Free Republic

According to reports from Politico, Southwest Florida Congressman Trey Radel is resigning from Congress. Radel pleaded guilty to cocaine possession in November and was sentenced to one-year probation. He also just completed a stint in rehab.

In early 2009, President Obama arrived in Florida to tout his stimulus plan. But it was a hug that stole the show.Then-Republican Gov. Charlie Crist's embrace of the president became a kiss of death for his Senate bid. Nearly five years later, Crist is hugging Obama again — in a different way. Now a Democrat running for his old job, Crist has assembled a campaign roster chock full of former Obama hands. His apparent wager: 1) Some of Obama's success in the the perennial swing state (he won it twice) can be replicated this fall and 2) Advertising a team...

Former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist recently issued an apology for backing the state's constitutional ban on same-sex marriage in 2008. Crist said in a recent interview with the Orlando-based LGBT publication Watermark Online that he regrets backing Florida's constitutional Amendment 2, which was approved by nearly 62 percent of voters in 2008 and defines marriage as being exclusively for one man and one woman. "I'm sorry I did that. It was a mistake. I was wrong. Please forgive me," Crist told the publication. "I made a mistake. I'm not perfect … That's the journey I'm on … and I'm still...

Democrat Charlie Crist is enjoying a resurgence in his new party and currently leads Governor Rick Scott in internal polling conducted for the governor, according to CBS4 news partner the Miami Herald. The survey was conducted by Governor Scott’s pollster and showed Crist with a four-point lead over Scott among likely voters. Looking at a potential Democratic primary challenge from Senator Bill Nelson; Crist leads the long-time Democrat by 13 points. According to the Herald, in a hypothetical Democratic gubernatorial primary, Crist beats Senator Nelson by a 45-32 percent margin. Nineteen percent of democrats surveyed said they were undecided in...

Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) says that, contrary to recent reports, he does not plan to run for governor next year. But he left the door open to changing his mind. “What I’ve said all along is I have no intention of running,” Nelson told POLITICO on Tuesday. “I wish Charlie Crist the best,” he added, referring to the state’s former Republican governor who is running for his old job next year as a Democrat. However, in an exchange with another POLITICO reporter later Tuesday, Nelson was less adamant. While he said he’s not considering the governor’s race now and again...

Former chief financial officer, banker and gubernatorial candidate Alex Sink has been the subject of buzz as a potential candidate for the 13th Congressional District seat that became vacant when longtime U.S. Representative Bill Young died earlier this month. Now, she's made it official. Sink's campaign has issued a news release that points to a new website, alexforcongress.com. She's quoted as saying she finds "a deep frustration" with what she calls the "dysfunctional and reckless politics" in Washington. Her release says she's running to "change the way Washington does business." Sink is one of Florida's few high-profile Democratic politicians. Potential...

A conservative blogger has thrown his hat into the ring to challenge Rep. Alan Grayson, the liberal firebrand from Florida. Jorge Bonilla, a Navy veteran who has never held public office before but works as a professional court interpreter, is announcing Monday his run for Florida’s 9th Congressional District seat. “The central question of the 2014 election is this: Are We The People still capable of self-rule, or do we abandon the American Revolution and concede that a small, connected elite from Washington, D.C. and New York is better capable of running our lives than we are ourselves?” Bonilla says...

If Charlie Crist runs for governor as a Democrat, he’s going to lose. He’ll either get rubbed out in the Democratic primary, or he’ll lose to Gov. Rick Scott in the general. If Crist runs for governor, rank-and-file Democratic voters will never again trust the party leaders who support Crist. Terence McCoy, of the alternative New Times Broward-Palm Beach, made some excellent points in Five Reasons Charlie Crist Will Not Run For Governor, which I urge everyone to read. McCoy thinks Crist won’t run, but every Democratic leader I know who’s been talking to Crist says he will, and they’re...

The first Florida-based poll conducted since the close of the Democratic National Convention shows former governor Charlie Crist lapping the prospective field of Democratic candidates eyeing the 2014 gubernatorial race.Crist is the top choice of 61% of likely Democratic voters, followed by former Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink with 25% support. Orlando mayor Buddy Dyer comes in at 7%, state Senator Nan Rich at 3.5% and Florida Democratic Party chair Rod Smith at 3.4%.Sen. Rich is the only candidate officially running for governor. Dyer and Sink have said they will make a decision about whether to run after the presidential...

Republican Gov. Rick Scott is already getting ready for the 2014 election. So are the Democrats who hope to challenge him. The state Republican Party is buying television ads to promote Scott's policy successes in hopes of reversing voters' negative impressions. The governor and party are also raising money for his re-election.