Primary endorsements - part 9

Just to recap my picks in tomorrow's primary election:

Florida Attorney General: Pam Bondi

State Representative (District 36): Greg Reynolds

Orange County School Board Chair: Bill Sublette

Orange County Commission (District 5): Ted Edwards

U.S. Senate: Marco Rubio

U.S. Congress (District 8): Kurt Kelly

Orange County Mayor: undecided . . . (leaning toward Jacobs as of this moment)

Florida Governor: also undecided . . . (leaning toward Scott as of this moment)

Primary endorsements - part 6

If ye socks needed any indication just how anxious we are in this little corner of heaven to be rid of the walking embarassment who "represents us" in Congress, ye need only take a look at just how crowded the GOP primary is to topple him. The candidates are:

Ross Bieling
Dan Fanelli
Kurt Kelly
Todd Long
Bruce O'Donoghue
Patricia Sullivan
Dan Webster

Of Bieling and Fanelli, I know very little. I don't think anyone considers them to be serious contenders, though they could play spoilers in a race where every percent of the vote counts.

Sullivan is closely associated with the TEA Party folks around here, but her base seems to be primarily in Lake County.

Long comes with some serious baggage, left over from his race for this same seat two years ago. His frequent air time on local radio and the early and broad distribution of a book this year have kept him in the race. But, he is clearly not the best candidate.

The top tier, then, are Kelly, O'Donoghue, and Webster.

Frankly, yours truly would not be disappointed with any of these guys.

Webster has been a personal favorite since he endorsed Mike Huckabee back in 2008. He is a well-known quantity in these parts as the former leader of the state senate and, more recently, for investigating the shenanigans over at the Expressway Authority. The only knock on him is that he explicitly bowed-out of the race last year, only to jump back in later. This leaves me questioning whether he really has the fire in his belly to take on the dastardly incumbent . . .

I have had the opportunity to meet O'Donoghue over breakfast, and found him to be a charming (albeit understated) gentleman. He is "one of us," and as such would truly be representative of the district. But, I am concerned that he may be too urbane. How will he stack-up against the overwhelming personality of the general election opponent?

I have also had the opportunity to meet Kelly on a couple of occasions, most recently just this morning. He has already earned the endorsements of many of my friends and relations. After looking him in the eye and hearing his responses to today's questions about the campaign, I have been swayed into his camp. (Check out Kurt's site at http://www.kellyforcongress.com .)

But, again, I can live with any of the last three candidates. All are infinitely better than the goofball who currently disgraces Florida's 8th District.

And, then there were FOUR?!

The political scuttlebutt around this little corner of heaven is that former State Senate Majority Leader Dan Webster will join the already crowded field of candidates in the Republican primary who are seeking to unseat the shame of Central Florida: Alan Grayson.

Nothing's official, yet. Just heard he's going to be making a statement tomorrow. But, I think we can read the tea leaves on this one . . .

Already in the race are Orlando businessman Bruce O'Donoghue; State Rep. Kurt Kelly of Ocala; and local attorney/radio show host Todd Long.

Hold on to your seats, folks! This could be a game changer!

Primary field narrows

Further to my post on Monday, it would appear that the crowded field of candidates who are eager to unseat our insane congressman Alan Grayson has gotten a little smaller.

Armando Gutierrez, the youthful developer and recent Harvard grad who moved to this little corner of heaven last year, decided to bow-out yesterday.

This decision came despite his great fundraising successes.

Apparently, he is putting his political ambitions on the backburner--at least temporarily--to focus his efforts on bringing a major league baseball franchise to Orlando.

I wish him luck in that endeavor.

The departure of Gutierrez leaves Bruce O'Donoghue and Kurt Kelly as the two most serious contenders in this primary . . . at least in my not-so-humble opinion.