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

“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

Paul Watson

In his mind, America has become too dependent upon handouts and bailouts and every other -out you can think of. Watson believes it’s time for each citizen to stand up and become independent, self-dependent and strong.

He also believes the government can help with that, by getting out of the way.

“A government that is big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take everything you’ve got,” he said.

Watson said he thinks the federal government needs to stay out of state government as much as possible, that state governments need to stay out of local government affairs, and that local governments need to stay out of people’s homes whenever possible.

Watson said he believes in helping those who need help, but doesn’t agree with our current welfare and new health care reality. He said, in this system, some illegal immigrants have it better than honest citizens, and this upsets him greatly.

“We work so everyone can sit around and receive benefits for it,” he said. “If we quit taking care of illegal immigrants and put a stop to fraud, it definitely wouldn’t hurt.”

Watson urges parents to take hold of their child’s education and upbringing, to take responsibility for their actions and beliefs. He urges businesses to take responsibility of their actions, their failures and their achievements, and to let the free market work it’s magic. And of course, He urges voters to take responsibility for their future and help vote him into office.

“I’d rather have a happy people than a happy government,” Watson said. “They work for us, we don’t work for them”

–Kat Bein

“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.

In her column, Halbert’s write that if Rep. Tobia “had voted like the person who wrote the guest column, I would have never considered running for office against him.”

“I would have been proud to support someone who stands on the core principles of freedom, liberty and individual rights.”

“I agree wholeheartedly with Rep. Tobia’s conclusions about health care,” Halbert states in her column. “I agree that our federal government has reached too far. I agree this bill is an unfunded mandate. I agree the state should fight this law every way it can.”

However, Halbert questions Rep. Tobia’s outrage.

Halbert would like to know where was Rep. Tobia’s outrage “when it was time to accept and spend federal stimulus dollars, he…voted “yes.” And along with that “yes” comes strings in the form of mandates imposed on you and me.”

Furthermore, Halbert blasted Rep. Tobia over his outrage over mandates when he proposed a bill eliminating local government’s ability to give preference to local companies.

Moreover, Rep. Tobia sounds off well about federal government overstepping its bounds, but last year he votes to increase fees Florida taxpayers pay by $2 billion, she claims. Fees such as getting your driver’s license, renewing your vehicular tags or getting a fishing license.

“Rep. Tobia talks like a Florida Republican but votes for more mandates and taxes, and proposes new levels of bureaucracy,” Halbert says.

“This is precisely the kind of posturing and subterfuge we must end in Tallahassee as well as in Washington.”

– David Ventura

Teresa Valdes, running as a Republican, has put together some decent funds from what looks to be a large number of individual, mostly non-business donors.

According to finance data from the Florida Division of Elections, all but 12 of Valdes’ 128 contributions came from individuals with residential addresses mostly in Daytona Beach and Ponce Inlet, major parts of District 28.

The Florida Agent Political Action Network, “an issue-based organization founded by State Farm Agents,” contributed $500, as did Volusia County-based retailer John’s Appliance City and Remax All-Pro Realty.

Kenney Broadcasting Corporation, which may or may not be a golf-supply distributor, gave $100, High Maintenance salon in Holly Hill gave $35 and Stonewood Bar and Grill gave $30.

Six other contributions came from Valdes.

The rest came from individuals’ donations that ranged from $10 to $500. Most of them were $50.

Although her grand total of about $20,000 looks less impressive than Hukill’s roughly $70,000, the latter accepted nearly $25,000 from various PACs.

–Holly Kane

The audio clips can be heard here and here.

The first audio clip begins with Rauch admitting that he doesn’t know everything. If asked about a topic or issue during a debate that he isn’t familiar with, Rauch isn’t afraid to be honest and admit his short comings. His excuse is that he’s a working business man, although he goes home at night and reads as much as he can about the issues most important to the District 11 voters.

For some voters such honesty may be a respectable quality in a politician. At least he won’t just make something up, and if he’s honest about his own faults he should be honest when it comes to legislation. But his obvious inexperience in the field may turn other voters away.

Rauch continues by confirming that he’s not running for power but out of a serious concern with the current state of affairs. Rauch said he’s angry about recent spending in Florida’s government, that he doesn’t agree with their courses of action in creating jobs and helping small businesses.

“I’m not a politician,” Rauch said, “I’m just going in there to fight for my people, the people I live around.”

Rauch said he believes very strongly in the roll of a state representative to support legislation that the voters want passed. He said a representatives boss are his constituents, and he feels voters must be loud in voicing their opinions so that representatives know what it is their bosses want.

Rauch admitted he never saw himself becoming a politician until recently, although he’s taken interest in politics his entire life. He also made the curious statement that he firmly believes “government will never solve our problems, only the people can. And the government needs to be controlled.”

Why would someone with such anarchistic beliefs run for a political position? If government will never solve anything, and the only real power lies within the people, why not become a community organizer or a lobbyist for a social group? It seems contradictory to make such a bold statement while simultaneously trying to persuade people to vote you into the system in which you place no faith.

Rauch goes on to say that part of his frustration is the amount of money going into the government, presumably from tax revenue.

“How can an organization that is not supposed to make any money be one of the richest, trillions of dollars, this blows my mind.”

Maybe Rauch doesn’t understand that tax money isn’t going into the pockets of government officials, but it spent on things like defense, education, welfare, medicare and infrastructure repair.

– Kat Bein

The sign, located on the corner of Airport-Pulling Road and Orange Blossom Drive, was changed to read “Georgia Hitler.”

“To be able to send such a hateful message with three strokes of a pen takes a great deal of contemplation,” Hiller told the Naples Daily News.

The sign has since been cleaned, but other candidates are worried that this might be a reflection of the community.

“If Naples residents are capable of doing this, then we all might be worse off than I thought,” said District 4 candidate Lavigne Ann Kirkpatrick. “Naples needs effective and empowering leadership guide us back into a welcoming community.”

-Charnele Tate

The President of the GNBGC, Dave Trecker, made the announcement in a letter to the editor of the Naples Daily Newspaper on April 16.

Coyle’s experience was a deciding factor in the council’s endorsement, Trecker said.

-Charnele Tate

From January 1^st to March 1^st, Coyle has received about $9,500 but has only spent about $2,200. In that same time, Kirkpatrick has only raised about $2,600 and had already spent about $2,000 by the end of that same quarter.

Both candidates have spent a majority of their money on advertising and the maintenance of their Web sites.

A possible reason for the difference is because Coyle had more than 60 contributors, while Kirkpatrick had less than 20.

“It isn’t how many people contribute to my campaign, it’s the kind of people who donate their time, efforts and money—that’s what is important,” Kirkpatrick said.

To date, Coyle and Kirkpatrick have raised about $61,000 and $18,000 respectively.

-Charnele Tate

–Michael Carmona