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OK, it's primary election day in Florida. I've heard stories of a light turn-out so far in most of the state. On tap for tonight are Rep and Dem primaries for governor and the rep primary for US Senate. There are also primaries for the House seats being vacated by Katherine Harris (R) and Jim Davis (D). There's at least one high profile (and bitter) state Senate primary between incumbent pro-life activist Randall Terry and state senate President Jim King. So, who's gonna win? Why? What do you know? What have you heard? This thread starts...NOW!

Attorney General Charlie Crist's formidable lead over Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher in the Republican primary for governor appears secure, according to a poll released Wednesday by Quinnipiac University, but with less than a week to go before Tuesday's election, the race between the leading Democrats is still up for grabs. Crist is ahead of Gallagher 57 to 32 percent, according to the Connecticut-based public opinion research group. But the poll says the contest between U.S. Rep. Jim Davis and state Sen. Rod Smith is much tighter, with Davis leading 43-32 percent, while a substantial 24 percent of Democrats surveyed...

Friends, lurkers and media, The debate between Tom Gallagher and Charlie Crist vying to be the Republican Primary winner to become Florida's next governor is MUST SEE TV and is on NBC statewide tonight, August 28th at 8:oo pm est. Watch and listen carefully. 1. Which candidate actually answers the questions. 2. What is the degree of difficulty of the questions? 3. Who acts like a grownup? 3. Who's the biggest namedropper on the stage? 4. Who makes promises to do fab things with your hard earned money that you'll never see again? 5. Who do you trust during times...

I am proudly endorsing Tom Gallagher for Governor of Florida. In a day when moral standards are up for grabs, Tom will be a champion for the family. He will work to provide genuine school choice for every Florida child, and he understands that the courts must be reigned in. Dr. James Dobson National Conservative Leader

Poll indicates Crist-Gallagher race tightening A Florida chamber poll has Crist's lead down to 10 points, with 29 percent of voters undecided in the GOP gubernatorial race.

Pinellas County's Republican Party held a straw poll for the Sept. 5 primary at their Victory 2006 picnic Sunday. Looks like the local GOP, at least, is with Katherine Harris. Here are the results: U.S. Senate: Katherine Harris, 121; Leroy Collins, Jr., 56; Peter Monroe, 32; Will McBride, 24 U.S Rep. District 9: Gus Bilirakis, 219; David Langheier, 7 Governor: Charlie Crist, 201; Tom Gallagher, 31; Vernon Palmer, 1 CFO: Tom Lee, 115; Randy Johnson, 110; Milt Bauguess, 2 State Senate District 16: Kim Berfield, 132; Frank Farkas, 85 House District 48: Peter Nehr, 93; Ken Peluso, 54; Brian Flaherty,...

TUESDAY, AUGUST 22ND, TONIGHT::: TUNE IN TO YOUR LOCAL PBS STATION: Debate Gallagher v. Crist at 8:00 pm est. Floridians and Americans who like to watch super important debates! Tonight you are in for a real treat. PBS Stations all over Florida are covering the debate between GOP Candidate Tom Gallagher for Governor and GOP Candidate for Governor Charlie Crist. This thread is critical for a discussion of tonight's debate. WHAT DID YOU THINK OVERALL? 1. What was your reaction to the debate? 2. Who made a slip? 3. Who didn't answer a question? 4. Who won? This should be...

Nine different companies run by Miami developer and former lobbyist Chris Korge have doled out at least $4,500 to Republican Tom Gallagher's campaign for governor. That wouldn't be blogworthy if not for Korge's title as chairman of Democrat Rod Smith's campaign for governor. Korge said the checks were sent last year, long before he came on board with Smith's campaign, and that his business partner is a Republican. He added: "I've known Tom Gallagher for 20 years, and maybe I shouldn't say this, but I didn't object to the checks.'' Korge is a Democratic party soldier who has raised lots...

Voting in Florida's primary election begins today with the start of early voting – and will culminate on Sept. 5 with the actual ballot vote. As Florida voters take to the ballot box, NewsMax strongly endorses Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist for the Republican nomination for governor. Simply put, we believe he's the more qualified candidate and the one most likely to keep the governor's post in GOP hands come November. While Crist's opponent in the primary, chief financial officer Tom Gallagher, is an able candidate and a conservative, Crist's solid record on crime, education, and taxes (he opposes them)...

