Florida Election Cycle
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CONFIDENTIAL 2010 Florida Election Report A Summary of Florida’s 2010 State and Federal Campaigns Post-Primary Fundraising Totals Update as of October 8, 2010 Compiled and Researched by Colodny, Fass, Talenfeld, Karlinsky & Abate Contact: Fred E. Karlinsky, Shareholder +1 954 332 1749 [email protected] CONFIDENTIAL www.CFTLAW.com South Florida 100 Southeast Third Avenue Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33394 +1 954 492 4010 Tallahassee 215 S. Monroe Street, Suite 701 Tallahassee, Florida 32301 +1 850 577 0398 1 This Report and the information it contains is confidential and only intended for the recipient. Accordingly, this Report and the information contained herein shall not be forwarded or disclosed to others. The information and materials in this Report are intended to provide a general overview of the issues contained herein ande ar not intended, nor should they be construed, to provide specific guidance or advice. Should you have any questions or issues of a specific nature, you should consult with the appropriate persons to review the specific circumstances involved. Material updated as of October 8, 2010. This Report and the information it contains is confidential and Colodny,only intended Fass, forTalenfeld, the recip Karlinskyient. Accordingly, & Abate, P.A. this ©Report 2010 and All Rightsthe information Reserved contained herein shall not be forwarded or disclosed to others. The information and materials in this Report are intended to provide a general overview of thewww.cftlaw.com issues contained herein and are not intended, nor should they be construed, to provide specific guidance or advice. Should you have any questions or issues of a specific nature, you should consult with the appropriate persons to review the specific circumstances involved. Material updated as of October 8, 2010. Colodny, Fass, Talenfeld, Karlinsky & Abate, P.A. © 2010 All Rights Reserved www.cftlaw.com CONFIDENTIAL This document was prepared by, and any questions should be directed to: Mike Colodny, Shareholder +1 954 492 4010 [email protected] Fred E. Karlinsky, Shareholder +1 954 332 1749 [email protected] Richard J. Fidei, Partner +1 954 332 1758 [email protected] Katherine Scott Webb, Partner +1 850 701 3103 [email protected] Trevor B. Mask, Associate +1 850 701 3105 [email protected] 2 This Report and the information it contains is confidential and only intended for the recipient. Accordingly, this Report and the information contained herein shall not be forwarded or disclosed to others. The information and materials in this Report are intended to provide a general overview of the issues contained herein ande ar not intended, nor should they be construed, to provide specific guidance or advice. Should you have any questions or issues of a specific nature, you should consult with the appropriate persons to review the specific circumstances involved. Material updated as of October 8, 2010. Colodny, Fass, Talenfeld, Karlinsky & Abate, P.A. © 2010 All Rights Reserved www.cftlaw.com CONFIDENTIAL Florida 2010 Election Cycle General Election Fundraising Totals as of October 8 Florida’s 2010 Election Cycle has developed into one of the most active campaign seasons in the State’s history. For the first time in 120 years, every position on the Florida Cabinet is open. Currently, the Cabinet comprises the Governor, Attorney General, Chief Financial Officer and Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The openings can be attributed to Governor Charlie Crist’s (NPA) announcement that he will run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Senator Mel Martinez (R) and thus, will not seek re-election as Governor. This motivated two current Cabinet members, Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink (D) and Attorney General Bill McCollum (R) to file to run for Governor, rather than seek re-election to their current posts. Additionally, Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson (R) is prohibited from seeking re-election due to term limits. Upon Senator Martinez’s retirement, Governor Crist appointed his former chief of staff, George LeMieux (R) to serve out the rest of Martinez’s Senate term. Senator LeMieux (R) already has announced that he will not seek election to the seat once his term ends in November 2010. However, it is rumored that he will challenge incumbent U.S. Senator Bill Nelson (D) in November 2012. On April 29, 2010, Governor Crist announced he would run for the Senate as an Independent, breaking with the Republican Party and setting up a three-way battle for the General Election. The decision came after polling numbers indicated Crist had gone from the primary favorite to trailing his Republican primary opponent, Marco Rubio (R), by double digits. A number of State Legislators have vacated their respective House and Senate seats in the quest for these open Cabinet posts, causing a political domino effect. In addition to those lawmakers seeking Cabinet seats, a number of State Representatives are leaving their seats to run for Florida’s Senate. These factors, coupled with a large number of legislators facing term limits, creates a year in which more than three-quarters of Florida Legislators are on the 2010 ballot. Collectively, these prevailing factors are expected to produce high levels of campaign activity throughout Florida. Colodny, Fass, Talenfeld, Karlinsky & Abate hopes you will find this report informative and will be able to use it as a tool to follow Florida’s 2010 Election Cycle. Our final 2010 report will include November 2, 2010 Florida General Election results from races across the State for the Cabinet, State Legislature, and U.S. Senate and Congressional races. 