It’s not out of fear of a Trump presidency, although there is that, but in a support of a too-long list of actual policy proposals that shatter the manufactured absurdity of Trump as a viable alternative.
Elections 2024
Last Poll Before Election Day Has Clinton Maintaining Thinnest Lead, Rubio Well Ahead
Clinton’s 46-45 advantage over Trump in the last Quinnipiac University poll before Election Day is the same lead she had a week ago, and is within the poll’s margin of error.
Amendment 2: Medical Marijuana Through the Eyes and Suffering of Those Who Need It Most
For two years Palm Coast’s Jennifer Kaczmarek, the artist-photographer, has followed 10 families struggling with debilitating illnesses that only marijuana alleviate. They plead for Amendment 2, the proposed constitutional amendment that would legalize medicinal marijuana.
Rick Staly, Flagler County Sheriff Candidate: The Live Interview
Rick Staly is the Republican candidate for Flagler County Sheriff. He faces Democrat Larry Jones and Independent Thomas Dougherty in the election culminating on Nov. 8.
Larry Jones, Flagler County Sheriff Candidate: The Live Interview
Larry Jones is the Democratic candidate for Flagler County Sheriff. He faces Republican Rick Staly and Independent Thomas Dougherty in the election that culminates on Nov. 8. Jones defeated incumbent Sheriff Jim Manfre in the Democratic primary.
Florida Again at Center of 1 Percent Election
Between a Clinton knock-out and a Trump path to the White House, Florida also stands at an intersection of many of the issues reshaping the American electorate, both in 2016 and beyond.
6,400 Students Vote in Flagler Schools, and It’s Clinton By a Hair, Beating Trump 44-43%
In Flagler schools, Hillary Clinton beat Trump by a 74-vote margin, out of 6,406 votes cast, or by 1 percentage point. Gary Johnson, the Libertarian candidate, got 5.6 percent.
Clinton Holds Narrow Lead Over Trump in Florida, But Larger Leads in Early Votes
In Florida, Quinnipiac found that she is ahead by a substantial 48-42 lead among voters who have already cast ballots. That lead grows to double digits among Ohio and North Carolina early voters.
Thomas Dougherty, Flagler County Sheriff Candidate: The Live Interview
Thomas Dougherty is a non-party affiliated candidate for Flagler County Sheriff in the Nov. 8th general elections. He’s facing Republican Rick Staly and Democrat Larry Jones.
Utilities Pour Millions Into Solar Amendment Clouded By Deceptive Intent and Opposed By Environmentalists
The latest contributions, $2 million on Oct. 24 from FPL and $999,998 last Tuesday from Duke, brought to nearly $20.2 million the amount the state’s four largest private utilities have spent on the amendment.
Flagler’s Early Voting Only Slightly Ahead of 2008 Pace; Republicans Winning Turnout Race
The numbers in Flagler County look grim for Democrats looking for a strong turnout: it’s not happening for them as it is for Republicans, and what is taking place will only slightly exceed turnout in 2008.
Hillary Clinton May or May Not Have Raped a Child
The FBI director’s McCarthyist revelations of more Clinton emails will change the trajectory of the presidential race some even as it underscores the emptiness at the core of a manufactured scandal.
Democratic Party Chairman Accuses Judge Moore-Stens of Short-Changing Canvassing Board Responsibility
Flagler DNC Chairman Ralph Lightfoot, in a stunning charge against Judge Mellissa Moore-Stens, told her she should “find somebody else” on the canvassing board if she can’t devote her full attention to it, a criticism the judge rejected and countered with equal force.
Ballot Error Missing Mosquito Race Grows to 2,200 Voters in 6 Precincts; Board’s Solution Breaks With State Elections Recommendation
The Flagler Canvassing Board voted to provide a “supplemental ballot” to each of the 658 early voters and 1,548 mail-in voters affected by the error, countering a state recommendation to ignore the lost votes and issue a completely new and separate ballot to the voters by mail.
Pam Richardson, Palm Coast City Council Candidate: The Live Interview
Pam Richardson is a candidate for Palm Coast City Council, District 3. She faces Nick Klufas in the non-partisan runoff election culminating on Nov. 8. All registered voters may cast a ballot in that election regardless of party affiliation.
Rubio-Murphy’s 2nd Bout All About Trump, Kurdish Militias and Showing Up (Or Not)
The debate marked one of Murphy’s highest-profile chances to take on Rubio. Most polls have shown the incumbent with a modest edge, usually inside the margin of error, though one released Wednesday by Bloomberg Politics showed Rubio with a hefty 10-point lead.
Nick Klufas, Palm Coast City Council Candidate: The Live Interview
Nick Klufas is a candidate for Palm Coast City Council, District 3. He faces Pam Richardson in the non-partisan run-off election culminating on Nov. 8, in which all registered voters may cast a ballot.
