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A new SurveyUSA survey finds Sen. John McCain's GOP convention speech has scored well, at least with Florida voters. We asked voters who heard the speeches by both McCain and Obama to tell us who would do a better job with certain issues. Here is what they told us: Who has the better plan for Iraq? McCain For energy independence? McCain For Health care? McCain Who is stronger on the environment? McCain On education? McCain

Here's the letter that was the first post for the thread on the link: We are urging all Democrats to VOTE BY MAIL! As of 9/5/08 the total Absentee Ballots Requested is 21,283 - 6,405 Democrats - 12,071 Republicans - 2,807 Other (No Party). We must improve our Absentee Ballot numbers in order to win in November!The Democratic Party of Sarasota County .AOLWebSuite .AOLPicturesFullSizeLink { height: 1px; width: 1px; overflow: hidden; } .AOLWebSuite a {color:blue; text-decoration: underline; cursor: pointer} Contribute www.sarasotadems.org Volunteer Sarasota Venice Englewood North Port September DEC Meeting Reminder - Sept 10, 2008 Dear LadyLuck, The September Democratic...

McCain just shot up hugely in Tampa, look at this new poll from Survey USA. In our latest poll out of Tampa for WFLA-TV, 52% of registered voters told us their opinion of John McCain went up after hearing his speech at the Republican National Convention last night. 18% say their opinion of McCain went down while 30% say their opinion of McCain stayed the same.

Hurray! Sarah will come to Palm Beach County and Miami soon! I just confirmed it with my local volunteer coordinator, dates TBA. Also, I was encouraged to go to the Supervisor of Elections office and get tons of voter registration forms for distributions to Catholic churches (please ask nicely and be respectful about asking to place them) But I was also cautioned about ABSENTEE REQUEST FORMS. The Fl ballot is going to be big and heavy this year. It may require up to $6.00 postage due to new postal rules about overall size. So if you do drop these off...

The news of Palin has rocked Miami. The pro-republican Cuban-American community here is going crazy! They love her and are energized. Florida will go to the Republicans once again this election cycle.

I am fairly new here. So I feel a little odd writing this. But the Republicans here in Florida do such a bad job of getting the news out about how to volunteer, I felt I had to get the word out on my own. In FL each party is allowed to have Poll watchers inside the precincts. The Republican party trains volunteers, Democrats usually use attorneys. If you are interested, you can contact the local Republican party HQ for your county. They train you in a 2-3 hour class and give you study materials. Later you are assigned a...

TALLAHASSEE -- Joe Biden's barely a blip. Mitt Romney's more of a hit. Gov. Charlie Crist should stay where he is. And Joe Lieberman should go away.That's all according to Mason-Dixon Polling & Research's latest Florida voter survey gauging the vice presidential picks and possibilities in the presidential race.The poll shows the race is almost dead-even: 45 percent favor Barack Obama and 44 percent favor Republican John McCain.Obama's decision to pick Delaware Sen. Biden on Saturday as a running mate doesn't seem to have done much for the ticket. The poll shows that those who said Biden would make them...

Below are the poll results are based on telephone interviews with 1200 likely voters in Florida, aged 18+, and conducted August 22-24, 2008, 2008. The margin of sampling error is ±3 percentage points. 1. Do you approve or disapprove of President Bush's overall job performance? Approve 33% Disapprove 59% Undecided 8% 2. Do you approve or disapprove of President Bush's handling of the economy? Approve 20% Disapprove 64% Undecided 16% 3. Do you approve or disapprove of President Bush's handling of Iraq? Approve 38% Disapprove 56% Undecided 6% 4. Do you approve or disapprove of President Bush's handling of the...

If the election for President were held today would you support John McCain, the Republican, Barack Obama, the Democrat, or Bob Barr, the Libertarian? John McCain 49% Barack Obama 42% Bob Barr 1% Undecided 8%

Barack Obama has problems with Jewish seniors in Florida, say two Democratic lawmakers there. Florida state Sen. Nan Rich told JTA that Obama surrogates have been “shocked” by the hostility they have encountered at condominiums in her area aimed at their candidate. Steve Geller, who serves as the Democratic minority leader in the Florida state Senate and represents parts of Broward County, said he was nearly chased out of the "condos" -- shorthand for retirement communities -- when he said he backed Obama. "I've noticed almost a mob mentality," Geller said. "I can change people's minds in a group of...

