Hillsborough commissioner considers challenging Rep. Castor

Hillsborough County Commissioner Mark Sharpe, a Republican, is considering challenging Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Tampa, in the 11th Congressional District race next year. The district includes parts of Manatee County.

The Buzz reports:

Republican Hillsborough County Commissioner Mark Sharpe is talking about challenging Democratic Rep. Kathy Castor for her Congressional seat in 2012. Sharpe, who pushed hard for the high speed rail line connecting Tampa to Orlando, said this week he wants to be able to participate in national discussions on deficit reduction and America's wars.

"The only question is how will I have that conversation," he said. "That's what I'll be announcing in August."

Sharpe, a retired Naval officer who worked on John McCain's presidential bid, is already floating a platform that could fly in Castor's heavily Democratic district. He said he disagrees with McCain's philosophies on U.S. action overseas.

"Before you send a man or woman overseas, you better understand wha tyou're going to do, how you're going to get in, and how you're going to get it out," Sharpe said. "I want to have that conversation about military affairs."

As for deficit reduction, Sharpe dismissed the budget plan put forward by Paul Ryan, and said he's interested in proposals put forward by President Barack Obama's debt-panel commission, chaired by former Wyoming Senator Alan Simpson, a Republican, and Erskine Bowles, a former chief of staff for President Bill Clinton.

"They spent a lot of time working on it and it just kind of got dropped. It ought to be part of the conversation," Sharpe said.

Sharpe ran for Castor's District 11 seat in 1996, but lost to Democrat Jim Davis. He was elected to the Hillsborough County Commission in 2004.

So far, the only Republican who has filed for the seat is libertarian activist Josh Kiernan of Palm Harbor, according to the Florida Division of Elections.

State Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, had announced a bid but later dropped out of the race.

New poll shows Romney with large lead in Florida

Public Policy Polling has the story:

Mitt Romney has a double digit lead for the Republican Presidential nomination in Florida, further cementing his front runner status in the wake of Mike Huckabee's exit from the race.

Romney is at 27% to 17% for Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann, 10% for Herman Cain, 8% for Newt Gingrich, 7% for Ron Paul, 4% for Tim Pawlenty, and 2% for Jon Huntsman.

Romney now has the outright lead in PPP's most recent polls in all 5 of the key early Republican contests: in addition to the Florida advantage he's up by 9 in South Carolina, 6 in Iowa, 15 in Nevada, and 23 in New Hampshire.

Beyond Romney's continued strength the big stories here are the rise of Michele Bachmann and the collapse of Newt Gingrich. Bachmann's 17% standing represents a 10 point gain from PPP's last Florida poll in late March, when she stood at only 7%. Her strength comes from leading the field with 'very conservative' voters at 21%, followed by Palin at 20%, and Romney at 18%.

Romney's Florida lead is built on a familiar formula. He's not winning with the far right voters who constitute a plurality of the Republican electorate, but he's at least staying competitive with them. Meanwhile he's dominating the field with moderates (a 36-15 lead over Palin) and with voters who identify themselves as just 'somewhat conservative' (a 32-15 advantage over Bachmann.)

Read the whole story here.

Buchanan sold off his BP stock after oil spill

We still don't have a final estimate of Rep. Vern Buchanan's net worth last year, but OpenSecrets.org has discerned one interesting nugget:

Buchanan was one of several congressman last year who sold off their holdings in BP after the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

In 2009, Buchanan's stock in BP was worth between $31,003 and $115,000. (Members of Congress are required only to report their holdings in broad ranges.)

At the end of 2010, Buchanan had no stock in BP.

OpenSecrets.org reports:

High-ranking congressmen made a concerted effort to financially distance themselves from BP in the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, either by reducing or altogether dumping their stock holdings, according to a Center for Responsive Politics analysis of lawmakers' personal financial disclosure documents released Tuesday.

