| | | | | |  | | By Gary Fineout | Hello and welcome to Wednesday. Thunderstruck — Well, that was quite the unanticipated political thunderbolt. Shoot to thrill — Former President Donald Trump's decision to issue an endorsement in a race that isn't happening yet is a bit… odd. For those about to rock — Trump's office, which is guided by veteran political consultant Susie Wiles, issued a statement late Tuesday afternoon where the Florida man spoke glowingly of Senate President Wilton Simpson — and backed the Trilby Republican for agriculture commissioner. It's a long way to the top — What's interesting of course is that Simpson — who is termed out of office next year — has yet to commit to running for the Cabinet-level position now held by Democrat Nikki Fried. (We keep waiting and waiting to see if Fried will make it official and jump into the governor's race against DeSantis. Her team is hyping a "very, very important" video that will drop this a.m. Who knows? Maybe she's staying put and will run for a second term.) Ride on — And after the endorsement, Simpson again demurred on whether he will actually run for agriculture commissioner. "It is an honor that he would stand with me should I run," he said in a statement. Of course, having Trump's endorsement means Simpson should have a clear field on the Republican side. (Remember when Matt Gaetz threw shade at Simpson and suggested he would run for the position...) Back in black — The decision to endorse Simpson comes just days before Florida will hold a special session to reshape the state's gambling laws with a new deal with the Seminole Tribe of Florida that would bring sports betting to the nation's third-largest state. Despite speculation that lawmakers may permit existing gambling licenses to be shifted to new locations — including maybe the Doral resort owned by the Trump Organization — Simpson told reporters late last week that would not be allowed in the bill under consideration. Flick of the switch — Some of those in Trump's orbit said that the former president chose to act now because he has a good relationship with Simpson, a multimillionaire who runs an egg farming operation as well as a remediation contractor. "POTUS 45 likes Senate President Simpson very much," Wiles said. — WHERE'S RON? — Gov. DeSantis is scheduled to be in The Villages for a town hall that will be aired on Newsmax and moderated by the two hosts of "Spicer & Co" — Sean Spicer and Lyndsay Keith. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for Playbook? Get in touch: gfineout@politico.com | | | | SUBSCRIBE TO WEST WING PLAYBOOK: Add West Wing Playbook to keep up with the power players, latest policy developments and intriguing whispers percolating inside the West Wing and across the highest levels of the Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | |
|  | CAMPAIGN MODE | | OUT OF THE BLUE — "Trump endorses Florida Senate President Simpson for agriculture commissioner," by POLITICO's Gary Fineout: Simpson has publicly brushed aside questions about whether he will run for the Cabinet-level position that is currently held by Nikki Fried. Fried, the only statewide elected Democrat, is one of several Democrats expected to challenge incumbent Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2022. "Wilton Simpson has done an outstanding job as President of the Florida State Senate, and I hope he runs for Florida Agriculture Commissioner in 2022 — he will have my Complete and Total endorsement!" Trump said in a statement. | 
Senate President Wilton Simpson talking to reporters inside the Senate chambers. | Gary Fineout/POLITICO | AHEAD OF THE STORM — "Groups fight for influence in Florida's redistricting battle," by POLITICO's Matt Dixon: Conservative and liberal organizations are starting to press Florida lawmakers on the state's soon-to-be allocated new seat ahead of a fight that could determine control of Congress. Conservative non-profit Democracy Now, led by former Trump administration official Carlos Trujillo, is set to use Florida as the staging ground to rebuild a Republican majority in Congress, which would require flipping three seats nationally. Where the action is — "Florida is the most competitive swing state by population and electoral votes," Trujillo said. "And selfishly, I know this state better than Pennsylvania or Ohio, and it gets one more competitive seat next cycle." On the Democratic side, the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, chaired by former Attorney General Eric Holder, has already met with Democratic members of the state legislature, and created an affiliated group called All on the Line to focus on influencing lawmakers in key states like Florida. — " Tech, developers help Miami mayor's reelection campaign break $2.5M in fundraising," by Miami Herald's Joey Flechas | | ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... | | POLL