| | | | |  | | By Gary Fineout | Hello and welcome to Friday. In his corner — So is Gov. Ron DeSantis getting another boost in the shadow primary for 2024? Options — POLITICO's Alex Isenstadt is out with a new story that details how Club for Growth — which had been a top supporter of President Donald Trump — is taking steps to back other potential White House contenders, including Florida's governor. It's another reminder that DeSantis, who continues to say he's only focused on reelection, is now the frontrunner among potential 2024 GOP contenders not named Donald. Helping out — The organization has not only steered money to DeSantis' reelection campaign, but it has also done surveys asking whether voters would support DeSantis or Trump in a 2024 primary. Alex reports that the polling began earlier this year to look at Trump's popularity with the Republican Party and his impact on primaries in the midterm elections. Still No. 2 — The polling showed Trump ahead, although the gap tightened over the summer as the congressional hearings into the Jan. 6 riots were going on. Trump, however, got a bump following the FBI search for classified documents on Mar-a-Lago. What they are saying — When asked about its efforts this was the response Club for Growth gave Alex. "The Republican bullpen of leadership is strong, and Club for Growth is engaging these conservative champions with grassroots activists on the issues that matter, especially school choice," David McIntosh, the group's president, said in a statement. — WHERE'S RON? — Gov. DeSantis is scheduled to be in Orlando for a Republican National Committee retreat and the launch of the "Education Freedom Report Card" launch celebration being hosted by The Heritage Foundation. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for Playbook? Get in touch: gfineout@politico.com
| | | | A WOMEN RULE CONVERSATION ON LEADING FROM THE GROUND UP: Join POLITICO's Women Rule on Sept. 15 for conversations focused on creating and leading sustainable, healthy and inclusive communities. The program will feature a Member Exchange panel followed by a keynote discussion exploring the most pressing issues facing women in their communities and women in leadership roles who are best positioned to solve these problems. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | |  | CAMPAIGN MODE | | LOOKING FOR ALTERNATIVES? — A onetime Trump ally boosts other 2024 contenders, by POLITICO's Alex Isenstadt: The deep-pocketed conservative group is holding events with would-be 2024 contenders and funneling millions of dollars to political outfits aligned with other candidates. The Club for Growth has also conducted polling looking at how Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — widely seen as the party's leading non-Trump contender — would stack up against the former president in a Republican primary. JOHNNY CASH TIME — Rubio walks the Mar-a-Lago line, by POLITICO's Andrew Desidero: The FBI search of Donald Trump's Florida home has put the state's senior senator exactly where he doesn't want to be two months before Election Day. As polls show his reelection race getting tighter, Marco Rubio is treading carefully when it comes to the investigation into Trump's handling of classified documents. That's because, while the former president remains popular among Florida GOP voters, Rubio is also the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee — a historically bipartisan panel with jurisdiction over the potential national security risks stemming from Trump's possession of top-secret documents. — "Rubio emerges as key Trump defender on FBI search," by McClatchy D.C's Alex Roarty and Michael Wilner
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Sen. Marco Rubio speaks during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies hearing on Capitol Hill on May 17, 2022 in Washington, D.C. | Anna Rose Layden, Pool/Getty Images | DESANTIS REMARKS SPARK COMPLAINT — American Bridge 21st Century, which does opposition research and supports Democratic candidates, has filed its second complaint this year against DeSantis for mixing campaigning with official duties. The group knocked DeSantis for an Aug. 30 press conference where he lashed into Democratic rival Charlie Crist — and Crist's running mate Karla Hernández-Mats — at an event in Fort Pierce where the governor announced money for infrastructure improvements. What he said — DeSantis during the press conference spent time ripping into Hernández-Mats' role as a Miami-Dade union leader as well as noting that a former Miami-Dade union steward is a convicted sex predator doing prison time. The complaint filed with the Florida Elections Commission alleges that DeSantis' actions violated a state law — F.S. 104.31 — by using his state position for the purpose of interfering in an election or influencing another person's vote. "Ron DeSantis has proven time and again that he is a corrupt politician determined to use his office for political and personal gain," said American Bridge spokesperson Drew Godinich in a statement shared with Playbook. "It's crystal clear that Ron DeSantis has