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) gave up all or a significant amount of their holdings in BP after the 2010 spill, which leaked an estimated 205 million gallons of oil in the Gulf of Mexico and killed 11 oil platform crew members in the initial explosion.

Boehner, who in 2009 reported owning BP stocks valued between $15,001 and $50,000, sold all of his holdings sometime in 2010. His documents do not disclose specific dates of his transactions.

And Kerry, who in 2009 owned BP assets valued between $351,003 and $765,000 -- the most of any congressmen that year -- sold hundreds of thousands in a string of transactions between the months of April and May when the spill occurred. During his two transactions in May, he sold between $100,000 and $250,000 worth of his holdings each time.

As BP tries to make its way back into politics, contributions from its political action committee have often been labeled as "toxic," and many congressmen have refused to accept money associated with the company.

(Hat tip to The Buzz.)

GOP poll: Gov. Rick Scott getting more popular in Florida

From the Miami Herald's Marc Caputo via The Buzz:

A new poll of Florida voters shows that Rick Scott might not be so unpopular after all, with 51 percent of respondeents disapproving of his job performance and 45 percent approving of it. That's according to a survey of 1,235 Florida voters taken by a group that calls itself Viewpoint Florida -- a firm headed up by GOP operatives Randy Nielsen (Public Concepts) and Pat Bainter (Data Targeting).

The numbers aren't much to brag about -- except when you compare this poll to the survey taken by Quinnipiac University last month, which showed that only 29 percent favored Scott's job performance, making him the least-popular governor in America.

Rep. Buchanan's 2011 financial disclosure form now available for your review

Rep. Vern Buchanan's 2011 financial disclosure report is now available for your review here.

Buchanan, who in 2010 was listed as the seventh-wealthiest member of Congress, filed a 116-page report detailing his various assets and liabilities. The 2011 report, which became available to the public today, covers his holdings as of the end of 2010.

Determining Buchanan's exact wealth isn't possible from the report, as members of Congress are required only to list their holdings in broad ranges. In 2010, OpenSecrets.org determined that Buchanan's wealth ranged from minus-$-69,434,661 to $366,180,982, for an average of $148,373,160 -- the seventh highest in Congress.

As for the latest report, we'll add up the numbers as soon as possible and share what we find.

Romney in Sarasota on Thursday for fund-raiser

Mitt Romney, the front-runner for now in the race for the Republican presidential nomination next year, will be in Sarasota on Thursday for a fund-raising lunch.

The event is set for 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Sarasota Yacht Club, 1100 John Ringling Blvd., Sarasota.

Organizers of the event include honorary chair state Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, and his wife Dee.

The "suggested donation" for the event is $250, and the maximum allowable contribution is $2,500.

R.S.V.P. to Meredith O'Rourke at  Meredithorourke@yahoo.com or (561) 818-6064.

Sen. Mike Bennett drops bid for seat in Congress

State Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, today ended his bid for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, concluding he didn't have the needed "fire in the belly" to run for Congress.

Bennett, who last month announced a bid to unseat Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Tampa, said he was overwhelmed by support he had identified across the district. But "I quickly realized that the 'fire' I was feeling was heartburn over constant fundraising, travel and the other demands of running for federal office," Bennett said in a statement.

“Watching all that is going on in Washington and knowing the constant fight that is required to make a difference there, I have decided to no longer pursue my bid for Congress."

Bennett does not currently live in the 13th Congressional District, which does include part of Manatee County. Bennett was hoping that congressional redistricting next year would take in more of Manatee and offer him a reasonable chance of winning the GOP nomination and unseating Castor. Bennett also said he would consider moving into the district, if necessary, although state law would not require him to do so.

Bennett said he was looking forward to fishing and travel when his current term in the Florida Senate ends at the end of 2012. He cannot run for re-election because of term limits.

“Let me be clear. Is this the end of my life in politics?" Bennett quipped. "You all know me better than that.”