According to a new round of Quinnipiac polls, McCain is up by four points in Florida (47%-43%) after trailing in the state last month; Obama is up one in Ohio; and Obama is up seven points in Pennsylvania (49%-42%). These surveys were conducted from August 17-24 - before the start of the Democratic Convention.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FLORIDA CHAMBER POLL: MCCAIN LEADS OBAMA 42% TO 39% GOING INTO CONVENTION TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (August 25, 2008) – As the Democratic National Convention begins, a new poll released today by the Florida Chamber of Commerce shows Republican John McCain has a slim 42 percent to 39 percent edge over Democrat Barack Obama with Florida voters in the race for the White House. The Florida Chamber poll asked likely voters the following question: If the election for president were held today, would you vote for Republican John McCain, Democrat Barack Obama (ROTATE) or one of the other candidates?...

DENVER -- Florida Democrats' outsider status was officially erased Sunday when the national party voted to give each of the state's delegates a full vote at the national convention. The vote by the credentials committee to bring the state party into the fold comes on the eve of the presidential convention, and Democrats hope it closes a door on a bitter year-long dispute that divided the party. ''Thank you for bringing the sunshine back ... for Florida,'' said Scott Maddox, a former Florida Democratic Party chairman and credentials committee member. The vote is largely symbolic because Barack Obama won enough...

DENVER - Democratic delegates from Michigan and Florida were awarded full voting rights at the national convention Sunday, despite holding early primaries against party rules. The convention credentials committee voted unanimously to restore the voting privileges at the behest of Barack Obama, the party's presumptive nominee for president. The states were initially stripped of delegates for holding primaries before Feb. 5. The party's rules committee restored the delegates in May, but gave them only half votes.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida authorities are investigating a threatening letter sent to Gov. Charlie Crist that contained a suspicious but nontoxic white powder.

John McCain has recaptured the lead over Barack Obama in Florida, besting his Democratic opponent 46% to 43% in the latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of voters in the state. Counting “leaners,” McCain attracts 48% of the voter while Obama earns 46%. That advantage for McCain is well within the poll’s margin of sampling error. Full demographic crosstabs are available for Premium Members. Time is running out to save on Premium Memberships. Sign up now and save. Learn More. While Obama remains close in the polls, he is viewed unfavorably by 48% of Florida voters, including 57% of white voters....

Here's your Fact Sheet on Amendment 2 Print copies, forward this important message to family and friends August 19, 2008 Dear Friend, We have just finished our final “Fact Sheet” on Amendment 2, the Florida Marriage Protection Amendment. This will now be “THE” most used and most recommend all purpose hand out or flyer in the campaign. This also contains most of our talking points for media also. It is really important they we stay on message and use these points when talking about the marriage amendment. Please feel free to mass produce these Fact Sheet flyers and distribute to...

McCain leads by two after Rasmussen had him trailing by two one month ago. Internals show Obama is viewed unfavorably by 48% of Florida voters, including 57% of white voters. McCain is viewed favorably by 61% of Florida's voters and unfavorably by 36%.

“I know that earlier this year, Senator Obama proposed cutting the NASA budget and delaying the timetable for our return to the Moon and the Mars mission,” McCain said. “I believe that he later repudiated his own plan. Sometimes it is difficult to know what a politician will actually do once in office, because they say different things at different times to different people. This is a particular problem when a candidate has a short, thin record on the issues as in the case of Senator Obama. “Let me say, just in case Senator Obama does decide to return to...

Two New Polls: FL(InAv) McCain 48% Obama 44% NC(SVUSA) McCain 49% Obama 45%

Florida, Three Months Out -- Sun Shines on McCain: In an election in critical swing-state Florida for President of the United States today, 08/04/2008, Republican John McCain defeats Democrat Barack Obama, 50% to 44%, according to this latest SurveyUSA poll pre-election poll conducted exclusively for WFLA-TV Tampa and WKRG-TV Pensacola.

