Winner of the week: John Thrasher. Had the Florida GOP chair's election been held six weeks earlier, Sharon Day would have crushed John Thrasher. Instead, Thrasher spent the time running a methodical campaign, raising a million dollars for the cash-strapped party and meeting grass roots leaders who learned he's more than a Gucci-wearing lobbyist. Significantly, he won with a majority of the grass roots votes, not just because of the votes from Tallahassee pols. Runner up: Katie Gordon Betta. The RPOF's communications director deftly managed a turbulent and strange period where she was virtually the only employee of a party rocked by scandalous revelations.

Loser of the week: Charlie Justice. The Democrat from St. Petersburg gave up a hard won state senate seat to  run for a congressional seat many people expected C.W. Bill Young to vacate after 40 years. Saturday night Young made it official he's running again. On paper Congressional District 10 is perhaps the most competitive in Florida. But with Bill Young running for a 21st term? Not so much.