Florida

The Tampa Bay Times, the paper that puts out (and funds) the supposedly unbiased PolitiFact, has just enthusiastically endorsed President Obama for a second term.  The Times writes that “[w]ithout hesitation” it “recommends Barack Obama for re-election as president.” The paper cites Obama’s “steady leadership.” It’s no wonder the Times is backing Obama.

The Florida chapter of the AFL-CIO appears to be encouraging folks to break the law. In a message on the homepage of their website, the union writes, "There is a mantra that we --at the Florida AFL-CIO-- like to live by, 'Vote Early, Vote Often'."

Mitt Romney has broken the 50 percent threshold of support in Florida and leads Barack Obama by four points in the Sunshine State, according to a new poll from Rasmussen. Of the 750 likely Florida voters polled, 51 percent support Romney and 47 percent support Obama. That's Romney's largest lead in Rasmussen's Florida polling.

Newly released polls from Rasmussen Reports and WeAskAmerica show that Mitt Romney has overtaken President Obama in Florida in the wake of the first presidential debate.

Freshman House Republican Allen West has a new ad highlighting his service as a lieutenant colonel in the Army--and his Democratic opponent's 2003 arrest at a South Florida night club. "Two men, a country in crisis," the ad's voiceover says. "You decide." Watch the 30-second ad below:

Tampa
A few hours before Mitt Romney spoke to the Republican convention last night, his campaign did something clever. It’s normal procedure before a major speech is to release excerpts so the evening TV news shows can preview the address. The Romney team did so, only these excerpts were dull and uninteresting.

The Miami Herald reports on a suspicious mailer that seems to be tied to Marco Rubio ally David Rivera:

The Villages, Fla.
“This is my mom Betty,” vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan said as he took the stage at a campaign rally with his 78-year-old mother in Florida’s largest retirement community. “She's why I'm here,” Ryan continued. “She and her grandkids are why I'm here.”

A Florida super PAC affiliated with a Democratic congressional candidate has a new ad criticizing Florida Republican Allen West. The ad depicts West, a freshman House member, as a boxer who "socked it to seniors" and "whacked women." The animated West punches an elderly woman, a younger woman, and a family. Watch the ad below, along with a statement about the ad from West himself:

Republican congressman Allen West, a freshman from Florida, has a new television ad featuring Robert Delgado, a retired Army sergeant. In the ad, Delgado claims West saved his life when the two men were serving in Iraq. Watch the ad below:

MItt Romney reportedly asked Florida governor Rick Scott to "downplay" the Sunshine State's improving job numbers, according to Bloomberg News:

A new poll from Quinnipiac shows incumbent Democratic senator Bill Nelson of Florida maintaining a slight lead over his likely Republican challenger, Congressman Connie Mack. The poll shows Nelson with 43 percent support from registered voters in Florida, with Mack receiving 39 percent. This margin has remained mostly constant, although Mack actually had a one-point lead over Nelson in Quinnipiac's May poll of the race.