Winner of the week: Rick Scott. The governor did a yeoman's job staying on message last week after naming David Wilkins, an opponent of gay adoption, as secretary of the Department of Children and Families. Would Scott launch a divisive fight to reinstate Florida's ban on gay adoptions, which he also supports? Nope. He said he will stay focused on his top priorities: jobs, jobs and jobs.

Loser of the week: Bill Nelson. Florida's lone statewide Democrat is attracting a growing field of Republicans lining up to take him on in 2012, when he won't be so lucky to face as radioactive an opponent as Katherine Harris was in 2006. Republicans were salivating last week when Nelson went before reporters in Tallahassee and talked up the health care overhaul and federal economic recovery efforts.