Donald Trump Through the Eyes of a Survivor of Emotional Abuse
Emotional abuse can be hard to pinpoint when you’re the one being abused. So Donald Trump has just provided us all with a valuable service by demonstrating before a live TV audience what emotional abuse looks like in action, writes Jill Richardson.
Biting Error: Flagler Mosquito Control Race Missing From Nearly 1,600 Ballots in Beachside Precincts
The mosquito control race was missing from 1,200 mail ballots, an error that was being fixed, but also from 363 early voting ballots already cast, creating a dilemma for the supervisor of elections. The error was caught Monday and stopped by the time voting resumed Tuesday.
Clinton’s Lead in Florida Narrowing in Latest Poll, Rubio Up by 4 Over Murphy
Clinton leads Trump by a margin of 46 percent to 43 percent in the poll, which was conducted from Friday to Sunday. That is down from a six-point lead in an FAU poll released Oct. 13. Trump was up by 2 percentage points in an August poll.
Flagler’s Most Civilized Local Political Race in Years
The six candidates and incumbents for the Flagler County Commission stand out sharply from other local races for the collective civility and substance-oriented campaigns, and their impatience with partisanship. It’s a rarity worth taking note of in a year of slime.
Pam Bondi on Donald Trump: “An Excellent Role Model”
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi said Tuesday she remains firmly in the Republican presidential candidate’s corner despite some of his controversial remarks.
U.S. Rep. John Mica’s Support of Trump Erodes Chance of Winning 14th Term as Murphy Gains
U.S. Rep. John Mica, Flagler County’s best friend in the House, faces an opponent in Democrat Stephanie Murphy, an energetic businesswoman for whom U.S. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has pledged to spend some $4 million.
Donald O’Brien, Flagler County Commission Candidate: The Live Interview
Donald O’Brien is a Republican candidate for Flagler County Commission, District 3. His opponents in the Nov. 8 election is six-term incumbent George Hanns, a Democrat.
Your Election Will Not Be “Rigged”
Flagler Elections Supervisor Kaiti Lenhart Explains
Flagler County Elections Supervisor puts to rest any fear or claim that the Nov. 8 election may be rigged, that fraudulent votes may be cast, or that dead people will be voting locally.
Before You Celebrate Clinton’s Win: The Democrats’ Bad Downballot Map
Hillary Clinton looks increasingly likely to win the White House, but her party faces a big obstacle to success in congressional races — Democrats are sorting themselves into geographic clusters where many of their votes have been rendered all but superfluous.
George Hanns, Flagler County Commission Candidate: The Live Interview
Six-term incumbent George Hanns is the Democratic candidate for the Flagler County Commission, District 5 seat, facing Republican Donald O’Brien in the Nov. 8 election.
The Best and Worst Presidents on Taxes
Ronald Reagan was among the worst–and the best–when it came to tax fairness, Teddy Roosevelt isn’t given enough credit, but a majority of American presidents did little by way of making the tax code fairer. It’s often been the opposite, argues Sarah Anderson.
Myra Middleton-Valentine, Flagler County School Board Candidate: The Live Interview
Myra Middleton-Valentine is a candidate for the Flagler County School Board, running against Paul Anderson, Maria Barbosa, and Sharon Demers. All registered Flagler County voters may cast a ballot in the Aug. 30 primary in this non-partisan race regardless of party affiliation. The winner will be decided on Aug. 30.
Maria Barbosa, Flagler County School Board Candidate: The Live Interview
Maria Barbosa is a candidate for the Flagler County School Board, running against Myra Middleton Valentine in the Nov. 8 runoff. Barbosa’s largely plagiarized answers to her first interview, when she unsuccessfully ran in 2014, are reproduced here, as she declined to be interviewed for the current election.
David Sullivan, Flagler County Commission Candidate: The Live Interview
David Sullivan is a Republican candidate for Flagler County Commission, District 3. His opponent in the Aug. 30 Republican primary is Jason France. The winner will face Democrat Barbara Revels in the Nov. 8 general election.
Solar Amendment 1 Called a “Con Job” By Utilities as Tape Exposes Political “Jiu-Jitsu”
Solar-energy supporters fighting a proposed constitutional amendment on the November ballot expressed outrage Wednesday after a policy director for a Tallahassee-based think tank was caught on tape discussing utility-industry efforts to deceive voters.
Barbara Revels, Flagler County Commission Candidate: The Live Interview
Barbara Revels is the two-term Democratic incumbent Flagler County Commissioner representing District 3. Currently chairing the commission, she faces Republican Dave Sullivan, a former local Republican Executive Committee chairman, in the Nov. 8 election.