Here are the latest results from the Florida poll by Survey USA published on USAElectionPolls.com: There were 679 voters polled on 8/1-3. Survey USA Date: 8/1-3 Florida Added: 8/5/08 John McCain 50% Barack Obama 44% Unsure 3% Other 3% Florida, Three Months Out -- Sun Shines on McCain: In an election in critical swing-state Florida for President of the United States today, 08/04/2008, Republican John McCain defeats Democrat Barack Obama, 50% to 44%, according to this latest SurveyUSA poll pre-election poll conducted exclusively for WFLA-TV Tampa and WKRG-TV Pensacola. Obama leads by 9 points in Southeastern Florida, where he takes...

The Conservative Republican Alliance in Fort Lauderdale is peeved at the Republican Party for not doing more to help get candidate Allen West elected to Congress. West is challenging Democrat Ron Klein in District 22. Klein is the candidate who toppled longtime incumbent and Republican Clay Shaw two years ago. The district runs along the east coast from allenwest1.jpg northern Broward to northern Palm Beach County. Here's the letter the Conservative Alliance sent out publicly this week:

Raleigh, N.C. – John McCain has retaken the lead in Florida, Public Policy Polling’s newest survey shows. Barack Obama had taken a small lead in June after trailing in PPP surveys of the state in March and January, but McCain now has a 47-44 advantage. Obama earns just 76% of the Democratic vote, with the folks in his party supporting McCain disproportionately older white females. “The Democrats crossing over to support John McCain are your prototypical Hillary Clinton supporters,” said Dean Debnam, President of Public Policy Polling. “Barack Obama still has some work to do getting those folks on his...

In an election in critical swing-state Florida for President of the United States today, 08/04/2008, Republican John McCain defeats Democrat Barack Obama, 50% to 44%, according to this latest SurveyUSA poll pre-election poll conducted exclusively for WFLA-TV Tampa and WKRG-TV Pensacola.

McCain ahead 50% - 44% Internals have McCain leading among both men and women. He leads in every part of the state by double digits except the SE part (Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach) and even there he is only down by 9 points.

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - Less than a month before Democrats hold their historic national convention in Denver, Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) has asked the Democratic National Committee (DNC) to allow convention delegates from Florida and Michigan to cast a full vote. In a letter to the DNC on Sunday, Obama asked the DNC's Credentials Committee, which meets a day before the convention, to pass a resolution restoring the full voting power of delegates from the two states. "As a candidate for the nomination, I supported the DNC's efforts to establish and enforce a schedule for primaries and caucuses that would...

Senator Barack Obama has asked the credentials committee of the Democratic Party to give full voting rights to delegates from Florida and Michigan at the national convention in Denver. The request is likely to be granted because it comes from Mr. Obama, the all-but-certain nominee, who now controls the party apparatus. [..] Mr. Obama’s request is likely to cause consternation among party officials, who have struggled to maintain some authority over the primary calendar. Restoring full voting rights will essentially be giving a green light to other states to ignore the primary calendar next election. The credentials committee is scheduled...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Now that Barack Obama has clinched the Democratic nomination for president, he wants convention delegates from Florida and Michigan to have full voting rights at the party's national convention. Obama sent a letter Sunday to the party's credentials committee, asking members to reinstate the delegates' voting rights when the committee meets at the start of the convention in Denver. The delegates were originally stripped because the two states violated party rules by holding primaries before Feb. 5. The delegates from each state were given half-votes at a contentious party meeting in May, as part of a compromise...

Hewing to campaign conventions, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) today visited a local pastry shop here, praised his fellow Republican officeholders and declared Florida is "a battleground state" in the election. McCain entered Pancho's Spanish Bakery & Deli in Orlando this afternoon along with his wife Cindy, Florida GOP Gov. Charlie Crist and Orange County mayor Richard Crotty (R). They all shook hands with many patrons and a few employees. There was scattered applause. "Thank you," McCain said. "We have the mayor and the governor, how about that?" Upon seeing Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.), who was seated at a table, rise...

