Why it’s in the Top 13: The winner will run our state for the next 4 years and be the person who is the face of Florida to the national media. There is also a presidential election coming in 2008 and most political pundits believe Florida will again play a large role in the outcome of the road to the White House. Crist is the state Attorney General. Jim Davis is a congressman from Tampa. A September 27 poll by a group called Strategic Vision had Crist leading Davis 50% to 40%.

There will actually be six Governor/Lt. Governor choices on the ballot, plus a write-in line. But realistically, the choice is between these two men. Florida's Governor is not all powerful. A lot of decisions are made by the state cabinet, and the governor can be outvoted there. Republicans have owned the cabinet for the last eight years, but even Republicans tell us this year that could change.

The Running Mates: We’re not sure how big of a role the running mates play. Davis chose former State Senator Daryl Jones. With Davis’ pick, Jones becomes the first African-American nominee for Lt. Governor in Florida's history. Firsts are not new to Jones. He was the first African-American candidate to make a serious run for governor in the 2002 primary. He previously served 12 years in the Legislature, including the last ten in the Senate.

Crist chose State Representative Jeff Kottkamp of Cape Coral to be his running mate on the Republican governor's ticket for November. Kottkamp, 45, is a rising star in the House who has made his name as a staunch defender of the courts and opposed to radical litigation reforms. He is a safe choice that also helps Crist send an olive branch to conservatives. Conservatives have been miffed by Crist’s recent rhetoric that he is soft on abortion and supports civil unions for gay couples.

U.S. Senate

Why it’s in the Top 13: These names are familiar to most Floridians. Democratic Senator Bill Nelson was elected to the Senate in 2000. He had served as Florida's elected Treasurer for the six previous years, and prior to that as the Congressman representing Brevard County. Katherine Harris was elected to the Florida Senate in 1994, and has served as a Congresswoman from the Sarasota area for the last four years. But she is perhaps best known as Florida's elected Secretary of State who presided over the disputed Presidential election of 2000. The controversy didn’t end there for Harris. The AP says state party leaders tried to talk her out of running. Reports before the primary had Gov. Jeb Bush saying she cannot beat Nelson. The September 28 poll by Strategic Vision has Nelson getting 59% of the vote and Harris 31%. Even with a margin of error that’s a big gap.

Florida Attorney General

Why it’s in the Top 13: Attorney General is one of two open cabinet posts. Democratic State Senator Skip Campbell of the Ft. Lauderdale area is running against former Congressman Bill McCollum of Longwood. McCollum has statewide name recognition from previous runs. He lost both times. The two actually faced off in July. Orlando’s Tiger Bay Club held a candidate forum and Campbell and McCollum were the only one’s there. From that even the two appear to not differ much. Both support the death penalty, neither sees the need for further regulation of tobacco or insurance. Campbell did say he wouldn’t have interfered in the Terry Schiavo case. McCollum said he would have, at least early on.

Chief Financial Officer, (CFO)

Why it’s in the Top 13: Why it’s in the Top 13: Florida elected its first CFO in 2000, after a constitutional reorganization of the cabinet combined the offices of Comptroller, and Treasurer and Insurance Commissioner. The CFO is also one of only four members of the State Cabinet, along with the Governor, Attorney General and Agriculture Commissioner. Florida's Cabinet system puts a lot of power with these four in overseeing state government, power that might be the governor's alone in other states.

The Republican nominee is State Senate President Tom Lee of Brandon.

Lee was a state senator for 8 years, serving as President of the Senate for the last two sessions. Lee recently said, “I've proven to be an independent thinker, at times I've had to stand up against my party. At times I've had to stand up for things that were politically unpopular. I chose to be a solutions oriented leader, and choose solutions over politics, because that's what you need if you're going to trust your government.”

Democrat Alex Sink of Hillsborough County spent 26 years in banking, rising to President of Bank of America's Florida Operations. She also happens to be the wife of Bill McBride, the Democratic nominee for Governor who lost to Jeb Bush four years ago. “I'm going to bring a fresh voice and new accountability to Tallahassee. We don't need the same people who've been up there for 10 and 15 years running the show anymore, that's like having the fox guard the henhouse.”
 

Amendment 3

Why it’s in the Top 13: The item amends the State Constitutional requiring future proposed amendments to receive 60 percent plus 1 vote to pass. Right now, the requirement is 50 percent plus 1 vote. It was placed on the ballot by state lawmakers. People backing the amendment say ballot initiatives have become vehicles for well-financed special interest groups. By implementing a high threshold, it broadens consensus because more voters are needed to pass the measure. Opponents say the initiative process provides a vital check on government when, for whatever reason, the government refuses to act. It’s pretty much a given fact that fewer proposed amendments will pass because of the higher vote requirement. There is a small irony. This proposed amendment will only need 50 percent plus 1 vote to succeed.