Tom Gallagher is weighing whether to drop out of the governor's race to help his supporters rally around his rival in the GOP primary. BY MARY ELLEN KLAS meklas@MiamiHerald.com TALLAHASSEE - Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Gallagher is considering dropping out of the race at the urging of top advisors who want time to make peace with his front-running GOP rival, his close associates have told The Miami Herald. Gallagher, whose fundraising and poll numbers have remained stagnant, is taking the advice seriously but has not made up his mind, his advisors said. What is clear is that Gallagher did not...

TALLAHASSEE - Republican Charlie Crist and Democrat Jim Davis hold double-digit leads over their rivals in party primaries for governor, but the Democratic race remains wide open with nearly two-thirds of voters undecided, a new poll shows. The statewide telephone survey was conducted July 24-25 by the Republican polling firm McLaughlin & Associates for a unit of Associated Industries of Florida, a statewide lobbying group representing 11,000 businesses. The poll of 600 people covered policy questions such as property insurance, immigration and offshore oil drilling and included smaller samples of Republicans and Democrats who said they were likely to vote...

TALLAHASSEE - Tom Gallagher is staking his hopes of becoming governor on an image as the most conservative choice in the Republican primary. But one of the most passionate conservative blocs in the state - gun owners - is staunchly supporting his opponent, Attorney General Charlie Crist. At a gun show in Miami this weekend, Victor Bean - owner of the Southern Classic Gun and Knife Shows - had removed from the show a table offering Gallagher campaign material. Bean, the state's largest gun show operator, cited Gallagher's past support, during his 1994 run for governor, for a ban on...

TAMPA - Attorney General Charlie Crist may be running away with the Republican nomination in the governor's race, a new poll for The Tampa Tribune and WFLA, News Channel 8, shows. Crist leads Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher 55 percent to 24 percent among likely Republican voters surveyed last week by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research. The race for the Democratic nomination remains wide open, however,with a majority of the Democrats surveyed undecided on whether to support U.S. Rep. Jim Davis, of Tampa, or state Sen. Rod Smith, of Alachua. Of those who chose a candidate, Davis led 29 percent to...

Terri's Day and nation's independence protects life culture Kevin Fobbs May 29, 2006 America's Culture of Life is truly the legacy of one woman whose death forever changed our nation because of actions that were not in her hands but in those of her husband and his lawyers. Yet for millions of Americans we will forever link our own celebration of our nation's independence to the courage of the Schindler family to go forward past the tragedy, past the personal sorrow, past the searing anguish to help America draw a distinct line in the sand, to issue a clarion call...

LifeSiteNews.com Wednesday August 31, 2005 Ten Year Old Arrested for Giving Food to Terri Schiavo Apologizes TAMPA BAY, August 31, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Ten year-old Joshua Heldreth, the eldest of eight children, was arrested on Good Friday of this year for trespassing while attempting to bring a drink of water to Miss Terri Schaivo.  Days later Schiavo died of intentional dehydration.  In court Joshua pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 25 hours of community service and ordered to write an apology for his actions.The boy whose arrest photo was splashed on front pages of newspapers across the nation wrote in...

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida's chief financial officer announced Wednesday that he will run for governor in 2006, setting a conservative agenda that includes tax cuts and a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. Tom Gallagher, a 30-year veteran of state government, becomes the second notable Republican to enter the race to replace Gov. Jeb Bush, who must leave office because of term limits. Attorney General Charlie Crist announced he's running last week. Gallagher, 61, served 12 years in the Legislature before being elected insurance commissioner, education commissioner and chief financial officer. This will be Gallagher's third run for governor. He lost...

In possible 2006 Senate match-ups, Democrat Bill Nelson led Katherine Harris 48 to 41 percent. However, Nelson trails Charlie Crist 46 to 45 percent and Tom Gallagher 46 to 44 percent.

Within days of re-election, President Bush was greeted by a wave of economic news -- including strong job-creation data -- that could strengthen his hand as he prepares ambitious plans to overhaul the tax code and revamp Social Security. Prices on oil futures last week fell below $50 a barrel, a potential source of comfort for consumers and businesses that have been squeezed by the rising cost of energy. Stock prices rallied, a sign that economic uncertainties are easing with the end of the contentious election. Chain stores reported better-than-expected sales for October. The dollar declined, which could bolster exports...

TALLAHASSEE, FL — Florida State Fire Marshal and Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher (R) issued the following statement: "John Kerry's continuous economic pessimism and misery doesn't paint an accurate picture of Florida's economy--one of the strongest in the nation. More than 171,000 Florida jobs have been created in the past year, and more than half of Florida's job growth in May was in industries paying above the national average. President Bush will not be satisfied until every worker who wants a job can find one, but Florida's unemployment of 4.5 percent is more than one percent below the national average....