| | | | |  | | By Gary Fineout | Hello and welcome to Monday. COUNTING THEM DOWN — Last Friday, we counted down the bottom half of the top 10 races to watch on Tuesday. Now here's the top half. Remember this list is focused on statewide, congressional and legislative races in Florida. No. 5 — Florida's 13th Congressional District. Anna Paulina Luna was the Republican challenger in this race two years ago but she lost to incumbent Rep. Charlie Crist. The seat has been redrawn and is now friendlier to Republicans. Luna is heading into the GOP primary with the endorsement of former President Donald Trump but she has gotten a fierce competitor in Kevin Hayslett, who has been endorsed by Michael Flynn, Trump's former national security adviser, as well as many Pinellas County GOP officials. This race has turned into one of the most expensive primaries in the state as outside groups have spent millions of dollars on ads so far. No. 4 — Florida's 10th Congressional District. Why? Because whoever wins this wide open — and divisive — primary will likely wind up heading to Congress in the Democratic-friendly seat. The field includes Maxwell Alejandro Frost, a Generation Z activist who has picked up support from progressives aplenty, including Sen. Bernie Sanders. Other contenders include state Sen. Randolph Bracy and two former members of Congress — Corrine Brown and Alan Grayson. The split field could yield an unanticipated result. No. 3 — State Senate District 35. Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book was supposed to spend the summer raising money and helping Senate Democrats hold their own in a tough year. But after redistricting altered Senate lines, Book was challenged by Barbara Sharief, a former Broward County commissioner who unsuccessfully ran for Congress last year. The two rivals have ripped into each other ahead of the primary, leading Sharief at one point to file a defamation and libel lawsuit against Book. No. 2 — Florida's 7th Congressional District. Democratic Rep. Stephanie Murphy decided to forgo seeking another term for this seat and that was before the Republican-controlled Legislature overhauled this seat into a likely flip opportunity for the GOP. It has triggered a knockdown brawl in the GOP primary over everything from whether people live in the district to who is MAGA enough. All the main GOP candidates running in the race falsely contend that the 2020 election was rigged. The frontrunners are state Rep. Anthony Sabatini, Cory Mills, a defense contractor, and Brady Duke, a former Navy Seal sniper. No. 1 — Democratic primary for governor. Democrats will have to choose whether they want Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and Rep. Charlie Crist to take on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in November. Crist, a former governor who was elected as a Republican, is taking his second shot at regaining the office he used to hold. He has outraised Fried and has gotten more backing by establishment Democrats. The race started out with both candidates spending most of their time assailing DeSantis. But after the Supreme Court repealed Roe v. Wade, the tone shifted. Fried has tried to use Crist's GOP past against him and has hammered him on abortion rights. Crist has responded by telling voters that Fried used to be a lobbyist and that she was once cozy with Republicans. — WHERE'S RON? — Nothing official announced for Gov. DeSantis. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for Playbook? Get in touch: gfineout@politico.com
| | | | STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president's ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | THE COMING STORM — "'We don't want DeSantis to just walk into the White House,'" by The New York Times' Patricia Mazzei: "Going into Tuesday's primary election, Florida Democrats like [Jared] Brown are angry, especially at the ascendant Mr. DeSantis and the way he seems to them to act like someone who already has his eye on the White House. But it is not clear that in the choices they have to challenge him — Representative Charlie Crist, who served as governor from 2007 to 2011, and Nikki Fried, the state's agriculture commissioner — they have someone who can beat him. 'DeSantis is running for president,' said Ann Ralston, 69, as she prepared for a long, sweaty day volunteering for no fewer than seven down-ballot Democratic candidates, whose logos she had pinned on her clothes, turning herself into a human billboard. 'It's a foregone conclusion,' she said." | 
