify, -----------snip--------- "But what really will be responsible for sinking Putnam’s candidacy is the hostility he has demonstrated...

For more than a year, the state of Florida failed to conduct national background checks on tens of thousands of applications for concealed weapons permits, potentially allowing drug addicts or people with a mental illness to carry firearms in public. A previously unreported Office of Inspector General investigation found that in February 2016 the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services stopped using a FBI crime database called the National Instant Criminal Background Check System that ensures applicants who want to carry a gun do not have a disqualifying history in other states. The employee in charge of the background...

Staring down the prospect of a public relations crisis — boycott threats and "die-in" protests included — over its donations to Republican gubernatorial hopeful Adam Putnam, Publix said Friday it has halted all corporate political contributions. The supermarket giant made the announcement moments before a "die-in" protest planned by David Hogg, a vocal Parkland school shooting survivor and gun control activist. Despite the news, Hogg and dozens of protestors sprawled on the floor of a Coral Springs Publix for 12 minutes clutching sunflowers and signs that read "No NRA Money." Hogg and other students began their influential movement for gun...

For David Hogg’s next derp, he’s going to get people to boycott Publix. Everone’s favorite store in Florida. For serious. Go tweet someone you know in Florida and keep reading while you wait for a response. Chinless has proved he don’t know much about history with his black arm bad Nazi look. But he really should have copied off valedictorian-contender Kyle Kashuv’s homework when it came to critical thinking. Here’s Hoggy’s equation: Publix supports Adam Putnam for governor + Adam Putnam supports the NRA = Publix obviously supports the NRA. The store must pay for its thought crime. Showing that...

Publix has been Florida’s favorite grocery chain for decades — but some shoppers are turning their backs on the store after learning it donated more than half a million dollars to gubernatorial candidate Adam Putnam. A handful of state advocacy groups have gone to social media — Twitter in particular — urging shoppers to "#BoycottPublix" this Memorial Day weekend. Some people have decided to boycott the store indefinitely, or until it withdraws $670,000 it has given to Putnam, a longtime Republican politician who drew ire after he called himself "a proud NRA sellout" and opposed Florida’s new, stricter gun purchasing...

A new attack ad against DeSantis has links to the bare knuckled political operative -------------snip--------------- Today an outfit called National Liberty Federation began airing about $290,000 in ads on radio and Fox News TV stations across Florida hammering Republican U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis: -------snip--------- The National Liberty Federation is run by a Palm Beach County resident named Everett Wilkinson, who used to call the group the South Florida Tea Party. Wilkinson for years has worked closely with Roger Stone, hosting a 2011 Boca Raton Trump rally that served as a harbinger of his presidential campaign, vocally supporting more casinos in...

Democrats bet big on Charlie Crist’s bid for governor, and his loss Tuesday is not only a potential career-ending outcome for one of Florida’s most prominent political figures of the last two decades, but also another gut check for a party at a low point in statewide influence... Democrats lost six seats in the state House of Representatives, giving the GOP a super majority. The partisan makeup of the state Senate did not change, but Republicans are still just one lawmaker shy of their all-time high. Additionally, every Cabinet position — governor, attorney general, chief financial officer and agriculture commissioner...

PPP's final polls for Governor in Florida, Michigan, and Illinois find incredibly tight contests in all three states. Florida is the closest. Rick Scott and Charlie Crist both have 44%, with Libertarian Adrian Wyllie polling at 6%. PPP usually has a policy of not releasing poll results to the decimal, but when we find a tie on our final poll of the cycle somewhere we make an exception. Crist is at 44.0% to 43.8% for Scott- in terms of raw respondents to the poll that's 526 for Crist and 524 for Scott. Wyllie may be playing a spoiler role for...

I’ve been speaking with some folks in Adam Putnam’s district in Florida. They are extremely upset about his vote for the Wall Street Bailout and are planning a protest tomorrow in Bartow. If you’d like to speak to the organizer of the protest, Chris McGuire, please send him an email at cmcguire99@gmail.com or call him at 813-245-3202. Here is the location of Putnam’s district office: 650 East Davidson Street Bartow, Florida 33830 Phone: (863) 534-3530 Fax: (863) 534-3559 The protest is scheduled for early tomorrow morning. The disappointment about this bailout continues to spark grassroots opposition around the country.

TALLAHASSEE | After a miserable showing in Tuesday's New Hampshire primary, GOP candidate Fred Thompson is clearly banking on a surge in the South to revive what was once the most spirited of conservative campaigns. About a dozen state lawmakers joined U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam, R-Lakeland, in the Capital Press Center in Tallahassee for an odd Wednesday morning press conference. Putnam, one of the first Floridians to press for Thompson's candidacy last year, said the former Tennessee senator would do well in next week's South Carolina primary and Florida's Jan. 29 vote. "Everybody recognizes Thompson's appeal in the South," Putnam...

U. S. Rep. Adam Putnam, R-Bartow, said that Sen. Fred Thompson was excellent in his debut debate Tuesday night in Dearborn, Mich. An early supporter of Thompson, the latest entry into the race for the Republican nomination for president, Putnam said the former U.S. senator scored major points. "I thought his responses were substantive, candid and optimistic. He showed himself more than capable for the road ahead," Putnam said. "He demonstrated a command of the issues, domestic and international. He was unafraid of speaking plainly of the generational challenges we face, and discussing his approach to solving our most difficult...