In search of someone - anyone - on this planet who is not in love with Barack Obama, I am in the banquet hall of a Cuban restaurant in the Miami suburbs, and there are dozens of men and women around me and they are hollering "McCain! McCain! Sí McCain!" A man shouts out in Spanish that I am a political reporter from Canada visiting South Florida. He asks for a show of hands declaring presidential preference. The result: John McCain, about 50; Mr. Obama, two. And the room is just beginning to fill. Soon there will be 250 people...

Democrats vilified Republican presidential candidate John McCain when he came out in support of offshore drilling in June. And when Gov. Charlie Crist backed away from his long-standing opposition, critics accused him of sacrificing Florida's interests to curry favor with McCain. A new poll shows most Florida voters think McCain and Crist are right on the issue. Quinnipiac University reported last week that 60 percent of Florida voters favor drilling offshore in currently protected areas, with 36 percent opposed.

TITUSVILLE, Fla - Standing with Florida Senator and former astronaut Bill Nelson 20 minutes north of the spiritual home of America’s space program in Cape Canaveral, Barack Obama committed to keeping NASA exploring the outer reaches of the cosmos for years to come - reversing a pledge to cut funding for new space flights. Obama recalled watching American astronauts emerge from the Pacific ocean after space flights as a boy in his Native Hawaii. “When I was growing up, NASA inspired the world with achievements we’re still proud of,” he said. “Today, we have an administration that sets ambitious goals...

New Florida poll: McCain 45, Obama 40 In a new poll released by the Florida Chamber of Commerce, 45 percent of Florida voters said they would vote for Sen. John McCain if the presidential election were held today. Forty percent said they would vote for Sen. Barack Obama. Fifteen percent were undecided. This is the same poll that shows Gov. Charlie Crist's approval rating at 63 percent. The statewide poll of 1,600 registered voters was conducted July 20-28 by Fabrizio McLaughlin and Associates

PANAMA CITY, FL — Country Music star John Rich premiered a new song Friday dedicated to Sen. John McCain at a rally for the GOP presumptive nominee on the Florida Panhandle. At a “Country First” (get it?) concert, one of the two stars of Big and Rich performed “Raisin’ McCain” as McCain was arriving for a brief rally in Panama City. The song focuses on the Vietnam veteran’s time as a POW and refers to him as a “a real man with an American plan.” (Full lyrics after jump) “Well we’re all just raisin’ McCain. Everywhere across the USA. You...

Aug. 2--ORLANDO -- In a sign that the road to the White House runs through Florida, the presidential candidates overlapped in the state Friday for the first time, offering contrasting fixes for the economy while confronting racial issues. In Orlando, McCain defended his opposition to affirmative action and support for private-school vouchers in front of a mostly black audience at the National Urban League convention. About 100 miles west, in St. Petersburg, protesters at a racially diverse town-hall meeting held up a banner demanding of Obama, "What about the black community?" The mild but tense confrontations came one day after...

Partisan liberal Democrats should have good reason to fear the candidacy of LTC Allen West. Not only is LTC West a legitimate threat to make Ron Klein a one term congressman in Florida’s 22nd Congressional District, LTC West also has the potential to become an effective national spokesman for the Republican Party by virtue of his commanding persona coupled with his impressive background and credentials- provided that his insurgent campaign is ultimately successful. FL-22 is Clay Shaw’s old district, running up and down Atlantic oceanfront in Palm Beach and Broward Counties from Jupiter all the way down to Fort Lauderdale....

The latest Quinnipiac Swing State Polls are out: Florida: Obama leads McCain, 46% to 44% Ohio: Obama leads McCain, 46% to 44% Pennsylvania: Obama leads McCain, 49% to 42%

Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign released its latest television ad today entitled "Celeb." The ad takes a swipe at the perception that Sen. Barack Obama is "the biggest celebrity in the world" because of his much covered Middle-East/European tour last week. The ad opens with a huge crowd screaming "O-Bama! O-Bama!" then flashes images of Britney Spears, Paris Hilton and Obama -- not together and by the way not very subliminal lining him up with the Britney and Paris celebrity train wrecks) -- hitting the screen with the announcer proclaiming that "Barack Obama is the biggest celebrity in the world."...

