Ron Levitt, a freelance writer, is a former United Press Staff Correspondent and chairman of a public relations firm. He served as Florida’s Assistant Secretary of State. He currently is president of the South Florida International Press Club and secretary of the Society of Professional Journalists (South Florida chapter). He is a theatre critic and a Carbonell voter, Vice President of the Theatre League of South Florida and serves on the Board of WLRN Public radio/TV in Miami and on the Executive Committee of the University of Miami Citizens Board. He can be reached at ron@levittgroup.com.

Blog Entries by Ron Levitt

Florida Democrats Infighting But Eyes on 2010

Posted January 8, 2009 | 12:19 PM (EST)


Florida Democrats, flush with success from the Obama victory in November, have returned to their double-barreled normalcy -- party infighting while preparing for the next big election. That takes place in 2010 when there will be an open seat for the U.S. Senate.

The Peninsula State was politically relatively quiet...

Read Post

GOP Governors Try to Unite Amid Palin's Media Frenzy

17 Comments | Posted November 14, 2008 | 11:40 AM (EST)


MIAMI -- Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin had an hour-long Q and A with CNN's Wolf Blitzer, spent another 30-some minutes with Larry King, hit a few more of the cable and network news outlets, chatted with local South Florida area broadcast and print media, took charge (much to the chagrin...

Read Post

GOP's Last-Minute Hateful Emails and Brochures Swamp Fla.

11 Comments | Posted November 3, 2008 | 09:41 PM (EST)



FORT LAUDERDALE -- A last-minute flurry of misleading e-mails -- along with seven pieces of mailed literature -- bombarded vote-rich areas of South Florida over the weekend and Monday in a blatant attempt to discredit Sen. Barrack Obama and urge balloting for the Republican ticket. Meantime, more than...

Read Post

Heated Race In Fla. Recalls Election 2000 Fiasco; Focus Turning To Youth Voters

8 Comments | Posted November 1, 2008 | 12:30 PM (EST)


It's a political frenzy in Florida! Both Democrat and Republicans say they have the edge going into Tuesday and will capture the Sunshine State's 27 electoral votes. There is little doubt the battle will go down to the wire.

One thing, at least, seems certain. Unless there is a landside...

Read Post

Fla. Dems Looking for Record Turnout in Vote-Rich Broward County

18 Comments | Posted October 27, 2008 | 10:17 PM (EST)



FORT LAUDERDALE -- Broward County, home to nearly one million voters and the site of much controversy in past presidential elections, is in the eye of the election campaign storm, with Democrats pushing to capture roughly 75 percent of those million ballots for Sen. Barack Obama, hoping to...

Read Post

Major Newspaper Endorsements, Polls Inspire Florida Democrats

20 Comments | Posted October 21, 2008 | 03:20 PM (EST)


MIAMI -- Unless Democratic voters get over-confident and stay home on Nov. 4th, Florida will become a Blue State and provide 27 electoral votes to their nominee Sen. Barack Obama. But not before the GOP makes a last ditch effort to keep this pivotal state in the Red Zone.

All...

Read Post

Absentee Ballot Requests Energize Florida Democrats And Encourage Obama Supporters

13 Comments | Posted October 12, 2008 | 01:51 PM (EST)


Just three weeks before Election Day, Florida has a blue tinge!

Sunshine State Democrats - mindful of the fiasco in 2000 which gave the Presidency to George W. Bush - are being urged daily to vote early or by absentee ballot to provide a huge cushion of Blue votes before...

Read Post

Fla. and Col. Campaigns Woo Latinos, Undecideds Up And Down Ballot

Posted July 31, 2008 | 06:31 PM (EST)


Swing states Colorado and Florida -- both known for their increasing Latino populations -- are drawing increasing attention from Democrat and Republican strategists, who are working heatedly to win races up and down the ballot.

Insiders say they have been paying special attention to what is working in the two...

Read Post

Democratic Efforts, Celebrity and Grassroots, Paying Off In Florida

Posted July 30, 2008 | 01:23 PM (EST)


There appears to be several Democratic campaigns going on in Florida: one that's building steam to win a majority of Congressional seats; one that's an enormous vote-getting and fund-raising effort for Sen. Barack Obama that features show business luminaries such as Matt Damon, Ben Afflek and Jennifer Garner; and...

