News

By the Editorial Board / Ocala Star-Banner – Our electoral system tends to reward politicians who pander to the extremes. Legislative districts are drawn to favor a particular political party rather than to be competitive. Closed party primaries give further incentive for candidates to appeal only to base voters. Campaign contributions from special-interest groups help […]

By Adam Smith / Tampa Bay Times – Let’s try to talk about Washington dysfunction without focusing on Donald Trump. Trump, after all, would not be president but for the vast public disgust with the status quo that preceded his candidacy and likely will succeed it. Complaints about Congress are nothing new, though the scope […]

By the Editorial Board / Gainesville Sun – Our electoral system tends to reward politicians who pander to the extremes. Legislative districts are drawn to favor a particular political party rather than be competitive. Closed party primaries give further incentive for candidates to appeal only to base voters. Campaign contributions from special-interest groups help push […]

By Kathrine Conroy / Orlando Political Observer – Former Congressmen and one-time U.S. Senate rivals David Jolly (R-Belleair Bluffs) and Patrick Murphy (D-Jupiter) will continue their statewide town hall tour tomorrow in Orlando as they pull back the curtain on Washington and shine a light on the inside reasons why D.C. is in a state of chaos and […]

By Greg Giroux / Bloomberg Government – Party-line voting is the norm. Conservative Democrats and liberal Republicans are all but extinct, and there aren’t many lawmakers left in the middle. One of the centrist casualties, ex-Rep. Jason Altmire (D-Pa.), is out with a new book about how he and other middle-of-the-road members of Congress — […]

By the Editorial Board / Tampa Bay Times – Outside Washington, Democrats and Republicans actually talk to each other and often can find common ground on issues that paralyze Congress. Now two former House members, Republican David Jolly of Belleair Bluffs and Democrat Patrick Murphy of Jupiter, have joined together to begin a public conversation […]

By Stephanie Akin / Roll Call One of the first millennials elected to Congress will head to Georgetown University this fall to help students understand political issues unique to their generation. As a fellow with the Institute of Politics and Public Service at Georgetown’s McCourt School of Public Policy, Former Rep. Patrick Murphy, 34, will […]