U.S. Republican Party

70 Percent of Floridians Support Legalization of Medical Marijuana

Come 2014, Florida may join the ranks of states that legalize medical marijuana. There is talk of putting the measure on the ballot in the next state-wide election, and a new poll conducted by People United for Medical Marijuana finds that nearly seven out of ten Floridians back the idea. 

Is Charlie Crist Florida's Next Governor?

2012 in Weird Florida Politics: Part One of the WTF Florida Awards

Welcome to the first annual WTF Florida Awards ceremony. It's the only award show celebrating the special brand of bizarre depravity we excel at down here in the Sunshine State. Black tie isn't required. In fact, jorts and a NASCAR cap are preferred.We'll be giving away awards in four categories all ... More >>

Report on Florida GOP's Golf Cart Full of Hookers Scandal to Remain Sealed

Sorry, guys. We won't be getting any more info on the rumors that top Republican Party of Florida officials held a fundraising shindig in the Bahamas that featured a golf cart full of hookers. At least not anytime soon, it seems. A court today blocked the release of investigative reports into the ma ... More >>

Read Mail: Don't Mock Jesus on the New Times Cover

Vote For Political Cocktails From Eden Roc Renaissance

This Presidential election is enough to drive anyone (even Mitt Romney) to drink. After all, in the past few weeks, we've seen both candidates snipe at each other in the debates, watched aghast as Donald Trump failed yet again to be taken seriously, and stared in disbelief as Big Bird became caught ... More >>

Obama Will Lose The Election If African-Americans Don't Turn Out to Vote

Uncle Luke, the man whose booty-shaking madness made the U.S. Supreme Court stand up for free speech, gets as nasty as he wants to be for Miami New Times. This week, Luke calls on African-American voters to revive the record-breaking movement that got the first black president elected four years ago ... More >>

"Leaked": Charlie Crist's Gubernatorial Platform

Condoleezza Rice Is an Uncle Tom

Poll: Marco Rubio Is Republicans' Favorite for 2016 Prez Run, Jeb Bush Second

So, just in case Mitt Romney fails to deliver, Public Policy Polling decided to jump way ahead of things and conducted a poll asking Republican voters who they'd like to see as their candidate in 2016. Surprisingly, two politicians from Florida took the top two spots: Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush. Rubio ... More >>

Newt Gingrich and Michele Bachmann Hugging All Up On Each Other While Talking About Cake (Video)

Yesterday, New Times' correspondent Victor Gonzalez caught up with none other than former GOP presidential hopefuls (and, hence, rivals) Newt Gingrich and Michele Bachmann. The primary battle apparently didn't come between their friendship, because the two caressed each others' Republican backs with ... More >>

Dear Dems, Please Do Not Run Charlie Crist for Governor

Dear Democratic Party of Florida,Rumors have been swirling that Charlie Crist would be joining your party ever since he got his ass handed to him Tea-Party style in the 2010 Senate race. Now there's very specific gossip going around that he'll announce his official membership in your party in a Sund ... More >>

Kathy Rundle Is No Janet Reno

Obamacare Isn't All Good or All Bad

Jeb Bush Really Doesn't Want To Be Mitt Romney's Vice President

Conservatives tittered like giddy Limbaughs last week when Jeb Bush cracked open the door toward being a vice presidential candidate by telling Newsmax that he'd "consider" Romney's overtures if they came. Rubio may be the rising star, but some in the GOP still dream lustily about a return to the Bu ... More >>

Marco Rubio's Grandpa Was Nearly Deported, Book Reveals, Complicating Immigration Policy

As if Marco Rubio's attempts to moderate the GOP's immigration stance weren't difficult enough: A Washington Post reporter has released part of a biography revealing that Rubio's grandfather ignored deportation orders from a Miami immigration court -- a detail that, combined with Rubio's own call fo ... More >>

Joe Biden Visits Everglades, Stumps for Obama and Bill Nelson, Does Not Kill a Burmese Python

It was an entrance worthy of Vladimir Putin.Joe Biden roared his air boat to a halt in the Everglades. Miccosukee war paint smeared his face. Swamp spray glistened on his bare chest. The Veep then tossed a giant, dead Burmese python at the feet of a gaggle of reporters and screamed: "Are you not ent ... More >>

