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Can Florida Democrats Find Anyone (at All) to Run for Senate?

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Can Florida Democrats Find Anyone (at All) to Run for Senate?


Slowly however certainly, the 2024 Senate cycle is shaping up, with keen candidates or battle-tested incumbents throwing their hats within the ring. Some campaigns are being launched. Others are brewing behind the scenes. And in some states, get together operatives are already homing in on their most well-liked contenders for aggressive contests.

However in Florida, it’s a sluggish begin, to say the least.

Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) is operating once more. However main state Democrats have been crickets about whether or not or not they’re all in favour of going in opposition to him.

Solely seven of Florida’s eight Democrats in Congress are eligible for the Senate; Rep. Maxwell Frost is just too younger. Two of these eligible seven haven’t even served a full time period in Congress—Rep. Jared Moskowitz is a freshman and Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick took workplace in January 2022 after profitable a particular election. (Neither Cherfilus-McCormick nor Moskowitz responded to requests for touch upon whether or not they’d think about a Senate run.)

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And that leaves 5—Reps. Darren Soto, Kathy Castor, Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, Frederica Wilson, and Lois Frankel.

Based on a spokesperson, Wilson has “little interest in operating for the U.S. Senate.” Frankel is operating for re-election, per a supply. Wasserman-Schultz didn’t reply through e-mail—and when The Day by day Beast caught up together with her within the Capitol, she rapidly stated, “I’m going to the ground and voting proper now.” The remainder didn’t reply to requests for remark.

Maybe it’s too early for some to consider the chance. Or maybe Florida Democrats actually aren’t as optimistic as they was about statewide runs. In spite of everything, in 2022, they have been—to place it mildly—walloped.

Some have pointed to Scott’s lackluster wins in previous cycles as proof of him being weak in 2024. Others, together with Senate Majority Chief Mitch McConnell, have theorized that Scott may need some inquiries to reply again residence after his plan to sundown Medicare and Social Safety blew up in his face, repeatedly.

Democratic operatives in Washington suppose the identical. Nora Keefe, spokesperson for the Democratic Senatorial Marketing campaign Committee, stated in an announcement that Scott’s “disastrous agenda to intestine Social Safety and Medicare and his huge vulnerabilities will lead him to defeat in 2024.”

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Scott has eliminated Medicare and Social Safety from his broad sunsetting plan after widespread backlash.

However even with that in tow, the final time Scott ran for statewide workplace in Florida, the political panorama within the state was noticeably totally different. Florida was a definitive swing state—and Democrats, even when they didn’t all the time win, gave Republicans runs for his or her cash.

Then, Florida went crimson within the 2018 Senate and gubernatorial races. And crimson once more in 2020—voting for Trump by 2.2 factors. Then it turned much more crimson in 2022, as Gov. Ron DeSantis gained re-election by greater than 19 factors and Sen. Marco Rubio gained re-election by greater than 16 factors—each margins that may have been unthinkable simply years in the past.

That’s not an interesting pattern line for potential Democratic contenders—particularly those that would even have one thing to lose, like a comfortable blue seat in Congress, for one.

In D.C., Senate marketing campaign operators didn’t appear any extra keen to speak about recruitment for the Florida Senate race.

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Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), chair of Senate Democrats’ marketing campaign arm, instructed The Day by day Beast within the Capitol Wednesday, “We’re speaking to some people and making some headway however nonetheless not there but.”

Requested whether or not he was assured the Democratic Senatorial Marketing campaign Committee may discover a aggressive candidate within the state, Peters stated rapidly whereas scuttling into an elevator, “We’ll discover a good candidate.”

To make certain, there are nonetheless state-level Democrats who may hop in. However they too—for probably the most half—have been non-committal, with just about everybody from whom The Day by day Beast sought remark saying they’re targeted on one thing else.

Democratic Chief of the Florida Home Fentrice Driskell stated she is “simply targeted on being the very best Democratic chief” she may be. A spokesperson for Florida Senate Minority Chief Lauren E-book stated “she is usually urged to run for greater workplace” however that “her focus proper now stays squarely on the job she has been elected to do.”

State Rep. Anna Eskamani, one other rising voice amongst progressives, stated she is “targeted on the [Florida] Home proper now.” Pressed a bit additional, Eskamani stated she’s filed for re-election within the state Home, however added, “You possibly can’t rule something out in politics however that’s the place my head and coronary heart is true now.”

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And a wild card stays in Florida political circles—former Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D), a average who voluntarily left Congress final 12 months and who’s expressed frustration up to now with the state of Democratic politics.

In the meantime, Republicans’ Senate marketing campaign arm houses in on its favored 2024 candidates in key open primaries a number of states, together with Pennsylvania and Montana, emphasizing wealthy self-funders who may give Democrats’ historic edge in fundraising a run for his or her cash.