Charlie Ericksen, Flagler County Commission Candidate: The Live Interview
Charlie Ericksen is a Republican incumbent candidate for the Flagler County Commission in District 1, facing Democrat Jason DeLorenzo, the Palm Coast City Council member, in the Nov. 8 election.
Senate Race Too Close to Call as Murphy Gains on Rubio, Picking Up Independents
Rubio leads by a margin of 49 percent to 47 percent in the Quinnipiac University poll, which was conducted before the candidates battled in a televised debate Monday night. The two-point difference is within the poll’s margin of error.
Down to Three, Flagler Sheriff’s Candidates Differ on Style and Command in Last Forum Before Election
The forum featured the GOP’s Rick Staly, Democrat Larry Jones and Independent Thomas Dougherty. There were no fireworks, as at primary forums, but the differences between the three were sharp.
Continuing Series of Voting-Rights Decisions, Judge Rules Against State on Disputed Ballot Signatures
The 30-page ruling Sunday by U.S. District Judge Mark Walker focused on situations in which voters’ signatures submitted with mail-in ballots do not appear to match signatures on file with county supervisors of elections. Under a 2004 law, such mail-in ballots are rejected.
Jason DeLorenzo, Flagler County Commission Candidate: The Live Interview
Jason DeLorenzo is the Democratic candidate for Flagler County Commission, District 1. He is challenging first-term incumbent and Republican Charlie Ericksen Jr. All registered voters in Flagler may cast a ballot in this race.
Early Voting: A Dissent
Early voting gives political parties and special interests a chance to manipulate, to lock up blocs of votes in advance of Election Day and to keep opposition parties and candidates from offering another viewpoint, argues Nancy Smith.
Swinging Through Florida, Trump Paints Election as Apocalyptic Choice
Speaking to thousands of cheering supporters at Aaron Bessant Park in Panama City Beach, Trump painted Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton as a pawn of a global establishment who would usher in the destruction of the nation.
Federal Judge Orders Voter-Registration Deadline Extended Through Next Tuesday as Flagler Elections Office Sees Brisk Activity
Some 120 people registered in Flagler Tuesday. The full-week extension is a boon to the Democratic Party, which filed suit to counter Gov. Rick Scott’s decision not to extend the registration deadline despite Hurricane Matthew’s evacuations.
Overruling Scott, Judge Orders Voter Registration Deadline Extended at Least Through Wednesday
U.S. District Judge Mark Walker also set up a Wednesday morning hearing to consider a request by the Florida Democratic Party to keep registration open until Oct. 18 — a week after the initial deadline was set to pass.
Clinton Surges Ahead in Latest Florida Poll as Alternate Candidates Fade
Hillary Clinton took a decisive five-point lead on Donald Trump in Florida the latest Quinnipiac University poll after being tied with him for two months, with voting already under way in the state. She also leads in North Carolina and Pennsylvania, but remains behind in Ohio.
If Trump Ever Had My Vote, He Just Lost It
If Trump secretly conducted business in communist Cuba while Fidel Castro was its president, the Republican presidential nominee should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, not elected to the highest office in the land.
Florida Push to Legalize Medical Marijuana Gets $1 Million Boost, Aiding Amendment 2 Vote
It’s the largest single contribution received by supporters of Amendment 2 and comes as the battle over the constitutional question heats up in advance of the Nov. 8 election.
Clinton Regains Lead in Florida as Debate Bounce Ripples and Trump Stumbles
Coming out of their first televised debate, Democrat Hillary Clinton holds a narrow lead over Republican Donald Trump in the critical battleground state of Florida, a new poll shows.
Looking past the Obvious in Trump-Clinton I: Voters May Decide a Different Outcome
We have to reconsider what we thought we saw Monday night and discover how it played where it mattered, in counties such as those in western Pennsylvania, and those clustered along Interstate 4 in Florida. These, more than elite opinion-spinners clustered along our deep-blue coasts, will decide the Nov. 8 outcome, argues Tom Jackson.
Post-Debate, Clinton, Clinton and Trump Are Invading Florida in Hunt for 29 Electoral Votes
While Clinton works Southeast Florida, her husband, former President Bill Clinton, will campaign Friday and Saturday across the top of the state, and Trump begins his visits Tuesday in solidly-Republican Melbourne.
Early Voting Facts and Myths
Research shows early voting increases turnout by 2 percent to 4 percent. In some cases, it particularly boosts voting among minorities, a constituency that tends to vote Democrat.
Panic: On the Prospect of a Trump Presidency
“I spent the past year making fun of Trump and taking it for granted that Hillary Clinton would demolish him. I didn’t take into account her fabulous skills for self-destruction or the country’s ripeness for mass delusion.”