Connie Mack Gets His Daddy to Yell at Mean Liberal Media Bullies

This weekend the Tampa Bay Times and the Miami Herald got their two top political reporters together to pen a piece about Republicans who weren't all that enthused about Rep. Connie Mack IV's Senate candidacy so far. Of course, Mack IV's biggest advantage in the race so far seems to be that he share ... More >>

Marco Rubio Is Getting Ready To Be Vice President While Denying He Wants to Be VP

​Get ready for a Romney-Rubio ticket, Florida. Even as Miami's favorite Tea Party son tells everyone who will listen that he has zero plans to run as vice president this year, the Tampa Bay Times reports that he's studiously following the textbook on how to prepare for a vice presidential run.He's ... More >>

Drunk Miami Republicans Rally For Santorum and Rick Scott

Jacob KatelRick Santorum vs Victor Gonzalez​Alcohol impairs your judgment? Screw it, we'll have a shot of whiskey, a beer, and a Latin Builders Association membership application.Starting early Friday morning in downtown Miami, the LBA invited guests to drink their way to Decision 2012, offering 2 ... More >>

Miami's best blogs: Honorable mention

Miami New Times Ranks Miami's Political Bloggers: Honorable Mentions

Miami New Times cover story is going to be a doozy as we dive into the lives of Miami's most hated bloggers -- by the local political establishment, that is. These digital gadflies are filling the civic investigative void created by the cuts at The Miami Herald and other local media outlets. You'll ... More >>

Newt Gingrich's failed Florida campaign

Reader mail: "Republicans love socialism, but only for themselves"

Mitt Romney Picks Up Endorsements from Ros-Lehtinen and Diaz-Balarts

Marco Rubio may be South Florida's star Cuban-American politician, but he's not endorsing anyone in the presidential primary. So, the Republican endorsement prize in these parts is, as it's been for quite some time, picking up the backing of Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart ... More >>

Americans Think Miami is Only the Third Most Decadent City

​If Miami does not have its glam and vice, than really what else is there? Yes, yes, we're actually a complicated, cultured city but don't tell the rest of America that. Our entire tourism industrial complex is based on the the rest of America thinking we're a shallow, glamorous, sun drenched ... More >>

Florida Republican Audience Boos Gay Soldier at Last Night's Debate

​Last night, the merry band of Republicans running for president met for the second time in Florida for a debate. This time in Orlando for a debate sponsored by Google and Fox News that involved questions submitted by actual citizens, including Stephen Hill, a newly out and openly gay soldier stat ... More >>

Rick Scott's Plummeting Popularity: 57 Percent Disapprove

​Gov. Rick Scott's popularity continues to plummet after the legislative session. Only 29 percent of Floridians approve of the way he's handling his job according to a new Quinnipiac poll. While a whopping 57 percent disapprove. That's down from an already dismal 35/48 split back in April. Mos ... More >>

Rachel Maddow Slams Florida Republicans For Slashing Unemployment Benefits

​Florida has one of the worst unemployment rates in the nation at a staggering 11.1 percent, but a recent deal struck by Rick Scott and Republicans in the legislature will slash unemployment benefits for those millions of out-of-work Floridians. Liberal MSNBC host Rachel Maddow doesn't like that o ... More >>

Is Possible Republican Senate Candidate Adam Hasner The Next Marco Rubio?

​Republicans are eager to claim incumbent Senator Bill Nelson's political scalp in the 2012 election, but no clear Republican candidate has emerged yet. State Rep. Adam Hasner, who represents parts of Broward and Palm Beach County, has started an exploratory committee but is little known around th ... More >>

Even Republicans are Angry Rick Scott Declined High-Speed Rail Funds

Even some Elephants prefer to travel by train. ​Rick Scott's decision to decline $2.4 billion in federal funds to build a state-of-the-art high-speed rail system in Florida continues to draw anger, ire and confusion today even from many Republicans. Today, a veto-proof majority of 26 state senator ... More >>

Poll: Barack Obama Would Beat Marco Rubio (and Every Other Republican) in Florida

​Florida just elected two far-right politicians as its next Governor and Senator, and now Republicans have veto-proof majorities in both houses of the state legislature. So, Barack Obama can kiss his chances of repeating his 2008 Florida win in 2012 goodbye, right? Well, not according to a new sur ... More >>

Arianna Huffington Did Not Say Marco Rubio Looked Like "A Central American Dictator"

​Depending on your point of view Marco Rubio looks like a lot of things: a red blooded American hunk set to save the county, an overgrown 12-year-old with a Justin Bieber mop haircut, or, apparently, a Central American dictator. Liberal web empress Arianna Huffington stands accused of throwing the ... More >>

Arnold Schwarzenegger Endorses Charlie Crist Over Twitter

​Obviously one overly tan, moderate governor of a large and sunny state would have the back of another. Yes, America's most famous action hero turned Governor, California' Arnold Schwarzenegger has bucked his own party and endorsed independent Crist through his Twitter.