broken the law here, and he should be held accountable." Second one — The DeSantis campaign did not have any immediate response when asked about the complaint. American Bridge 21st Century back in April filed a complaint against the governor and Attorney General Ashley Moody for promoting a song called "Sweet Florida" — which was created for the governor's reelection campaign — during an official event. As noted previously, the elections commission moves notoriously slow and has a history of not directly addressing serious election law violations. Many campaigns routinely file complaints ahead of an election. — "Critics: DeSantis' campaign-style events on the taxpayers' dime cross the line," by Orlando Sentinel's Jeffrey Schweers LOOK WHO'S TALKING — Greenberg's jailhouse interview ramps up scrutiny into ghost candidate scheme in key Senate race, by POLITICO's Matt Dixon: The interview adds another layer of intrigue to a key Florida Senate race as Democrats are actively trying to knock off Sen. Jason Brodeur with Democratic state Rep. Joy Goff-Marcil (D-Maitland), who has called for an investigation and for Brodeur to suspend his election. Brodeur has not been accused of any legal wrongdoing, but the ghost candidate issue has prompted the Seminole County Chamber of Commerce, where he is president and CEO, to start an investigation into work and hiring practices. The case has also drummed up politically scandalous headlines as Republicans spend millions to try and hold his seat. "I am not responding to a jailhouse account by Mr. Greenberg," Brodeur said Thursday. "My campaign has followed the law." — Have Republicans turned Florida red for good? by POLITICO's Renee Klahr and Steven Shepard DOTH PROTEST TOO MUCH? — " Scott says media 'vultures' trying to divide GOP amid scrutiny over Senate strategy," by The Hill's Zach Schonfeld: "Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), the chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), said "vultures" in the media are trying to divide Republicans after multiple national outlets published stories detailing a feud between Scott and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). 'As is predictable for this time of year, the vultures in the left-wing news media — The Washington Post, NY Times, CNN and the like — are roaming about trying to divide and defeat Republicans,' Scott wrote to the NRSC's email distribution list." HOLD ON — "WESH cancels in-person debate taping over candidate's vaccination status," by Orlando Sentinel's Ryan Gillespie: "An Orlando television station postponed the taping of a debate between candidates in Congressional District 9, following the discovery that the Republican and some of his staff were unvaccinated. WESH-Channel 2 planned to tape the debate Thursday morning featuring incumbent Democrat Darren Soto and his GOP challenger Scotty Moore. When the candidates arrived, the station learned Moore didn't comply with its vaccine requirements, which has been standard for the dozen debates it's hosted this cycle, the station said in a post on its website." CAMPAIGN ROUNDUP — Sen. Marco Rubio has launched a new ad for his reelection campaign called "Diegos" that features employees of a Panama City Beach restaurant praising Rubio for pushing the Paycheck Protection Plan as a way to provide financial help to businesses hurt by the Covid-19 pandemic. ... Republicans are up and running with their second attack ad against Crist in the governor's race. This latest ad paid for by the Republican Party of Florida — like the first one — ties Crist to President Joe Biden by saying "Crist voted with Biden 100 percent of the time" on policies that are "hurting Americans." The ad goes on to slam Crist for voting for both the American Rescue Plan, which sent billions of dollars to Florida that DeSantis and the Florida Legislature spent on a variety of programs, as well as the more recent Inflation Reduction Act. But the ad also rips Crist for supporting "Biden's open border policy" because he backed an immigration bill that has not cleared the Senate. While the ad mentions criminals coming in across the southern border with Mexico, the actual bill cited in the ad would incorporate provisions of the Deferred Actions for Children program into federal law. The Crist campaign pushed back against the ad and called it a "disgusting attack on innocent immigrant children" and said it was "vile" for the the governor's campaign to compare "Dreamers" — children of undocumented immigrants who were brought into the country — to criminals and drug smugglers. ... Florida Professional Firefighters endorsed Republican Attorney General Ashley Moody for reelection on Thursday. ... Sierra Club of Florida endorsed Democrat and former state Rep. Adam Hattersley for chief financial officer on Thursday. Hattersley is challenging incumbent GOP CFO Jimmy Patronis. — "A bus is touring Florida to talk about gun violence. In Miami, Demings, Taddeo share visions," by Miami Herald's Grethel Aguila — "'He goes into very scripted environments': Val Demings argues Marco Rubio 'not comfortable' talking with diverse communities," by Florida Politics' Jesse Scheckner
| | ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... | | WHAT HAPPENED AT THE SUPREME COURT? — The strange saga Playbook detailed on Thursday where the Florida Supreme Court issued — then vacated — an order in the legal battle over the state's new ban on abortions after 15 weeks is triggering quite a bit of buzz and speculation. Rewind — The first order said the court had denied a request by abortion rights groups to block the new law. So it was quite a surprise when that order was walked back hours later. This led to several theories, including that the court has made up its mind, but for some reason doesn't want the public to know right now. (Let's note right here that five justices are on the ballot this November where voters must decide whether to retain them on the court — and yes abortion is likely to be a big factor in other races on the ballot as well.) Court response — Paul Flemming, a spokesman for the court, insisted that the entire incident was "human error" and a "staff mistake" and not an acknowledgment that the justices have made a final decision on the contentious topic. He insisted that the case is still under consideration. "It's a bad error, it shouldn't have happened," Flemming said. What we know so far — Much of what happens behind the courthouse doors is not subject to Florida's public records law. Some records released by the Supreme Court do show that the Clerk John Tomasino was aware of the magnitude of the mistake. Tomasino messaged Flemming, who is responsible for letting the public and press know about court actions, "I just emailed you a medium sized afterhours bomb." Those records do show that the corrected order was initially sent out about three and a half hours after the first one. And there's this — The records also have one other curious item: Tomasino wrote "tomorrow morning we will add 4 other justices to the voting panel" deciding the injunction motion. There are seven justices on the court so this would suggest that only three were reviewing the initial request. HEADING TO TRIAL — " Running for Congress, Rebekah Jones turns down plea deal in Florida DOH computer crime case," by Pensacola News Journal's Jim Little: "Rebekah Jones turned down a plea deal she believes is politically motivated and said she is willing to go to trial and risk jail to stand up to what she says is political retribution from Gov. Ron DeSantis. On Tuesday, a Leon County Circuit Court Judge set a trial date for Jones' case for Jan. 23, 2023. Jones is facing a felony charge of accessing a computer system without authority." — "Appeals judge criticizes Florida officials for not granting more medical marijuana licenses," by News Service of Florida's Dara Kam
| | | | 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 | | NEXT ROUND — DOJ appeals special master ruling in Trump Mar-a-Lago probe, by POLITICO's Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney: The Justice Department is seeking to overturn a federal judge's ruling that blocked investigators from reviewing a range of highly-sensitive documents seized from former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate. Prosecutors said in a new court filing that U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon's decision to temporarily halt the FBI's ability to probe the ex-president's handling and storage of classified materials would cause "irreparable harm" to efforts by the intelligence community to protect national security interests. WIDENING — " Prosecutors seek details from Trump's PAC in expanding Jan. 6 probe," by Washington Post's Josh Dawsey and Isaac Arnsdorf: "The Justice Department is seeking details about the formation and operation of Donald Trump's post-presidential political operation, according to three people familiar with the probe, sending a raft of subpoenas in a significant expansion of the criminal investigation of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol and efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. A federal grand jury sent subpoenas on Wednesday to a wide range of former campaign and White House staffers asking for information about the Save America PAC, according to the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing probe."
| | DATELINE D.C. | | MURPHY ABROAD — "Another US congressional delegation in Taiwan amid tensions," by The Associated Press: "Led by Florida Democrat Stephanie Murphy, the delegation met Thursday with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, whose administration China has relentlessly sought to deprive of diplomatic recognition and participation in international organizations. Referring to China's military threats, Tsai said the delegation's visit 'conveys rock solid support for Taiwan from the U.S. Congress.' … Murphy replied that Congress 'should advocate for greater Taiwanese participation in international organizations. Taiwan has shown itself to be a responsible member of the international community, especially in public health issues, and it deserves to participate in international fora when appropriate,' she said."
