Newcomer Lori Halbert raises more money than incumbent John Tobia

Republican incumbent Rep. John Tobia has raised an impressive $52,143.56 in contributions for his 2010 re-election bid. However, his rival Republican Lori Halbert has earned a whooping $58,804,43.

The newbie in the political scene has made quite a slash already with a super endorsement from Republican national rising star Florida’s former speaker of the house Marco Rubio, who is the surprise frontrunner for Florida’s U.S. Senate seat.

There are three other candidate running for Florida House seat district-31: Democrats Joe Pishgar and Joseph Crowley, and a Conservative-Republican Daniel M. O’Brien. So far all three candidates have raised a total of $898.

– David Ventura

Key Endorsements in House 31 race

Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Marco Rubio announced his endorsement of Lori Halbert for Florida House seat District 31. This huge endorsement will definitely help Halbert in the August primary against incumbent Rep. John Tobia.

“She believed in me when I was 30 points down in the polls, sending out 3,500 postcards, inviting people to her home, and introducing me to Brevard County,” Rubio said in a prepared statement.

Rep. Tobia has received endorsements from several elected Republican officials throughout Florida such as: Attorney General Bill McCollum, Governor Charlie Crist and State Senator Mike Hardiopolous. However, since Halbert’s key endorsement from Tea Party faithful Rubio we will see how many of his supporters will stick around.

Moreover, after Gov. Crist vetoed Senate Bill 6, Rep. Tobia, withdrew his endorsement of Crist, and said Crist is “playing political games with our children’s education.”

Brevard County’s former GOP chairman Jason Steele, left his position because he doesn’t support Gov. Crist senate run and wants to primary republicans who are not following what he calls conservative values. Steele, has been organizing for Brevard’s Tea Party and enjoys broads support from the movement.

Steele, publicly endorsed Halbert, against sitting GOP member Rep. Tobia while chairman of Brevard’s GOP.

– David Ventura

Dueling columns: Tobia and Halbert

On March 27, 2010, Rep. John Tobia wrote a guest column for the Florida Today titled “Reform’s Negative Impact.” The column attacked the new health care law as unconstitutional and bad for Florida.

“If allowed to stand, the law will raise taxes, increase deficits, cut Medicare and expand Medicaid while imposing mandates and financial penalties on Floridians. This cannot stand,” Rep Tobia writes in his column.

Rep. Tobia has co-sponsored bills such as House Resolution (HR) 1561 that encourages the attorney general to file suit in federal court if Washington’s health law forces an individual health insurance mandate on Floridians. And House Joint Resolution (HJR) 37, known as the Florida Health Care Freedom Act, amends Florida’s Constitution to prohibit any law from mandating people purchase health insurance.

“Protecting Floridians’ rights and freedoms to make appropriate decisions as it relates to their own health care is one of my top legislative priorities.”

Lori Halbert responded to Rep. Tobia’s column by firing back with her own column on the Florida Today attacking Rep. Tobia’s record.

House 31: following the money as campaign finance reports are filed

Here’s an analysis of campaign finance reporting in the House 31 race. To remind readers, Florida law limits state elections campaign contributions to $500.00 per individual or entity.

Incumbent Rep. John Tobia has raised $7,000 from out-of-state contributions:

$2,500 from Kentucky: $2,000 from health care and $500.00 from Churchill Downs Inc.

$1,000 from Georgia: $500.00 from AGL Resources, a natural gas energy company, and $500.00 from a UPS Pac both.

$1,000 from California: $500.00 from VISA and $500.00 from Yahoo.

$500 from Boeing in Alabama; $500 from Racing Corporations of West Virginia; $500 from tobacco in North Carolina; $500 from Kraft’s Food Inc. in Delaware; and $500 from Millers Coors in Wisconsin.

Marco Rubio endorses Lori Halbert for House seat 31

Former House speaker and Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Marco Rubio announced his endorsement of Lori Halbert for Florida House seat District 31. This huge endorsement will definitely help help Halbert in the August primary against incumbent Rep. John Tobia.

“She believed in me when I was 30 points down in the polls, sending out 3,500 postcards, inviting people to her home, and introducing me to Brevard County,” Rubio said in a prepared statement.

Brevard County Republican Chairman Jason Steele, is stepping down from his position and endorsing Marco Rubio and Bill McCollum. Steele has also endorsed Lori Halbert for House seat 31. Steele lost to Rep. Tobia in the 2008 Republican primary for House seat 31.

– David Ventura

Tobia lurches right

Rep. John Tobia is facing a real tough primary challenge for his seat this August. Primary challenger Lori Halbert just got a huge post when red-hot Marco Rubio announced his endorsement for her last week.

Rep. Tobia is trying to catch some of this conservative tea-party fervor before its too late to win the voters over. The representative has co-sponsored six bills that are meant to send Washington D.C. a message. By signing on to these bills Rep. Tobia hopes that the conservative right will approve by re-electing him.

Here’s an example of how Rep. Tobia keeps moving further to the right:

There’s the bill that cites the 10th Amendment in demanding that Washington drop any powers not specifically stated in the U.S. Constitution. There’s also a bill in the Florida House that would allow Florida to opt out of any gun regulations passed by the U.S. Congress. The bill would also exempt Floridians from the proposed mandate that all Americans buy health insurance. The bill is co-sponsored by all Brevard representatives.

But Rep.Tobia goes further, as the only Brevard representative to co-sponsor the socially conservative House Bill 1097, which would flat-out ban abortion in Florida except in pregnancies that might kill the mother. Rep. Tobia also introduced a bill that would ban cities and counties from giving local companies preference in government contracting.

– David Ventura

Daniel O’Brien makes it a three-way primary in House District 31

The Republican primary for House District 31 is now involved in a three-way race.

Daniel M. O’Brien has decided to enter the race. O’Brien met incumbent John Tobia the incumbent in 2008, and supported him. But after, two-years of public service O’Brien said it’s time for a change, because “Tobia isn’t getting the job done.”

“The state has a projected $3 billion shortfall in this years budget,” O’Brien said. “We need fiscal responsibility.”

Joe Pishgar’s social network site and Web page

Joe Pishgar, Democratic candidate for Florida House District 31

Joe Pishgar, Democratic candidate for Florida House District 31, has a Web site and a Facebook. Pishgar updates is sites quite regularly. His personal Web page is also filled the information and easy to navigate.

Click on Pishgar’s photo to link to his Facebook page. Also, check-out his Web site at www.joepishgar.com.

–David Ventura

Lori Halbert’s social networking site

Lori Halbert, candidate for Florida House District 31

Lori Halbert, city commissioner of Indiatlantic, is now running for Florida House District 31. Halbert has a Facebook page and she keeps it somewhat up-to-date.

Click on her picture to link to her Facebook page.

– David Ventura

Incumbent John Tobia faces intra-, inter-party challenges in House District 31

2008′s winner in the House District 31 seat, John Tobia, ran basically an uncontested race, but this year is going to be a whole lot different.

Tobia, 32, is a one-term state representative with no prior held elected office experience. He also happens to be a assistant professor at the University of Florida. Tobia was born in Hawaii and a father of one child, Taylor.