Democrats, arguably, don’t have any outright pickup alternatives in 2024. They’re on the defensive in Ohio for incumbent Sen. Sherrod Brown (D)’s bid for re-election, in addition to in crimson state seats like these held by Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Jon Tester (D-MT). Whereas Tester introduced he’ll run in 2024, Manchin has not decided but.

Nearly each different Senate seat up for grabs is safely crimson. A handful—like Scott’s Florida—aren’t so crimson that it’s unimaginable for a Democrat to win, notably given Scott’s poor favorability numbers. Democrats have additionally argued in the event that they received the correct candidate to run in Missouri in opposition to Sen. Josh Hawley (R) or in Texas in opposition to Sen. Ted Cruz (R), possibly, simply possibly, they’d have an opportunity.

However all in all, it’s a grab-bag of longshots. And Florida’s political brass appear to know as a lot.

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As Democratic recruitment for the Florida race lags, nationwide Republicans are taking discover, and feeling emboldened of their prospects for protecting the seat. “Florida Democrats are going through a catastrophe in 2024,” NRSC spokesman Philip Letsou stated in an announcement.

“They don’t have any bench,” Letsou added, “and no likelihood of competing statewide.”



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Florida husband’s cunning trap before shooting dead his estranged wife and wounding their dog two weeks after separating – as his chilling texts emerge

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Florida husband’s cunning trap before shooting dead his estranged wife and wounding their dog two weeks after separating – as his chilling texts emerge


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A Florida man who allegedly fatally shot his estranged wife and wounded their dog set a cunning trap to snare her.

Timothy Kramer, 51, was lying in wait inside the couple’s Pensacola home when his wife Rosa, 47, came to collect her belongings, police said.

Authorities believe the gunman deliberately parked his pick up truck in the backyard so it would not be seen before opening fire, the Pensacola News Journal reports.

‘It is reasonable to believe that Timothy Kramer attempted to conceal his vehicle behind the privacy fence in an effort to avoid Rosa Kramer from knowing he was present at the residence,’ a police report by Escambia County Sheriff’s Office said.

Once inside, Kramer allegedly shot Rosa in the head and injured their seven-year-old dog Cody who was rushed to the veterinary hospital, but managed to survive.

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Florida man Timothy Kramer, 51, is accused of fatally shooting his estranged wife Rosa after lying in wait for her at their Pensacola home

He has been charged with first degree murder and aggravated animal abuse. 

‘In the bedroom, I noticed a significant amount of blood on the flooring and surrounding areas, along with smeared blood and what appeared to be bloody footprints leading from the bedroom to the hallway,’ the police report said. 

The couple had been separated for just two weeks when the incident occurred on Tuesday.

The alarm was raised after Rosa could not be reached by phone. Once they arrived at the scene on Hillcrest Drive, deputies discovered her body.

Kramer was picked up by Milton police in Santa Rosa County and was with an unidentified woman.

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The woman told police that Kramer said he had shot his wife in self defense.

Rosa, 47, was found with a bullet wound in her head on Tuesday after she had gone back to the property to collect her things

Rosa, 47, was found with a bullet wound in her head on Tuesday after she had gone back to the property to collect her things

Police said the couple had been separated for two weeks when the incident occurred. Kramer is said to have parked his truck around back to be able to sneak up on his wife

Police said the couple had been separated for two weeks when the incident occurred. Kramer is said to have parked his truck around back to be able to sneak up on his wife

Kramer is also accused of shooting their dog Cody, 7, who survived the ordeal

Kramer is also accused of shooting their dog Cody, 7, who survived the ordeal 

‘She advised that Timothy Kramer called her at approximately 6 a.m. and confessed that he had shot Rosa Kramer and claimed it was in self-defense,’ the police report said.

‘(Redacted) said she urged Timothy Kramer to contact law enforcement and explain the situation to avoid getting into trouble.’ 

However, police determined that Kramer, ‘provided a fictitious story’ which ‘lead her to believe he was not in any trouble regarding the incident.’

Text messages between the accused and the unidentified woman state, ‘It is all good I did this it is on me.’

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A man reportedly told police he was concerned about Rosa being around her ex ever since she left him because ‘he began calling her and threatening to shoot himself if she didn’t come back,’ according to the report. 

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Virginia boy charged with making swatting calls to Florida schools

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Virginia boy charged with making swatting calls to Florida schools



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An 11-year-Virginia boy has been charged in Florida with calling in more than 20 bomb or shooting threats to schools and other places, authorities said Thursday.

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Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said that authorities worked hard to find the caller before the school year resumes.

“This kid’s behavior was escalating and becoming more dangerous,” Staly said. “I’m glad we got him before he escalated out of control and hurt someone.”

Swatting is slang for making a prank call to emergency services in an attempt to send a SWAT team or other armed police officers to a particular place.

Flagler County emergency services initially received a bomb threat at Buddy Taylor Middle School on May 14, officials said. Additional threats were made between then and May 22. 