|  In this photo released by the Taiwan Presidential Office, Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen, left, meets with United States Congressional member Florida Democrat Stephanie Murphy who is leading a delegation to Taipei, Taiwan on Thursday, Sep. 8, 2022. A steady stream of U.S. visitors has come to meet with Taiwanese officials since U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited in early August. China in response has stepped up its military harassment, sending warships, warplanes and even drones toward the island daily. (Taiwan Presidential Office via AP) | AP |
PRAISED — Seven members of Congress — including Sen. Rick Scott — were given awards this week by the Congressional Management Foundation , which seeks to recognize non-legislative achievement and office performance. Scott and his office were given an award for their work on constituent service. The foundation lauded Scott for having 10 different office locations, the most of any congressional member. This allows Scott to have caseworkers in different regions. The award noted that Scott's office had nearly 2 million interactions with constituents, including more than 131,000 phone calls.
| | PENINSULA AND BEYOND | | AFTERMATH — More out-of-state patients traveled to Florida for abortions after Supreme Court decision, by POLITICO's Arek Sarkissian: New data released Thursday shows that more than 600 people came from out-of-state to Florida to get abortions in July — the month after the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade. It was the highest number of people who traveled to Florida to get abortions, though it wasn't a huge increase from some prior months….July's total is a stark increase from the 333 abortions performed on out-of-state patients in June but not much more than the 610 counted in March, according to information provided by [Agency for Health Care Administration] spokesman Brock Juarez. 'IT CONTINUES TO THIS DAY' — "Dave Aronberg: Post's suit to unseal Jeffrey Epstein documents meant only to humiliate me," by Palm Beach Post's Jane Musgrave: "A legal battle for grand jury transcripts that could show why serial child molester Jeffrey Epstein wasn't harshly punished in 2006 erupted in name-calling this week when Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg accused The Palm Beach Post of filing the lawsuit to punish him. Even though the grand jury was convened by a previous state attorney, six years before Aronberg was elected, the former state lawmaker insisted the lawsuit to unseal the secret records was filed to embarrass him. In a fiery diatribe, an angry Aronberg told Circuit Judge Luis Delgado that the newspaper's lawsuit was part of a twisted decade-long campaign to make him look bad." IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD — "Ken Griffin is the buyer behind $106.876 million Miami deal," by The Wall Street Journal's Katherine Clarke: "A waterfront estate in Miami's Coconut Grove area has sold for $106.875 million, setting a record for Miami-Dade County and becoming the first Miami home to cross the nine-figure price threshold, according to the listing agent, Ashley Cusack of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices EWM Realty." — "Lawsuit against Hillsborough sheriff claims beating by deputies ," by Tampa Bay Times' Dan Sullivan — "Orange school board candidate complains about sexually explicit books," by Orlando Sentinel's Leslie Postal — "Broward schools superintendent tells administrators to resign or face investigation," by South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Scott Travis — " A week after arrest, Joe Martinez attends commission meeting. 'Got to do my job,'" by Miami Herald's Douglas Hanks — "Mayor Ken Welch defends former Deputy Mayor Stephanie Owens amid allegations ," by Tampa Bay Times' Colleen Wright
| | ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN | | — "NASA retargets late September for Artemis I launch as teams work hardware issues," by Florida Today's Emre Kelly — "Ted Bundy evidence is long destroyed. But serial killer's case file will soon live online," by Tallahassee Democrat's Karl Etters: "All the physical evidence in the Ted Bundy case has been destroyed — save for the wax molds and plaster teeth casts matched to the bite wounds that sealed his fate as a convicted murderer. The teeth on display in a shadowbox at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement in Tallahassee are a visible reminder of Bundy's shocking and murderous rampage in Florida's capital city. But there are other tangible touchstones to the infamous serial killer. An elevator specially designed for his transit in the Leon County Courthouse during his trial. A since remodeled Chi Omega sorority house at Florida State University that was once a heinous crime scene." BIRTHDAYS: Former state Sen. Tony Hill … investor and hotel owner Harris Rosen … (Saturday) Former Tallahassee Democrat editor Ron Morris … (Sunday) Brandon Peters … POLITICO's Joe Schatz | | | | 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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