Another endorsement for Norman and a town hall meeting for Ambler

Jim Norman, who is running against Kevin Ambler for the Republican Primary for the District 12 Senate seat, received an endorsement from the coveted seat’s current holder, Victor Crist. Norman made the announcement via Facebook on Monday.

In Kevin Ambler news, the representative held a town hall meeting last week at the Carrollwood Cultural Center in Tampa. But Ambler wasn’t be alone; Sen. Crist was also in attendance. The two answered questions about public safety, the state medicaid program and 2010 state budget for education.

– Chelsea Keenan

Endorsement roundup for Senate District 12 seat

Although voters may not have made up their minds on who they’ll pick for the District 12 seat of the Florida Senate, it looks many lawmakers have.

Hillsborough County Commissioner Jim Norman has gained endorsements from big names such as future Senate President Mike Haridopolos of Merritt Island; J.D. Alexander of Lake Wales, a key member of the Senate leadership team; and Don Gaetz of Niceville, according to The Tampa Tribune last July.

They’re not the only ones, though. The Florida Chamber of Commerce has also decided to back Norman and even sent out e-mails urging its members to contribute to Norman’s campaign.

The Buzz, St. Pete Times’ political blog reported that:

Haridopolos and Gaetz escorted Norman around Tallahassee late last month, picking up checks from folks in the agriculture, transportation, energy and health care industries. The visits netted Norman more than $20,000, and more meetings will be scheduled, according to Norman’s camp

But Rep. Kevin Ambler is not forgotten. His Web site boasts that former Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino is giving him his support.

Likewise, Ambler said in an interview that several members of the Florida House and Senate have endorsed him, but he chose to “not run around and talk about it.”

In addition, he received the Florida Health Care Association “2009 Legislator of the Year Award,” which he called his biggest endorsement of all. “Those are the people we serve,” Ambler said.

– Chelsea Keenan

Pat Patterson plays third wheel in Florida chief financial officer race

The 2010 Florida CFO race has  two major players: Democrat Loranne Ausley and Republican Jeff Atwater, both well financed and well connected.

Pat Patterson

If there is a longshot in the race, it appears to be Pat Patterson. The Republican is no stranger to politics and is finishing his fifth term in the Florida House of Representatives. He currently holds the position of House chairman of the Insurance, Business and Financial Affairs Policy Council.  He also serves on the General Government Policy Council and the State Universities and Private Colleges Appropriations Committee.

Here’s how Patterson is making his pitch to beat his two better-known opponents, according to InsuranceJournal.com:

Floridians deserve to have a choice in this election. With me, they’ll get someone who has spent a lifetime educating and advocating for consumers, and someone who understands that we can’t just sit idly by while our state is one major storm away from financial devastation and potentially billions in unfair tax increases.

Senate 10: Ronda Storms’ march to victory?

The race isn’t exactly heating up for the seat in Florida’s 10th Senate district. Former Hillsborough County commissioner and current state Sen. Ronda Storms has taken an early (and wide) lead in fund raising against fellow Republican Paul M. Phillips.

Phillips, a former Marine, faces an uphill battle against the well known Storms, who rose to prominence (or notoriety, depending on your political persuasion) while serving on the Hillsborough County Commission. She gained a degree of infamy after championing several controversial causes, including opposing construction of a Florida A&M Law School in Tampa and campaigning to remove gay pride displays from Hillsborough County libraries. Despite these controversial stances, she was elected to the state Senate in 2006 and seems unlikely to be unseated now.

Monitor this blog in coming weeks for further updates (and, I hope, candidate interviews!) on this race.

–Nick Mildebrath

Dorothy Hukill aims to keep her spot in House 28

Dorothy L. Hukill, R-Port Orange, hopes to retain her seat in Florida House District 28 in the primary election this year. The incumbent abandoned her effort to replace U.S. Rep. Suzanne Kosmas, D-New Smyrna Beach, in October to return to Tallahassee. In attempting to retain her current spot, Hukill anticipates a leadership position under Rep. Dean Cannon, who is set to become House speaker in 2011.

Theresa A. Valdes, also a Republican, is attempting to replace Hukill, who Valdes has accused of “political deal-making.” Born to Cuban parents in Havana, Valdes moved to Louisiana in 1951 when she was 13, according to her Web site. The scant site also says that Valdes promises to stand “strong on the pillars of Conservatism,” while sections for her contact information and donations remain blank.

Ambler-Norman race should be hot one for Senate District 12

Republican candidates Kevin Ambler and Jim Norman have one thing on the brain — and that’s movin’ on up.

But neither want that deluxe apartment in the sky, instead they both have their eyes set on the District 12 Florida Senate seat.

And with state Rep. Kevin Ambler’s term as the District 47 House representative ending and Jim Norman’s 15 years on the Hillsborough County Commission, it looks to be an interesting race to win the Republican primary election.

The battle for Florida’s gavel in attorney general GOP primary

While Charlie Crist and Marco Rubio have captivated the attention of Floridians with their efforts to show voters who has the bigger Reagan mancrush, a feisty four-way dance is heating up in the battle for Florida’s Attorney General gavel on the G.O.P side.

The most recognizable name among the four is Jeff Kottkamp, who serves as Florida’s lieutenant governor. Kottkamp, who furnished his legal career as a personal injury lawyer, is considered the most politically experienced, and he has the ethics rap sheet to prove it. He raised eyebrows across the state when it was reported that he tapped state travel funds for an FHP plane to get to a Kenny Loggins concert in Atlanta. (When the mastermind behind “Danger Zone” is playing in the outskirts of your backyard, tell me you wouldn’t go through hell, high water and ethical credibility to hear the voice that gives America hope of a Tom Cruise before Scientology? If it was Rick Asbury, he could’ve burned down a few orphanages with the jet fuel.)

Art Argenio drops out of Senate campaign; joins House 80 race against Debbie Mayfield

I had planned to cover the the District 28 Senate race between Art Argenio and incumbent Joe Negron. But Argenio dropped out of that race last week to enter the District 80 Florida House race against another incumbent, Debbie Mayfield.

This looks to be a fascinating race that will embody the current struggle within the GOP, as Mayfield and Argenio are Republicans. Argenio is an interesting character.  The founder of the Treasure Coast Tea Party, he said he switched races to oppose what he called liberal steps taken by Mayfield, specifically supporting the proposed high-speed rail system. He even went so far as to compare Mayfield to Nancy Pelosi.