Has Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine's chances of landing the coveted spot as Obama's Veep risen? According to stories at both The Politico and the Washington Post Kaine has risen to the level of serious contender, along with Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh and Delaware Sen. Joe Biden. The WaPo story has close Kaine associates acknowledging that Kaine has told them that he has had "very serious" conversations with Obama about joining the ticket.

The Sen. Barack Obama campaign held a conference call this morning on one of the key battleground states in this race: Pennsylvania. Team O, led by Gov. Ed Rendell, stressed the importance of registering and winning over the one-million-plus, un-registered voters spread out over the Keystone State.

....The GOP's greatest embarrassment of all might seem to be Florida's 22nd, where the party that Iraq destroyed is running a candidate charged with violating the Uniform Code of Military Justice. And, yet, the South Florida GOP doesn't see it that way. This year's surprise in Palm Beach County is that local Republican officials, some of whom are also presiding over more competitive races, believe their candidate is not a laughingstock but the marquee Republican of the year--that he is not a symptom of what ails the national GOP but a possible cure. Palm Beach County Republican Chairman Sid Dinerstein,...

Florida: Obama + 2 Minnesota: Obama + 13 Colorado: Obama +3 This is beginning to worry me.

Congressman Robert Wexler is answering questions after a news report alleges that he doesn't reside in his home district of Delray Beach. It is required that he keep a residence in the district he represents, but, according to the report, his primary residence is in Maryland, not Delray Beach. The Delray Beach condo he has claimed as his primary residence is actually owned by his in-laws, in a 55-and-over senior community. When questioned by a Fox News reporter Wexler insists he has done nothing wrong and is following the established guidelines for a residence in his district. Statement by Congressman...

It's unlikely U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler curls up on his mother-in-law's sofa, pundits on the Fox News program The O'Reilly Factor said Tuesday night. Wexler's challenger has accused the six-term congressman of playing a residency shell game, saying Wexler, D-Delray Beach, uses his mother-in-law's address in Delray Beach while flagrantly making his home in a Maryland suburb.

One of the most liberal members of Congress in Florida Robert Wexler (Obamapropagandist and notorious leftist) is not a resident of his district. He has lived in Maryland since the late 90s. He claims to live in a house in Del Ray (owned by his mother-law) in an active adult community where no children are allowed, though he has three children). You can't live there with kids, it's against the rules of the community. Another example of Democrat hubris - I am above the law. It seems he has no connection to Florida at all. Clearly it's a phantom residence,...

The Sen. John McCain campaign launched a new Web video titled "Obama Love" that takes a swipe at the perceived media bias towards Barack Obama. According to the campaign e-mail, the video "highlights the media's love affair with Barack Obama -- or as MSNBC's Chris Matthews says, that thrill going up my leg." Played to the tune of Frankie Valli's "Can't take my eyes off of you" -- one of Valli's most popular songs. Perhaps, it will turn out to be a hit for McCain as well.

Tonight ABC aired their interview with Sen. Barack Obama with correspondent Terry Moran conducting; here is a clip of the segment that ran on ABC's World News Tonight: Moran: If you had to do it over again, knowing what you know now, would you support the surge? Obama: No. Because, keep in mind that -- Moran: You wouldn't?

Billboards bearing a photo of the Twin Towers burning and a plea not to vote for Democrats has sparked controversy in Orlando, Florida. The person behind the billboard, Mike Meehan, is holding the Democrats responsible for the 9/11 attacks: "I'm holding the entire Democratic Party responsible for the attacks on 9/11," said Meehan, who wrote, sang, produced and recorded the song. He said people should not vote for Democrats because they are too focused on solving the problems in the economy when they should be focused on the war on terrorism. [. . .] "Democrats are relaxed on fighting the...

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- A controversial billboard in Orange County has a picture of the burning World Trade Center and the message, "Please Don't Vote for a Democrat." The man who paid for the ad says he's trying to help Republicans, but officials with both political parties are calling the billboard inappropriate. There are billboards up and down busy Orange Blossom Trail, but this at John Young Parkway (see map) one sticks out. "Just looking at it, I'm not thinking about Democrat or Republican, I'm thinking about the twin towers and all the people killed," resident Mary Anderson told Eyewitness...