FAVORABLE FOR COMPACT, DESANTIS — A new poll by veteran Republican pollster Ryan Tyson on behalf of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association provides another good round of numbers for GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis as well as the deal he negotiated with the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Rising — The poll of registered voters done the first week of May put DeSantis' job approval rating at 60 percent — the highest it has been since June 2020, according to Tyson. And 58 percent of respondents told pollsters that the state is headed in the right direction. On the topic of the compact, 62 percent favored it and 17 percent opposed it after those surveyed were read a brief summary of the compact AND the revenue it was projected to generate. GETTING LARGER — " DeSantis signs $200 million expansion in Florida for private school vouchers," by Miami Herald's Ana Ceballos and Colleen Wright: "Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday signed into law a $200 million school choice plan that will pave the way for some 61,000 new students to become eligible for taxpayer-funded vouchers that will help families pay for private tuition and other education expenses. The measure is a continuation of a decades-long push to expand school choice in Florida, a move Republicans support and most Democrats have fought as they advocate for more oversight and accountability for private schools that get state-funded vouchers." THE LAWSUITS KEEP COMING — "Groups challenge constitutionality of Florida protest law," by News Service of Florida's Jim Saunders: "Arguing that a new law is intended to 'suppress the viewpoints of Black-led organizations and their allies,' a coalition of groups Tuesday challenged the constitutionality of changes championed by Gov. Ron DeSantis to crack down on violent protests. A 62-page lawsuit filed in federal court in Tallahassee on behalf of groups such as the Dream Defenders and the Florida State Conference of the NAACP contends that the law (HB 1), which DeSantis signed on April 19, will have a 'chilling' effect on protected speech and violates equal-protection and due-process rights." FSU'S NATIONAL AMBITIONS VS. POLITICAL PRESSURE? — "FSU set to interview 9 prospects for president – including Richard Corcoran," by POLITICO's Andrew Atterbury: The Florida State University presidential search committee on Tuesday tabbed nine prospects to interview for the school's top job later this week, marking a major step forward in finding a replacement for retiring President John Thrasher. Committee members advanced six candidates with higher education experience and three with more "nontraditional" backgrounds — FSU's current athletic director, a local attorney with school ties and state Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran. Corcoran's application drew intense scrutiny from faculty members who testified, reminiscent of FSU's last presidential search that also included a former House Speaker — John Thrasher — vying for the position. — "FL Senate Dems demand A.G. Moody show concern about planned Instagram for young children," by Florida Phoenix's Isaac Morgan | | CORONAVIRUS UPDATES | | The daily rundown — Between Monday and Tuesday, the number of Florida coronavirus cases increased by 3,263 (0.1 percent) to 2,275,365; active hospitalizations increased by 18 (0.6 percent) to 2,750; deaths of Florida residents rose by 48 to 35,8331; 9,350,957 Floridians have received at least one dose of a vaccine. STATE V STATE — "California and Florida took a different approach in reopening: How they're faring with COVID-19," by Healthline's Heather Grey: "But because of growing rates of immunity, continued efforts to vaccinate, and other measures to stop the spread of the virus, California now has one of the lowest rates of new cases in the country. California reported an average of 1,783 new cases a day over the past week. That's 4.69 daily cases per 100,000 people in the state. Oklahoma is now the only state with a lower rate of new cases. COVID-19 infection rates have also declined in other states since peaking this past winter. Florida reported an average of 3,635 new cases a day this past week. That's down 80 percent since early January. Still, Florida's per-capita rate of new cases is nearly 3.75 times higher than that of California." 'LET THEM BE KIDS' — "Gov. DeSantis calls for a 'normal school year' in the fall," by Sun Sentinel's Skyler Swisher: "Gov. Ron DeSantis gave his advice Tuesday for educators planning for the fall semester: 'Have a normal school year.' DeSantis said he doesn't think masks and other COVID-19 safeguards will be needed next school year. 'Our direction is relatively simple: Have a normal school year... These kids do not need to be wearing these masks,' DeSantis said in response to a reporter's question in Jacksonville. 'We need to be able to let them be kids.' — " DeSantis: Covid is 'never going to go to zero' cases," by WPEC's Jay O'Brien | | | | JOIN THURSDAY FOR A CONVERSATION ON TRANSGENDER POLITICIANS: More transgender people got elected to office at all levels across the country in 2020, in both blue and red states – and that number is likely to continue to grow. During the last year, constituents across America elected six transgender candidates at the state level as transgender rights gain more attention across the country. Join POLITICO Nightly: Daytime Edition for a conversation featuring transgender elected officials as they discuss their experiences running for and serving in public office. REGISTER HERE. | | | | |