U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, D-Fla., speaks during a Souls to the Polls event at the Miami Dade Regional Library, Sunday, Aug. 21, 2022, in Miami Gardens, Fla. Crist is facing Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried in the primary election on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier) | AP | MORE THAN 2 MILLION VOTES CAST — More than 2.07 million people have voted ahead of the Aug. 23 primary, according to the latest information on the state Division of Elections website. That includes more than 1.52 million people who have voted by mail. Of those, 725,795 have come from Democrats and 571,719 have come from registered Republicans. Overall, there are roughly 2.6 million mail ballots that have been requested but not yet returned. Of those, more than 1.1 million are held by Democrats and more than 774,000 are with Republicans. More than 554,000 voters have cast their ballots in person during early voting. Background: This amounts to about 14.5 percent of active registered voters. Four years ago, 15.4 percent of registered voters voted by mail or through early voting for the 2018 primary. That primary featured high-profile contests for governor for Republicans and Democrats. THE DESANTIS DOCTRINE — DeSantis uses cash and clout to reshape Florida school races, by POLITICO's Andrew Atterbury: Jacqueline Rosario, a school board member in Indian River County in Florida, was recently chatting with a cashier at an ice cream shop when she mentioned she was running for reelection. A staunch supporter of school choice and parental rights, Rosario earned the backing of Gov. Ron DeSantis for her upcoming race in part because she voted against masking students during the pandemic. And, as it turns out, that endorsement was enough to score a potential new voter. "She said, because I've been endorsed by him, 'you have my vote,'" Rosario said in an interview. "She didn't even ask my stance on issues or why I'm running." — "Gov. DeSantis brings big-time politics to normally low-key school board races with raucous Sarasota rally," by Sarasota Herald-Tribune's Zac Anderson and Steven Walker — " DeSantis gives late boost to his favored school board candidates in nonpartisan races," by Miami Herald's Sommer Brugal — " Crist, Fried campaign across South Florida in final push toward primary," by South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Anthony Man — "8 things at stake in Florida's primary elections Tuesday ," by Tampa Bay Times' Kirby Wilson — "Lauren Book and Barbara Sharief locked in 'ugly' primary contest," by Florida Politics' Anne Geggis — "Michelle Salzman, Mike Hill face rematch in HD 1," by Florida Politics' Renzo Downey
| | CAMPAIGN MODE | | WATCH — DeSantis fundraising could break Florida state campaign finance records: 6 things to know, by POLITICO's Matt Dixon and Lara Priluck GRIFFIN HELPS GOP — Billionaire hedge fund manager Ken Griffin — who recently announced plans to relocate his company headquarters to Florida from Illinois — was already one of DeSantis' top donors. But Griffin last week also gave $5 million directly to the Republican Party of Florida, new campaign finance reports filed on Friday show. The Griffin donation was part of $24.2 million that the party raised between April 1 and Aug. 18 for its state account. Much of that total — roughly $10 million — came from DeSantis' political committee. The party has been running television ads and picking up campaign staff expenses on behalf of the governor's reelection. The Florida Democratic Party reported taking in nearly $5 million during the same time period. That total was buoyed by a $1 million check from New York billionaire Mike Bloomberg. The party also got $100,000 from the Seminole Tribe of Florida. BY THE NUMBERS — Here's the breakdown for the latest fundraising totals in the governor's race: DeSantis raised more than $4.92 million during the period from Aug. 6 to Aug 18, while Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried raised more than $794,000 and Rep. Charlie Crist raised more than $1.16 million. The totals include money raised for campaign accounts and for political committees controlled by the candidates. Following the money — Some of the standout donations include $2 million that the Club for Growth PAC donated to DeSantis' political committee. Crist received $500,000 from the American Federation of Teachers. Fried's political committee took in $100,000 from Florida Alliance for Better Government, a political committee that earlier this month received donations from Florida Power & Light's parent company and the Florida Chamber of Commerce. In the bank — DeSantis has more than $132 million unspent, according to state reports (which don't reflect any future planned expenditures), while Crist has more than $1.48 million and Fried has slightly more than $393,000. The lower amounts shown by Crist and Fried reflect how both campaigns have spent most of their money trying to win this Tuesday's primary. WHAT HAPPENED — "' How did I commit fraud? Ex-felon voters confused by arrests, DeSantis' announcement," by Tampa Bay Times Romy Ellenbogen and Miami Herald's Bianca Padró Ocasio: "When Romona Oliver registered to vote in early 2020 at the Hillsborough Tax Collector's office, she was asked if she had a felony conviction. She said yes. The women helping her with the form submitted it, Oliver said. She said she