Her father shot the grizzly bear whose hide is draped over the sofa in her office. She, too, hunts and fishes. She runs marathons. She delivered her fifth child during her first term as governor. They call her husband, the reigning champion in the annual Iron Dog snowmobile race, First Dude. ...more

October 26, 2008

The next president's choice of a treasury secretary may well be the most important appointment he'll make - someone to grab the reins of a trillion-dollar-plus program to shore up the world's largest economy, probably in the middle of a severe recession, and at the right hand of a chief executive who'll be a rookie himself. ...more

October 20, 2008

After three terms in the Legislature, Kevin Ambler appears headed for an easy re-election in District 47, which covers much of northwestern Hillsborough County. ...more

October 19, 2008

Eight-year incumbent U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam faces political newcomer Douglas Tudor in the race for District 12, a seat that serves most of Polk County and parts of Hillsborough and Osceola counties. ...more

October 19, 2008

Republican Eddie Adams Jr. was briefly sidelined with a ruptured appendix two years ago when he faced Democrat Kathy Castor for the U.S. House District 11 seat being vacated by Jim Davis. ...more

October 19, 2008

The race for state Senate District 11 pits a political novice, Democrat Fred Taylor of New Port Richey, against a legislative veteran, incumbent Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey. ...more

October 19, 2008

Ed Homan is a three-term Republican state representative with name recognition and hefty financial support, but his Democratic opponent for state House District 60 says he is up for the challenge. ...more

October 19, 2008

Democrats lined up for a chance to unseat U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis. Now the freshman Republican faces Democratic primary winner Bill Mitchell, a 61-year-old employment lawyer with an office in downtown Tampa and a home in Carrollwood. ...more

October 19, 2008

Republican Jack Mariano's first County Commission District 5 re-election bid will be opposed Nov. 4 by Democrat Virginia "Ginny" Miller. ...more

October 18, 2008

On Nov. 4, Democrat Teresa Conroy will try to keep Republican Ann Hildebrand from a seventh - and, according to Hildebrand, final - four-year term on the County Commission. ...more

October 18, 2008