Ann Coulter Dropped From Miami Conservative Conference for Being Too Gay-Friendly

​The wingnuts are coming! The wingnuts are coming! Yes, on September 17, all of America's favorite right-wing airbags will descend upon the Doral Resort & Spa right here in Miami for WorldNetDaily's Taking America Back Conference. Tom "Miami Is a Third-World Country" Tancredo, Michel ... More >>

Rick Scott and Bill McCollum want to turn Miami into an immigration prison

Rick Scott and Bill McCollum Are Florida's Grand Wizards

​Uncle Luke, the man whose booty-shaking madness once made the U.S. Supreme Court stand up for free speech, gets as nasty as he wants to be for Miami New Times. This week, Luke claims Democrats are missing in action in the governor's race.The Democratic Party is out of sight and out of mind in the ... More >>

Jim Greer, Former Head of Florida GOP, Charged With Six Felonies

Greer cut himself shaving when police came to his house to arrest him​Jim Greer, the divisive former chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, has been arrested and charged with six felony counts stemming from allegations that he siphoned money from the party for his personal use. Greer is the ... More >>

News Roundup: Rubio's Aide Has Pricey Habits, Meek Loves Pork

Kendrick Meek wants $238 million for earmarks that would go toward things such as teaching children healthful eating habits and dredging the Miami harbor. [Herald]An ex-Marco Rubio aide who made $175,000 a year put hefty expenses on a GOP credit card, including luxury hotels and handmade chairs ... More >>

Senate Poll: Meek Has a Shot Against Rubio, Crist's Best Shot Is as an Independent

​Public Policy Polling is back today with its full-fledged Florida Senate general election polling, and it's more or less bad news for Charlie Crist.Yesterday it was announced PPP's new numbers show Crist losing the Republican primary by a whopping 32 points. In fact, as the numbers stan ... More >>

GOP's Devestating Ad: Democrat Alex Sink is a Democrat

These "Web Ads" that both state parties occasionally put up are almost all uniformly horrible, but this new GOP attack ad on Alex Sink seems to be, well, pretty flimsy and stupid. The attack? The Democratic candidate for Governor has, whadaya know, donated to other Democrats before! Washi ... More >>

Democratic Voter Gains in Miami Could Erode Republican's House Majority

​Sometimes I'm not entirely sure if we understand "democracy" here in Florida. Besides some presidential election in 2000 that people are still talking about, we could also point to the fact that in the past ten years only six incumbent members of the Florida House have lost their bids for re-elec ... More >>

The fast and frothy Farragut North hits Joseph Adler's GableStage

New Daily Kos Poll: Rubio Narrows Crist's GOP Lead Thanks to Birthers, Still Can't Beat Meek in General

Daily Kos/Research 2000 just released their latest Florida poll, and there are a lot of interesting little poll number factoids to be pulled. Riptide tends to have some smart readers, so we won't recap the entire poll, but instead let's mine some of our favorite nuggets. The Senate Race:Republ ... More >>

News Roundup

A county program that helped low-income people pay their utility bills will be shut down because the county was overwhelmed by the amount of applications that came in. [CBS4]Whiney Fidel Castro says America is infecting Cuba with swine flu, but not intentionally. [CBS4]For the 21st time this year, a ... More >>

Is There a Major Bush vs. Crist Feud Brewing?

Tucked away in the RedState.com post we linked to earlier is this delicious little nugget: "Charlie Crist has been on a roll lately undermining conservatives. Behind the scenes, he is trying to drum up opposition to Jeb Bush's Senate run, not because he doesn't want another Bush, but because he wan ... More >>

McCain Meets Macrame

An ArtCenter exhibit puts politics on pins and needles.

FIU, too! All right?

Why Mitch Maidique and Armando Codina hate Amendment 11