Fla. Sen. Martinez Won't Run in '10

(NEWSER) - Florida's GOP Gov. Charlie Crist is mulling a 2010 Senate run that would put him within range of the Oval Office in 2012, the Washington Post reports. But he faces a crowded field when one-term Sen. Mel Martinez steps down: A host of state lawmakers have tossed in their hats since Jeb Bush and a top state Democrat declined to run. Whatever he decides, Crist will announce after the legislative session ends in May, sources said. More»

LeMieux is the Florida governor's former chief of staff

(NEWSER) - Florida Governor Charlie Crist has appointed his former campaign manager and chief of staff to fill the Senate seat of Mel Martinez, MSNBC reports. George LeMieux will represent the state until next year's election, when Crist himself will vie for the GOP nod. “George is bright, capable, and an accomplished administrator," Martinez says. Dems have a dimmer view: “Charlie Crist came as close as he could to appointing himself to this position,” says the party's Senatorial Campaign Committee. More»

No dearth of Republican recruits for 2010 races in Fla., Mo., Ohio

(NEWSER) - Don’t let the stories about how grim 2010 looks for the Senate Republicans fool you. The spate of retirements in swing states is no boon, to be sure, but, Politico reports, the GOP will have no trouble coming up with good candidates in Florida, Ohio, and Missouri. A state-by-state overview: More»

(NEWSER) - Jeb Bush put an end to feverish political speculation today and announced that he will not seek Mel Martinez’s Florida Senate seat in 2010, the Chicago Tribune reports. The former Florida governor was widely reported to be considering a run—even his father had publicly encouraged the idea. “Now is not the right time to return to elected office,” Bush said in a statement. More»

130 former legislators calls for civility on Capitol Hill in letter

(NEWSER) - More than 130 former members of Congress banded together to offer a message to 2010 congressional candidates via letter: Stop the "zero-sum game" partisanship that has paralyzed the legislative branch. So many former lawmakers have never spoken with one voice to all congressional candidates, but they felt prodded by the "sorry state of affairs" on Capitol Hill, in which "the goal often seems to be more to devastate the other side than to find common ground to solve problems,” Politico reports. More»