U.S. House District 8

Why it’s in the Top 13: District 8 runs from Orlando through Lake County to the Ocala area. Charlie Stuart is a businessman and a newcomer to elective politics. He comes from a political family and beat out Orange County Commissioner Homer Hartage and Attorney Alan Grayson in the primary. Stuart has endorsements from former U.S. Senator Bob Graham and Betty Castor (who ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate in 2004).

Keller was elected in 2000 and has faced little opposition since. In fact in the primary Keller received more votes (30,655) than Stuart, Grayson and Hartage combined (26,637). Also, in 2004 George Bush received 55% of the vote, John Kerry 44%.

But as the late Howard Cosell would say, “That’s why they play the game.” That means we really don’t know what will happen. Here’s why: 11,635 Republicans voted against Keller in the primary. A recent New York Times/CBS poll found that the disdain for congress is at a low point.

The poll found that 77 percent of respondents - including 65 percent of Republicans - said most members of Congress had not done a good enough job and it was time to give new people a chance. That is the highest number of voters saying it is "time for new people" since the fall of 1994.
 

Winter Springs Mayor

Why it’s in the Top 13:Current Mayor John F. Bush has been Mayor since 1993.  During his tenure as Mayor the city started the planning of the Town Center, the Fourth of July Celebration and the beautification of State Road 434.  His home phone and cell phone numbers are right there on the city’s web site so you know he’s accessible.  We got a hold of him on the first try and that’s a rare thing these days.

Bush lost his 1995 election bid to Paul P. Partyka, so contrary to the above he HAS NOT been mayor since 1993.   It  was the year --1996 -- of the actual start of the town center project under then Mayor Paul Partyka/CM McLemore.    Even the SR434 project was NOT on the plans for the City yet.     This is MADE-UP political propaganda material as supplied by the Bush campaign.  

Emailer; You are exactly correct.   Bush didn't win second term until 2002..     All of his claims, as stated in the above article, are FALSE.   He won in 2002 in a "three-way-race", or Paul Partyka would have beat him again in a "Partyka Vs. Bush" election!

This false information must have been generated from the Bush re-election campaign --- who else ?

Read the following link -- [ Bush & His Politics ]

His challenger, David Mize, is running on several issues but was motivated to run because of the problems that erupted in his neighborhood after Hurricane Charley in 2004.  He and his neighbors had raw sewage flow into their homes after a mistake by a city worker.  He appears to be highly motivated to change things at city hall.

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Florida House District 36

Why it’s in the Top 13: District 36 is a rare district drawn to have more Democrats. Incumbent Sheri McInvale was elected as a Democrat. But she changed parties a year ago and is now running as a Republican. She might face a tough battle against Democratic nominee Scott Randolph.

Lake County Commission District 4

Why it’s in the Top 13: This was one of two sitting county commissioner races where the incumbents lost their seats in what appeared to be a "stop uncontrolled growth" call from Lake County citizens. Linda Stewart beat longtime County Commissioner Christine Hanson in the Republican Primary. She now faces Democrat E. K. Emery in the general election. By the way, this Linda Stewart is not to be confused with Orange County Commissioner of the same name.
 

Orange County Commission District 6

Why it’s in the Top 13: It’s an open seat and a non-partisan race. The two candidates have faced each other before. Bruce Antone served four years in the Florida House representing District 39, which covers the same general area. Tiffany Moore ran against him in the Democratic primaries. She lost both times, but the five way race in September ended in almost a dead heat between the two, with Moore actually outpolling Antone by 49 votes. That's out of the more than 8,000 cast.

Volusia County Council District 5

Why it’s in the Top 13: The Volusia County Council District 5 race is non-partisan. There was an incumbent in this race, but no longer. Bill Long lost in September. The two candidates in the run-off are familiar names to Southwest Volusia County voters. Pat Northey served on the Volusia County Council before, from 1993 to 2004. John Masiarczyk was elected the first mayor of the city of Deltona in 1995 and served for ten years.
 

Brevard County Commission District 2

Why it’s in the Top 13: Brevard County, where growth issues were apparently a factor in the loss of County Commissioner Ron Pritchard to challenger Chuck Nelson in the Republican primary. Nelson faces Democrat William Huminski.

Grant/Valkaria Mayor's Race

Why it’s in the Top 13: This is the story of two unincorporated areas which were combined on July 25, 2006 to form a town of their own. This is a chance for the town government to start from scratch. The winning candidate will be the first mayor of this new town.