3 This Report and the information it contains is confidential and only intended for the recipient. Accordingly, this Report and the information contained herein shall not be forwarded or disclosed to others. The information and materials in this Report are intended to provide a general overview of the issues contained herein ande ar not intended, nor should they be construed, to provide specific guidance or advice. Should you have any questions or issues of a specific nature, you should consult with the appropriate persons to review the specific circumstances involved. Material updated as of October 8, 2010. Colodny, Fass, Talenfeld, Karlinsky & Abate, P.A. © 2010 All Rights Reserved www.cftlaw.com CONFIDENTIAL Republican Party of Florida Former Oviedo City Council member Jim Greer had been the Republican Party of Florida (“RPOF”) Chairman since 2006. At that time, he announced his resignation after he received criticism from a group of elected officials, party leaders and major donors. The criticism surrounded excessive spending and his public endorsement of Governor Crist in the U.S. Senate Primary against former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio (R). Mr. Greer has since been indicted. Former Speaker of the House and current State Senator John Thrasher (R) is the new chair of the RPOF. In that determination, he was challenged by Committeewoman Sharon Day, but won the vote with a large majority. Florida Democratic Party Former Congresswoman Karen Thurman has been the elected Chair of the Florida Democratic Party since 2005. From 1993-2003, she represented Florida's 5th Congressional District and was only the sixth woman to serve on the powerful U.S. House Ways and Means Committee in its 200-plus year history. Thurman first became involved with government in her hometown of Dunnellon. While working as a math teacher at Dunnellon Middle School, her students encouraged her to run for a vacant seat on the Dunnellon City Council. She won that race and went on to serve seven years on the Council, including two terms as Mayor. In 1982, at the age of 31, she won her election to the Florida State Senate. The Republican and Democratic parties have the ability to raise “soft” money without contribution limits. This money can be spent on either Cabinet or Legislative races. Below we have included the 2010 Second Quarter totals for soft money raised: Party Funds Raised April 1, 2010 – August 19, 2010 Expenditures April 1, 2010 – August 19, 2010 Republicans $7,725,904 $6,127,030 Democrats $7,693,767 $5,713,407 4 This Report and the information it contains is confidential and only intended for the recipient. Accordingly, this Report and the information contained herein shall not be forwarded or disclosed to others. The information and materials in this Report are intended to provide a general overview of the issues contained herein ande ar not intended, nor should they be construed, to provide specific guidance or advice. Should you have any questions or issues of a specific nature, you should consult with the appropriate persons to review the specific circumstances involved. Material updated as of October 8, 2010. Colodny, Fass, Talenfeld, Karlinsky & Abate, P.A. © 2010 All Rights Reserved www.cftlaw.com CONFIDENTIAL 2010 Florida Cabinet Candidates In December of 2008, U.S. Senator Mel Martinez (R) announced he would not seek re-election, thus opening his seat for the 2010 Election Cycle and initiating a domino effect throughout Florida for the imminent campaign season. Governor Crist’s (NPA) subsequent decision to not seek re-election and run for the U.S. Senate led to Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum (R) leaving his position to run for Governor; however, Mr. McCollum was defeated by businessman Rick Scott in the Republican Primary. Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink (D) also announced she would be vacating her position to be the Democratic Party gubernatorial candidate. Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services Charlie Bronson (R) is term-limited, which leaves his Cabinet seat open as well. Therefore, all four Cabinet seats are open for the 2010 General Election. Below is a summary of the Cabinet candidates’ fundraising totals as of October 8, 2010: Governor Candidate Funds Raised/ Occupation Residence Biographical Information Elected Positions Held Legislative Position of Expenditures Interest Rick Scott (R) $3,013,117 Businessman Naples Founder of Columbia Hospital None None (R) (E) $45,962,553 Corporation, Solantic Corporation.