Tag: David Johnson

Ron DeSantis and Andrew Gillum. The Democratic Tallahassee mayor received strong marks and attention for his Hurricane Michael performance, but Republican DeSantis had his own good news. He brought on board some top GOP strategist talent, including former state GOP executive directors David Johnson and Jim Rimes, and lobbyist/strategist Rich Heffley. DeSantis also won the endorsement of the respected Everglades Trust advocacy group, which cited his proven record challenging special interests, the sugar industry in particular, in bucking several other environmental groups backing Gillum. Political debates. Looks like Florida will not have one high profile U.S. Senate debate because of inane squabbling and finger-pointing over timing between Republican Rick Scott and Democrat Bill Nelson. Sen. Nelson, do yourself and Florida a favor: Just accept the Oct. 25 debate that CNN and Scott agreed to and stop moaning about not having one sooner. The main gubernatorial candidates, Ron DeSantis and Andrew Gillum are set to debate tonight at 8 p.m. on CNN.