| | Bidenology | | NOT INTERESTED — "Red states ready to defy Biden's 'aggressive indoctrination' on education," by POLITICO's Megan Cassella and Liz Crampton: While it is still unclear exactly how the plan will be structured, other Republican officials pushed back on the idea of taking any federal money because of the strings they expect will be attached to it. "I guarantee you there's going to be some requirements in there that may not be palatable to our state and the way we govern our state," said Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), who served in the Florida Legislature before coming to Washington this year. "The devil is always in the details, but knowing how the federal government tends to operate with money that it likes to dangle, that's not something I think the state of Florida will be interested in."… Donalds called the free community college tuition plan a "nonstarter" for Florida, adding: "There's just not resources to go around." THE GWEN GRAHAM FILES — POLITICO's West Wing Playbook notes the following: While President JOE BIDEN 's Cabinet isn't as rich as his immediate predecessors', there are still plenty of one percenters in the top ranks of the Biden administration… To that list, we can add Biden's nominee to be the Education Department's assistant secretary of legislation and congressional affairs. New disclosure — Former Rep. GWEN GRAHAM (D-Fla.), whom Biden nominated last month, is worth at least $27.2 million, according to her newly released personal financial disclosure. And that's the floor, not the ceiling. Graham is an heiress to the Graham family fortune, built over decades of Florida land and real estate investments. She's also linked by marriage to the wealthy clan that once owned the Washington Post and other news outlets (yes, it used to be possible to make a fortune in the media industry). Her father is former Sen. BOB GRAHAM (D-Fla), whose brother married KATHARINE GRAHAM, the late Post publisher who famously steered the paper through one of its golden periods. DON GRAHAM, Katharine's son and successor as Post publisher, is her cousin. Where the money is — Graham's wealth is derived from her 5 percent stake in her family company's vast real estate holdings, which are concentrated in South Florida but also include a dairy farm and a ranch in the state and a pecan orchard, a cattle farm and timberland in Georgia. Graham Group Holdings' assets are worth at least $537 million, according to her disclosure. (The company is separate from Graham Holdings, which once owned the Post and Newsweek.) | | DATELINE D.C. | | WHAT'S GOING ON? — "'We owe this to our people': Lawmakers want answers on directed-energy attacks," by POLITICO's Andrew Desiderio: Since then the incidents have stumped officials across the U.S. government, where a massive investigation is beginning to take shape as the threat to American personnel has increased — both overseas and on U.S. soil. "The response was inadequate in the early stages. I think it's gotten better but still not good enough," Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), vice chair of the intelligence committee, said in a brief interview. "It's almost like the burden of proof is on these individuals, and given the nature of the injuries they've suffered, I don't think it was initially treated the way it should've been." After POLITICO first revealed the Pentagon's recent warnings to congressional committees amid a rising number of incidents, lawmakers lamented that individuals hit with suspected attacks were not getting the necessary medical care. Rubio, for example, said victims were facing "bureaucratic hurdles" to get proper treatment. GIMENEZ TARGETED IN NEW AD — CHC Bold PAC, the campaign arm of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, said on Tuesday it was releasing its first digital ads of the 2022 cycle criticizing four Republicans who voted against certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election. One of the ads — which features footage of the Jan. 6 Capitol riots — targets Florida Rep. Carlos Gimenez. "These four Republicans led a misinformation campaign and helped spread the 'Big