Investigators tracked the calls to a home in Henrico County, Virginia, just outside Richmond. Local deputies searched the home this month, and the 11-year-old boy who lived there admitted to placing the Florida swatting calls, as well as a threat made to the Maryland State House, authorities said. Investigators later determined that the boy also made swatting calls in Nebraska, Kansas, Alabama, Tennessee and Alaska.

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The boy faces 29 felony counts and 14 misdemeanors, officials said. He’s being held in a Virginia juvenile detention facility while Florida officials arrange for his extradition. Investigators didn’t immediately say whether the boy had a connection to Florida.

A 13-year-old boy was arrested in Florida in May, several days after the initial call, for making a copycat threat to Buddy Taylor Middle School.



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Is there a sunken nuclear bomb near Florida? Here’s what to know

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Is there a sunken nuclear bomb near Florida? Here’s what to know


TYBEE ISLAND, Ga. – Off the coast of Georgia, a massive bomb potentially sits in the water after having been flown out from Florida decades prior.

According to NPR, the whole incident began in 1958 when a B-47 bomber plane took off from Homestead AFB in Florida with the 7,600-pound nuclear bomb in tow, heading out to meet up with another bomber for a training exercise.

During an open house at Boeing Plant 2 in Seattle, Washington, people walk around to view the lineup of Boeing bomber planes. This lineup at the northend of Boeing Field includes the B-29, B-47 “Stratojet,” and the B-52 “Superfortress.” (Photo by © Museum of Flight/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images) (Museum of Flight/Getty Images)

HOW DID IT HAPPEN?

The plan was to reportedly simulate an attack on the Soviet Union as part of the exercise, and everything was going well — until another training mission mistakenly crashed into the B-47 carrying the bomb.

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As a result, the pilot chose to let loose the bomb over the water off Tybee Island in Georgia before making an emergency landing in a nearby swamp.

Tybee Island Lighthouse (Photo by J. Miers via Wikimedia/Creative Commons)

The bomb didn’t go off even after dropping into the ocean below, though that could be because the nuclear material needed to set such bombs off was typically kept separate from the weapon until it was needed, the BBC reports.

DID THEY FIND IT?

Federal officials spent over two weeks searching for the bomb in the aftermath, but it was ultimately determined to be irretrievable.

While a receipt written by the pilot shows that the necessary capsule wasn’t added to the bomb before the training exercise — meaning it wouldn’t be at a huge risk of detonation — other federal officials have claimed otherwise, such as a former Assistant Secretary of Defense W.J. Howard, who claimed that the bomb was “complete.”

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“He concluded that despite our best efforts, the possibility of an accidental nuclear explosion still existed,” a declassified report reads.

Nowadays, the bomb is thought to be covered by several feet of silt on the seabed, but if the explosives within are still intact, it could pose a major hazard to the environment. As such, federal officials have determined that it should be left undisturbed — even by further recovery attempts.

CAN AN ATOMIC BOMB GO OFF UNDERWATER?

If it’s actually off the coast of Tybee Island, then yes: the bomb can still detonate, even underwater.

In 1946, the U.S. tested an atomic bomb at the Bikini Atoll — in the Pacific Ocean far southwest of Hawaii — by suspending it below several ships filled with pigs and rats.

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After it was set off underwater, nearly all of the animals died, either thanks to the initial explosion or from the radiation poisoning afterward. And the area is still irradiated to this day.

The Baker test during Operation Crossroads, a series of two nuclear weapons tests conducted by the United States at Bikini Atoll. 25th July 1946. The purpose of the operation, which included two shots, ABLE and BAKER, was to investigate the effect of nuclear weapons on naval warships. Mushroom-shaped cloud and water column from the underwater Baker nuclear explosion. Photo taken from a tower on Bikini Island, 3.5 miles (5.6 km) away. Marshall Islands, Pacific. (PHoto by Galerie Bilderwelt/Getty Images) (2015 Galerie Bilderwelt/Getty Images)

WHAT HAPPENS IF IT DETONATES?

For starters: it doesn’t appear as likely that the bomb will explode.

While Howard initially claimed the bomb was complete, a military spokesman told The Atlantic in 2001 that they’d spoken with him, and “he agreed that his memo was in error.”

But if the bomb did manage to get outfitted with a plutonium trigger and detonated, it would erupt into an explosion with a mile-wide radius — and thermal radiation reaching 10 times that distance, according to the Savannah Morning News.

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That would no doubt cause havoc within the immediate proximity, but on the bright side, Tybee Island is well over 100 miles (roughly a two-hour drive) from Florida’s border. This means Florida residents have little to fear from the direct impacts of such an explosion.

So you can sleep tight knowing you’re not likely to find yourself on the worse end of a nuclear weapon.

That being said, there are still plenty of other scary things in Florida to keep you up at night.


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