Read Post

Florida's Upbeat Democratic Delegation

Posted July 18, 2008 | 02:59 PM (EST)


Florida Democrats -- accustomed to being in the political spotlight since 2000 when they believe they really elected Al Gore President -- are getting used to be playing second banana -- still clinging to the hope they will play a major 27-electoral-vote role in an Obama 2008 victory but vastly...

Read Post

Budget-Busting Colorado Race A Victory For Dems

Posted July 16, 2008 | 06:57 PM (EST)


It may not be the most volatile of Democratic Congressional races, but with more than $6 million dollars already on the table, the contest to take Mark Udall's vacated seat as the 2nd Colorado District's nominee is drawing national attention. And, it's not only the money being spent but also...

Read Post

Democratic Unity: Big Step In Florida

Posted June 16, 2008 | 02:44 AM (EST)


It was a great big united party -- even if the honoree didn't have it on his schedule.

If Barack Obama had attended the annual Florida Democratic Party Jefferson-Jackson weekend in Southeast Florida, he would have enjoyed the reception. It has been a long-time since anyone had seen such...

Read Post

Florida Democrats Begin To Unite Against McCain

Posted June 5, 2008 | 10:38 PM (EST)


MIAMI -- Florida Democrats turned to the airwaves and cyberspace to pummel the presumptive GOP nominee while, aware of the state's potent position for November, many of them also nourished the possibility of a unity team for November.

Twenty-seven electoral votes! A swing state which could go to either...

Read Post

Half-Vote Florida Solution: A Mixed Semi-Ending

Posted June 1, 2008 | 02:33 PM (EST)


Florida finally got its long overdue recognition, but the Democratic National Committee's decision to give its delegates one-half a vote got mixed reviews. The decision left many local party activists less than happy and supporters of Sen. Hillary Clinton combative.

There is growing sentiment that only a Clinton vice-presidential...

Read Post

Florida Delegate Fight Continued

Posted May 26, 2008 | 09:24 PM (EST)


Whoever wins Florida in November will probably be the next president of the United States!

That's the overwhelming opinion expressed by the Sunshine State media, political insiders, analysts -- even those many angry Democrats, still fuming over the national party's refusal to seat delegates in time to select...

Read Post

Obama, Clinton, McCain Descend On FL, Despite Delegate Mess

Posted May 20, 2008 | 01:59 PM (EST)


Florida -- shunned for months by most candidates because the state held a primary seven days before Democratic party rules allowed -- has completed its selection of 211 convention delegates and now suddenly has come into play as the major swing state in the general election.

And,...

Read Post

Final FL Delegate Selection Spurring Debate, Positioning

Posted May 14, 2008 | 12:46 PM (EST)


Twenty-seven electoral votes -- fourth largest election prize in the nation -- "and don't you forget it."

That's the stock answer Floridians are giving the Democratic National Committee (DNC) as State party leaders move ahead in the final delegate selection process this week and await word on the group's...

Read Post

Disenfranchised Florida Voters To Confront DNC Leaders

Posted April 24, 2008 | 02:09 PM (EST)


Buoyed by the results in Pennsylvania, bus loads of Floridians -- mostly backers of Sen. Hillary Clinton -- will head to Washington for an April 30th rally before the Democratic National Committee's headquarters. The group is looking to confront party leaders and argue that the Sunshine State's disqualified January primary...

Read Post

Dean's Waffling Over FL Delegates Frustrating Key Voters

Posted April 13, 2008 | 10:46 PM (EST)


MIAMI-- Despite Democratic National Committee chief Howard Dean and Congressional representatives' pledge that a Sunshine State delegation will be seated at the Denver convention in August, there is still whimpering that no specific details are forthcoming from Washington or Tallahassee, no hotel space designated, and no verdict as to whether...

Read Post

Florida Delegate Seating Now Up to Obama, Clinton

Posted April 2, 2008 | 02:56 PM (EST)


The Democratic party leadership showed today they are really nervous about what is being called the 'Florida Boondoggle," the effort to find a solution in seating the State's 211 delegates - a powerhouse number as the primary season dwindles down. They issued a widely-circulated communiqué which put the delegate seating...

Read Post