Lie' on social media and conservative news media outlets by sowing doubt about the Presidential election results… The best way to fight the Republican disinformation campaign is to hold them accountable for their actions," said BOLD PAC Chairman Ruben Gallego. | | Gaetz-gate | | LANDING SOON? — "Federal investigators press for cooperation from two key witnesses in Gaetz probe," by CNN's Paula Reid, Gloria Borger, Pamela Brown and Jeremy Herb: "Federal investigators scrutinizing Rep. Matt Gaetz are seeking the cooperation of a former Capitol Hill intern who was once a girlfriend of the Florida Republican, sources familiar with the matter tell CNN. Investigators could also soon gain the formal cooperation of a second key witness, former Florida county tax collector Joel Greenberg, who is approaching a deadline this week to strike a plea agreement with the government on more than two dozen charges he's facing. The pursuit of the cooperation comes as investigators are nearly finished collecting evidence, one source said. The probe, which is examining whether Gaetz broke federal sex trafficking, prostitution and public corruption laws and whether he had sex with a minor, has been ongoing for months." | | PENINSULA AND BEYOND | | PANIC AT THE PUMP — "DeSantis issues state of emergency to relax truck restrictions amid pipe shutdown," by News Service of Florida: "Florida relaxed truck-weight restrictions to get more fuel on the road as demand for gasoline surged in some areas after a ransomware attack on the Colonial Pipeline, which carries fuel to the nation's East Coast, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday. DeSantis signed a state of emergency order enabling the relaxed restrictions on Tuesday evening. The order also bans price gouging. 'We really do need the federal government to step up and help, and we don't want to see these long gas lines persist throughout the northern part of our state,' DeSantis said while at a bill-signing event in Jacksonville." HELP WANTED — "As his restaurants' customers return, a Miami chef is missing a critical ingredient: Workers," by Washington Post's Laura Reiley: "A year later, according to [Michael] Beltran's corporate executive chef, Phil Bryant, many of his former colleagues are asking themselves, 'If I can make $17 per hour at an Amazon warehouse but only $14 per hour as a line cook, a notoriously hot, stressful, intense job, why would I do that?' And more importantly, he said, they are asking, "If this whole industry can deteriorate overnight and leave everyone unemployed, is this really stable enough to go back to?'" — " Now trending in Miami are Manhattan dining hot spots," by The Wall Street Journal's Arian Campo-Flores OPENING THE DOOR? — "Guaido proposes reaching accord with Maduro regime, easing sanctions as incentive," by El Nuevo Herald's Antonio Maria Delgado: "Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó proposed on Tuesday reaching an accord with the Nicolás Maduro regime to 'save Venezuela' from its worst crisis in history, even floating the idea of lifting U.S. sanctions as an incentive to hold new elections. 'We must reach an agreement to save Venezuela,' he said in a message distributed on social media. 'Not just any agreement or negotiation that maintains what is in place today ... [but] an agreement that must be reached between the democratic forces represented by [the opposition], the actors that make up and support the regime and the international community.' The message appeared to signal a shift in tone from Guaidó, who is recognized by the Biden administration as Venezuela's rightful president and has publicly supported the hard-line U.S. policy." — "Robert Runcie will step down as schools superintendent, but turmoil and uncertainty remain," by Sun Sentinel's Scott Travis and Lisa J. Huriash — " Pensacola will enter mediation over Confederate monument removal lawsuit," by Pensacola News Journal's Jim Little — "Manatee covers $60,000 in legal fees for commissioners hit with public record lawsuit," by Bradenton Herald's Ryan Callihan — "Feds say UM hid inflated charges from patients in $22 million settlement over Medicare fraud," by Miami Herald's Jay Weaver | | ODDS, ENDS, AND FLORIDA MEN | | — "'Call me X': Survivor of Parkland shooting has picked out a new name," by Sun Sentinel's Chris Perkins: "Emma González, a survivor turned activist in the wake of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in 2018, no longer wants to be known as Emma. During an appearance on "The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon" on Monday, the 21-year-old said it's now 'X' González, with a Twitter handle — @callmeX — to match. González also no longer identifies with she/her pronouns." BIRTHDAYS: Florida Supreme Court Justice Alan Lawson … Leslie Dughi, director at Greenberg Traurig
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