Free Republic

As Mitt Romney puts the South Carolina primary in his rear-view mirror and hits the accelerator in a bid to win Florida, he may discover himself crashing headlong into the bitter legacy of Charlie Crist, the former Florida governor who defected from the GOP and was soundly defeated for the U.S. Senate by Marco Rubio. Romney’s “Charlie Crist” problem is this: Romney’s chief campaign strategist and several of his most senior campaign staff were Crist’s top political advisers — the same ones who crafted Crist’s moderate, ignore-the-tea-party strategy epitomized in Crist’s famous “hug” of President Barack Obama. That strategy led...

As all eyes turn to Florida, you’d think GOP party leaders would be bending over backwards to win this critical swing state swings back this year after it went to Obama in 2008. Surprisingly, party leaders are doing the exact opposite. The GOP leadership voted unanimously to snub Florida Republicans again, this time adding insult to injury in their own backyard with the convention in Tampa—all because Florida had the audacity to move its primary up to January 31st. In addition to cutting the Florida delegates in half, GOP delegates from Florida are getting lousy seats in the convention hall,...

TAMPA — Mitt Romney on Friday wouldn't commit to Florida's first 2012 presidential primary debate, further upending a campaign that has swung from perfunctory to unsettled in a span of 48 hours. Romney spokesman Ryan Williams said the campaign had "no announcements" on the Monday night debate, which is being hosted by the Tampa Bay Times, NBC News, National Journal and the Florida Council of 100. Romney probably will decide whether to participate and under what terms after today's primary in South Carolina. Polls there show he now trails Newt Gingrich. Gingrich pounced on the indecisiveness while campaigning in Orangeburg,...

he endorsement from Bush, who despite prodding from members of his famous family and prominent Republicans decided to sit out the 2012 contest, is the latest sign that the Republican establishment is coalescing around Romney after months publicly griping about finding another candidate. Read more: http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2012/01/jeb_bush_to_endorse_romney_before_florida_primary.html#ixzz1jLlczld4

TALLAHASSEE — Florida's new redistricting standards, coupled with the 10-year shift in population, have forced Republicans to do what is rarely done in politics — sacrifice incumbents — and that is not going over well with some Republicans. The possible casualties include U.S. Rep. Allen West, whose Broward to Palm Beach-based district would become more Democratic in every map proposed by both the state House and Senate. Broward Republicans have launched a website — "saveallenwest.com." — and are mounting a campaign to pressure legislators to revamp the maps to make them more in line with what they believe are the...

Mitt Romney is blanketing Florida with ads and mailers. Newt Gingrich is planning a Miami-Orlando trip next week. Ron Paul is sending out fliers. The Republican presidential race for Florida is kicking into high gear. As the nation's biggest and most-diverse swing state, Florida has more Electoral College votes than Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina combined. Without it, Republicans probably can't win the White House. Romney's win Tuesday night in Iowa made the Florida stakes even higher. It all but ensures that most of his rivals would not survive a Jan. 31 victory in Florida by Romney, if he...

There's been a fair amount of chatter/concern that the importance of Florida's Republican primary could be dramatically diluted if the RNC further penalizes the state for its early primary by allocating its delegates proportionally, rather than winner-take-all. After all, divvying up 50 delegates four or five ways would make the state a lot smaller prize for the winner. On a conference call with reporters today, however, RNC officials all but dismissed the prospects for Florida losing its winner-take-all status. As it is the state's number of delegates will be slashed from 99 to 50, and there is no mechanism to...

HAGERSTOWN, Maryland -- My enjoyment of the autumn scenery was diminished only slightly by the cool drizzly overcast weather, but much more by the shadows of gloom gathering over the 2012 Republican presidential campaign, which was the reason for the phone call. After listening with great interest, I walked inside to the dining room table, picked up a pen and asked my source to repeat the information which I scrawled into a notebook: "Rubio [chief] of staff -- CESAR -- used to be w/ Romney's campaign … used his contacts to push primary to 31st because they want Romney in."...

Rick Santorum sees a conspiracy in Florida pushing up its presidential primary to Jan. 31. In a FOX News interview last night, Santorum said "somebody in Florida" is working to shorten the primary time for Mitt Romney or Rick Perry. He takes a shot at House Speaker Dean Cannon, though not by name, noting Cannon is a Perry supporter............. Video

Florida is set to deliver a number of true conservatives to Congress and to take back two, three or even more seats from the Democrats. If Republicans regain the House, as we are poised to do, Florida will have a key role in that effort. But of all our great candidates, not only in Florida, but anywhere in the nation, Tom Garcia in the crucial FL-24 race stands out above the crowd. Commander Tom Garcia is a rare mix of character, integrity, brashness and common sense. His election stands to improve America’s national security and economic wellbeing more than any...

Florida Freeper and Lurker patriots can make it happen! We can take ALL NINE Socialist/Progressive/Marxist seats and make Florida solid Conservative in the U.S. House! All we have to do is spare at least $10 nine times! Send the best Constitutional Conservative Primary candidate running in Districts 2, 3, 8, 11, 20, 22, 23, and 24 a $10 donation. Then give the Primary conservative candidate in your own district a $10 donation and use the "power of 10" to make Florida's 25 House seats Conservative!

Yesterday afternoon, I noted reports of independents voting in the closed Florida Republican primary and pointed out the state law requiring that voters establish party ID by registering 29 days before an election. Flip Pidot took a look at exit poll results posted at CNN (see page 4) and wonders how 20 percent of GOP votes were cast by non-Republicans:

South Florida voters took to the polls in force Tuesday, setting the stage for what may be a record turnout for a primary election and deciding a make-or-break race for Republican presidential hopefuls. Early reports showed few problems at polling precincts.

Attention!!! According to this Sun-Sentinel news STORY, independent voters are being given Republican ballots in today's primary election. Here is an excerpt from the story: In northern Coral Springs, near the Sawgrass Expressway and Coral Ridge Drive, David Nirenberg arrived to vote as an independent. Nevertheless, he said poll workers insisted he choose a party ballot. "He said to me, 'Are you Democrat or Republican?' I said, 'Neither, I am independent.' He said, 'Well, you have to pick one,''' Nirenberg said. In Florida, only those who declare a party are allowed to cast a vote in that party's presidential primary....

http://www.NewsAndOpinion.com | In the upcoming weeks, political observers finally will start to focus on Florida's Democratic gubernatorial primary. The delay probably can be written off to the fact that most Americans assume former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno is a lock to win her party's nomination. That would earn her the right to take on presidential brother and current Florida governor, Republican Jeb Bush. And if the economy keeps flirting with a second recession on the heels of the one supposedly just ended, even mighty Jeb could be vulnerable come November. But there's a hidden story in the Reno race...