was never asked specifically if her right to vote had been restored. Oliver, a Tampa resident, had recently been released from a women's prison in Florida after serving a 20-year sentence for second-degree murder." — " Miami-Dade mayor: 'No coincidence' DeSantis announced voter arrests during election," by Miami Herald's Douglas Hanks FALLOUT — "Activists in Florida say Black voters have seen their political power curtailed ," by NPR's Ashley Lopez: "Reginald Gundy, the pastor at Mt. Sinai Missionary Baptist Church in Jacksonville, says all these new rules in Florida feel deeply personal. Gundy has spent a lot of his time registering voters in communities of color — mostly Black voters — in North Florida. Since 2018, Gundy estimates he's registered more than 80,000 people in Duval County alone, which is the county encompassing Jacksonville. Gundy also works to get the vote out, making sure that the people his group registers actually go to the polls during elections. 'If they don't go to polls, we would be like, 'Hey, look you are registered to vote, you haven't voted, you need to go vote,' he said." THE STORY ANGERING SCOTT WORLD — "'It's a rip-off': GOP spending under fire as Senate hopefuls seek rescue," by Washington Post's Isaac Arnsdorf: "Republican Senate hopefuls are getting crushed on airwaves across the country while their national campaign fund is pulling ads and running low on cash — leading some campaign advisers to ask where all the money went and to demand an audit of the committee's finances, according to Republican strategists involved in the discussions." 'I WISH THEY'D TURN AT MY HOME' — "' In a body bag': Sarasota candidate says he'd kill FBI agents if they tried to search home," by Sarasota Herald-Tribune's Zac Anderson: "A Sarasota candidate for Congress says he would have killed the FBI agents who searched former President Donald Trump's property if they tried to do the same thing to his home. 'I wish they'd turn up at my home 'cause they'd have gone home in a body bag,' Sarasota businessman Martin Hyde says in a new video. Hyde is a Republican running for Congress against U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Longboat Key. He has been a magnet for controversy, with his campaign imploding after he was caught on camera in February berating a Sarasota police officer and threatening her job during a traffic stop." CAMPAIGN ROUNDUP — The Republican National Committee says it has reached out to 3 million voters in Florida as part of its 2022 outreach efforts. RNC Florida Victory has knocked on more than 1.3 million doors, made more than 1.8 million phone calls and engaged thousands of volunteers at various voter contact events, including training sessions, events at community centers throughout Florida and voter registration drives at gas stations, gun ranges and grocery stores. … Former President Donald Trump handed out additional endorsements over the weekend to Florida Republicans. Trump announced on his social media platform Truth Social that he was endorsing Reps. Scott Franklin, John Rutherford and Neal Dunn. Trump also reiterated his support for Rep. Matt Gaetz. — DeSantis stumps for Mastriano in key battleground state, by POLITICO's Matt Dixon — " DeSantis, eyeing 2024, rallies with Trump-backed far right," by The New York Times' Trip Gabriel and Patricia Mazzei — " Twitter 'permanently suspends' HD 20 candidate after he advocates shooting federal agents," by Florida Politics' A.G. Gancarski — "Candidate for Tampa Bay congressional seat shall remain on the ballot ," by Tampa Bay Times' Bill Varian — "Orange County GOP challenges mail ballots under Florida election law," by Orlando Sentinel's Steven Lemongello
| | | | INTRODUCING POWER SWITCH: The energy landscape is profoundly transforming. Power Switch is a daily newsletter that unlocks the most important stories driving the energy sector and the political forces shaping critical decisions about your energy future, from production to storage, distribution to consumption. Don't miss out on Power Switch, your guide to the politics of energy transformation in America and around the world. SUBSCRIBE TODAY. | | | | | | | TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP | | 'HE NEEDS A FIGHT TO GIVE HIM FOCUS'— "Trump thinks the Mar-a-Lago search will help him in 2024. Some allies aren't so sure," by NBC News' Marc Caputo, Carol E. Lee, Peter Nicholas and Courtney Kube: "Whenever [former President Donald] Trump does announce his 2024 plans, one of his properties could wind up being the backdrop. Some venues that have been under discussion include Mar-a-Lago and the Trump National Doral golf club near Miami, according to people familiar with the matter. An advantage of both is that they would send DeSantis a message: that Trump is unafraid to challenge the sitting Florida governor on his own turf. Staging the announcement at Mar-a-Lago would be 'a direct shot at Ron DeSantis,' the first person close to Trump said."
| | ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... | | BREAKING IT DOWN — "Did Florida's lieutenant governor say "illegal" Cuban migrants will be sent to Delaware ?" by Miami Herald's Bianca Padró Ocasio: "Florida Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez — a Cuban-American Republican from Miami — raised eyebrows among some Cuban Americans over the weekend after appearing to suggest on a conservative AM radio show that Cubans who were in Florida 'illegally' would be bused to Delaware." | 
Jeanette Nuñez. | AP Photo/Phil Sears | NOW IN PLACE — "Transgender Floridians scramble as Medicaid coverage ban on gender affirming care begins," by USA Today Network-Florida's Kathryn Varn: "In hindsight, August Dekker's surgery came just in time. Dekker, 28, came out as a transgender man in 2015 and started hormone replacement therapy two years later. In April, he underwent a bilateral mastectomy. The procedure is a treatment option for people who experience gender dysphoria, or the distress one feels when their gender identity doesn't align with their sex assigned at birth. His surgery and hormones were covered by Medicaid, a health insurance program for low-income Americans. Without it, he said, the surgery would have cost about $13,000 — a financial impossibility for Dekker, of Spring Hill, who is unable to work because he has rheumatoid arthritis."
| | PENINSULA AND BEYOND | | AFTERMATH — "After DeSantis ousted him, Andrew Warren's political profile grows," by Tampa Bay Times' Emily L. Mahoney: "Andrew Warren may have been escorted out of his office, but lately he can be found in living rooms across America. The embattled Hillsborough state attorney who was publicly ousted earlier this month by Gov. Ron DeSantis has been making frequent appearances on cable news shows. He's calling for donations to support him in his fight to keep his job. His Twitter following has exploded from a few thousand to about 45,000. Even his dog, Dudley, was featured in a Washington Post photograph as the country has learned Warren's name. In sacking Warren, DeSantis elevated the Democrat's political profile exponentially." THE RIVERA CHRONICLES — "New claims against ex-Miami congressman hired by Venezuela," by The Associated Press' Joshua Goodman: "A former Miami congressman who signed a $50 million consulting contract with Venezuela's socialist government not only did no apparent work, but also channeled a large chunk of the money to a yacht company on behalf of a fugitive billionaire, according to new allegations in a civil suit. The accusations against former Congressman David Rivera come in a new filing Friday in New York federal court by opponents of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro who now control the U.S.-based affiliates of the South American nation's state oil company." — Judge fines TECO $500K in 2017 coal plant explosion that killed 5, by POLITICO's Bruce Ritchie 'OPENLY THWARTED' — "' Incompetence and neglect of duty': Grand jury wants 4 current Broward School Board members removed," by South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Scott Travis and Susannah Bryan: "A long-awaited grand jury report that focused on mismanagement within Broward schools recommended Gov. Ron DeSantis remove five School Board members, four of whom still are on the board. One of those, Rosalind Osgood, has already left the School Board and is now serving as a state senator. The others recommended for removal are Patricia Good, Donna Korn, Laurie Rich Levinson and Ann Murray." — " Defense in school shooter's trial set to present its case," by The Associated Press' Terry Spencer — "Texas man accused of threatening conservative convention ," by The Associated Press — "They tried to get this police chief fired. Now he's suing," by South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Lisa J. Huriash — "Hillsborough prosecutor's changes could hurt Black poor people, advocates say," by Tampa Bay Times' Jack Evans
| | ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN | | BIRTHDAYS: State Rep. Kristen Arrington … State Sen. Dennis Baxley … Former U.S ambassador Mark Gilbert … Former state Sen. Bill Montford … Kurt Browning, Pasco County schools superintendent and former Secretary of State … Mark Hinson, Florida journalist and writer | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
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