The 2012 election is barely in the books and already Florida politicos are turning their eyes to 2014, especially Democrats hungry to take back the Governor's mansion from the Republicans. Increasingly, Democrats appear ready to embrace former Republican Gov. Charlie Crist as their best chance at winning in 2014. At the same time, Crist is taking a more vocal role in criticizing Gov. Rick Scott, even taking to Twitter to blast Scott's controversial decision not to extend early voting during the presidential election.  Crist certainly is a topic of news and speculation across Florida. Here is …

Public Policy Polling's final poll of the cycle in Florida shows Obama leading 50/49. More specifically, 473 respondents chose Obama and 472 picked Romney. According to PPP: Of 4 polls in Florida over the last three weeks, there was a 1 point race every time. "Obama has been up slightly twice and Romney has been up slightly twice. There is a massive generational gap in the state with Romney leading 61/38 among seniors while Obama leads within every other age group. "The Paul Ryan selection didn't hurt Romney with Florida seniors as some had thought it might. Obama's up 52/47 with women, 53/47…

From the Political Wire...OBAMA'S INTERNAL POLL STILL SHOW LEADS IN SWING STATES "Major Garrett reports the first batch of Obama internal polls came back from key swing states today and "revealed that Obama was not in free fall, as some feared, but that his support has returned to where it was in July and August. " 'Internal Obama polling data show that all swing states have tightened up and that Romney is within the margin of error in states like Ohio and Virginia and Florida. It's now a dogfight across the swing-state battlefield and any sense of pre-debate complacency that some Obama hands…

The Tampa Bay Times is reporting that GOP voters lead in Florida when it comes to absentee ballot requests. The campaign staff for Gov. Mitt Romney sees that as a positive sign for the candidate's run against Democrat President Barack Obama. "The Romney campaign says there is tangible evidence of the momentum toward Romney after his strong debate performance last week: absentee ballot request and returns. 'Our supporters literally can’t wait to vote for Governor Romney – and they are doing it early,' said spokeswoman Jill Bader. "Here are the numbers, showing GOP voters are leading Democrats …

If President Barack Obama or former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney want to win Florida's electoral votes, it would make sense if they focued on economic issues relevant to the Sunshine State, writes Jeff Harrington of the Tampa Bay Times. 5 FLORIDA-STYLE ECONOMIC ISSUES THAT OBAMA & ROMNEY SHOULD PONDER by Jeff Harrington of the Tampa Bay Times "1. The jobs quandary: quantity versus quality; 2. Charting an energy policy that works; 3. Fixing the safety net; 4. Propping up Florida's shaky property insurance market; 5. Finding palatable ways to boost international trade." OBAMA'S HUG, MITT'S …

President Barack Obama's campaign is going up with a huge TV ad buy in Florida, including in the expensive Miami market, according to a senior campaign official, reports Chuck Todd for NBC's First Read. ... "The Obama camp, in fact, is claiming this is the largest and earliest buy in Miami for a presidential contest. The statewide buy targets 10 media markets -- including Tampa (2,700 advertising points), Orlando (2,700 points), Miami (1,300 points), Jacksonville, Tallahassee, and even neighboring Mobile, Ala. " MITT ROMNEY ONLY HAS A 2% CHANCE OF WINNING PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IF HE LOSES …

A new Time/CNN/Opinion Research poll in Florida shows President Obama leading Mitt Romney by four points among likely voters, 50% to 46%. "Obama's edge in Florida is bolstered by women voters, among whom he's beating Romney, 54%-42%, and by nonwhite voters, with whom he boasts a 70%-29% advantage. There are signs the incumbent is stitching together the same demographic coalitions that helped him capture Florida's 29 electoral votes four years ago." 'I Am Who I Am," Romney Tells Politico Three Times Mitt Romney conceded President Obama has succeeded in making him a less likable person in an …

"FOR GOP MEGA-DONORS, A CONVENTION OF THEIR OWN" via POLITICO Politico is reoprting that the Vinoy Hotel in St. Petersburg and the Westin Tampa Harbour Island will host special VIP meetings for donors committed to raising $250,000 or more. "Stars," in the campaign's parlance, get to attend briefings with Jeb Bush, Rice, Haley, Tim Pawlenty, Bob McDonnell and other big names, according to an agenda obtained by POLITICO. Jeb Bush on 'To Meet the Press'; Rubio Will 'Face the Nation'  Jeb Bush will be the guest on Sunday morning on Meet the Press - amazingly his first ever appearance on the show…

A new Gravis Marketing survey shows Romney leading Obama, 48%-45%, in Florida. As Christian Heinze notes, if you add Gary Johnson to the equation, he takes 1.7% from Romney and .5% from Obama. That means if the Romney-Obama gap is tight enough, Johnson could swing the state, which would be a bitter irony for the GOP, considering it shunned and blacked him out of primary debates when he was running for the Republican nomination. Rubio Out to Sea When Romney Phoned  "Gov. Romney was gracious enough to call me on Friday evening that week," Marco Rubio told a crowd of 825 at the Palm Beach County…

 First Read notes that while it's possible for Romney to get to 270 electoral votes without Florida, it's extremely unlikely:  "If Obama were to win Florida, Romney would need to win CO, IA, NV, NH, NC VA, and WI. In other words, he'd have to run the table." Medicare Is Key Issue in Retiree-Rich Florida As Mitt Romney heads to Florida on a campaign stop – without running mate Paul Ryan – the Obama campaign greets him with a new video attacking the GOP ticket on their approach to Medicare. The tagline: "Romney-Ryan ending Medicare as we know it." Chris Christie to Give Keynote at RNC New …

Make no mistake, Gov. Rick Scott is still among the least popular governors in the country, tied for sixth least liked out of 36 we have polled on since the start of 2011.  39% approve of his job performance and 51% disapprove--still not good numbers, but the best we've ever found for him.  That is up from a 31-56 spread just a month earlier.   Scott's improvement is a combination of a rise in his support from independents and his own party.  Independents now split on him, 43-43, when they were at 26-60 in June.  That is over half his improvement.  The rest comes from Republicans, who now sit…

Attorney Genral Pam Bondi is the latest name to emerge from the pool of rumored contenders for the Republican vice presidential slot, but experts consider her a long shot. The Business Insider website said that the Romney campaign noted that Bondi was campaigning for Romney in New Hampshire, including at a Women for Mitt Kickoff Breakfast in Concord, and at campaign office openings in Bedford and Stratham. The story then speculates why Bondi would be a good running mate, including her gender, her coming from a battleground state and her strong opposition to the president's health care law. In…

 The pro-Obama Super PAC Priorities USA Action has a new TV ad in Florida, the latest in a series of negative spots about Mitt Romney's career at Bain Capital. The ad is part of a $10 million campaign and is also airing in Colorado, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia. Watch here. Koch Bros. Target Bill Nelson Americans for Prosperity, the tea-party group funded in great part by the Koch Brothers (the conservative version of George Soros), have launched a six-state $3 million ad buy that targets Florida Sen. Bill Nelson, among others, reports Marc Caputo of the Miami Herald. In bellwether Pasco, …

 Obama for America is up with two new ads in Florida and eight other swing states, hitting Mitt Romney’s failed economic policies. “Mosaic” focuses on Romney’s efforts as Massachusetts governor to balance the budget while pledging to not increase taxes. The ad claims Romney “cut taxes for millionaires like himself” while unleashing “1,000 fee hikes” on things like health-care, milk and school bus rides. The other spot, “Come and Go” accuses Romney of shipping  jobs overseas.  “As a corporate raider, he shipped jobs to China and Mexico,” the narrator says in the spot. “As governor, he did the …