No Surprises in Florida House Races

Every House race but one has been called in the Sunshine State, and there have been no surprises.

But firebrand Rep. Allen West (R) remained locked in a razor-tight contest with businessman Patrick Murphy (D) in Florida’s 18th district. With 96.4 percent of precincts reporting, West led with 50.2 percent to Murphy’s 49.8 percent, according to the Associated Press.

Here are other competitive race results, as reported by the AP:

• Freshman Rep. Steve Southerland (R) beat former state Sen. Al Lawson in the Panhandle 2nd district by a comfortable 5-point margin.
• Freshman Rep. Daniel Webster (R) held off a challenge from former Orlando Police Chief Val Demings, beating her by 3.6 points.
• Rep. Vern Buchanan (R) easily beat former state Rep. Keith Fitzgerald (D) by more than 7 points.
• Former West Palm Beach Mayor Lois Frankel (D) beat former state House Majority Leader Adam Hasner (R) in the open 22nd district, reconfigured to be significantly more Democratic.
• Embattled Rep. David Rivera (R) lost to Democrat Joe Garcia in the Miami-area 26th district.

Daily Ad Track

Forget gutter politics. One ad today is so nasty it is going straight to the toilet.

Florida 22

This ad is why we try to avoid labeling Daily Ad Track with words like “best.” At first, this ad from Republican Adam Hasner seems like a normal checklist of negative points against Democrat Lois Frankel. But at the end, it takes a grody turn. The Hasner camp did not immediately return a call requesting buy information, but the biggest question we have is, will this ad air during dinner time?

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NRCC Locks In Third Clip of Young Guns

Maine Senate President Kevin Raye, who is running in the state's 2nd district, was one of seven candidates announced in a new round of the NRCC's Young Guns today. (Douglas Graham/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

The National Republican Congressional Committee today announced its third round of Young Guns — candidates who have reached the highest tier of the committee’s recruitment and candidate support program.

The seven new candidates are:

• Former state House Majority Leader Adam Hasner, running in Florida’s open 22nd district
• Attorney Ben Lange, running in Iowa’s 1st district against Rep. Bruce Braley (D)
• John Deere attorney John Archer, running in Iowa’s 2nd district against Rep. Dave Loebsack (D)
• State Senate President Kevin Raye, running in Maine’s 2nd district against Rep. Mike Michaud (D)
• State Public Service Commissioner Kevin Cramer, running in North Dakota’s open at-large seat
• Businessman Danny Tarkanian, running in Nevada’s open 4th district
• Former Erie County Executive Chris Collins, running New York’s 27th district against freshman Rep. Kathy Hochul (D)

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Florida: Democratic Poll Shows Allen West Tied With Patrick Murphy

A poll released Thursday by Rep. Allen West's Democratic opponent showed the race as a dead heat. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

A poll released Thursday by Congressional candidate Patrick Murphy (D) found him tied with Republican Rep. Allen West 45 percent to 45 percent in a horse-race matchup. Ten percent of the likely voters polled were undecided. Murphy is challenging West in Florida’s newly configured 18th district.

The survey conducted by longtime Florida pollster Keith Frederick found that West, one of the 112th Congress’ most outspoken Members, has 83 percent name recognition in the district. The polling memo released publicly did not include Murphy’s name ID. Both decided to run for the newly-configured seat after redistricting; both were previously running in Florida’s 22nd district.

The survey found presumptive GOP White House nominee Mitt Romney leading President Barack Obama in the district. In a ballot test, Romney led with 49 percent to Obama’s 46 percent. Four percent were undecided.

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FreedomWorks PAC Endorses 10 Candidates

Conservative organization FreedomWorks PAC today released its “first slate” of House endorsements.

“Through extensive personal interviews, detailed research of their records, and feedback from activists in their districts, we are confident these candidates will expand the freedom caucus in the House and lead the fight for economic freedom and constitutionally limited government,” FreedomWorks PAC Executive Director Max Pappas said in a statement.

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Florida: Adam Hasner Picks Up Jeb Bush Endorsement

Former Florida House Majority Leader Adam Hasner, running for Congress in the coastal 22nd district, picked up the endorsement of popular former Gov. Jeb Bush (R).

It will give Hasner, a former candidate for Senate, a boost in his uphill climb to win the newly drawn district, currently represented by Rep. Allen West (R). West is running in another district.

The redrawn 22nd would have voted 57 percent for Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election. Hasner will likely face former West Palm Beach Mayor Lois Frankel in November. Full story

Florida: West Challenger Follows Him to New District

Democratic businessman Patrick Murphy, who had been running in Florida’s 22nd district, announced today he would follow in the footsteps of freshman Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) and run in the proposed 18th district.

“Allen West abandoned his constituents to find supposedly safer political ground. Today, our campaign is putting Mr. West on notice: There is no safe district he can run to,” Murphy said in a statement.

“I have spoken to local and national Democratic leaders, as well as local activists and the support for me continuing my campaign against Allen West is overwhelming,” he added. Murphy and former West Palm Beach Mayor Lois Frankel were vying for the Democratic nomination to take on West, who recently announced he was running in a district composed of mostly new territory.

In an interview with Roll Call on Tuesday, West was asked about the potential of Murphy following him to the new district.

“That would be a very dangerous thing,” West said. “If he goes back and studies Hannibal, you may not want to follow a very savvy person that just avoided an ambush because obviously they got something that’s waiting for you.” Full story

Florida Musical Chairs Shuffles West, Rooney, Hasner

Rep. Allen West announced today he will run in a Florida district that is expected to be more favorable to the GOP but still leans Democratic. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Updated 8:15 p.m. | The music just stopped in the Sunshine State and everyone still has a seat — at least until voters hit the polls.

After a redistricting map similar to what is likely to become law shifted the political prospects of a number of Members last week, three Florida politicians made big announcements today to shake up the Senate race and three House races.

Rep. Tom Rooney (R), who currently represents the 16th district, announced he would run in the proposed 17th district; freshman Rep. Allen West (R), a fundraising juggernaut who currently represents the 22nd district, announced he would run in the proposed 18th district; and former state House Majority Leader Adam Hasner dropped his bid for Senate, a source close to him said, and will run in the state’s proposed 22nd district. All are likely to have a better shot at joining the 113th Congress under their chosen political boundaries. Full story