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Emily L. Mahoney - Times Political Editor
Emily L. Mahoney

Times Political Editor

I'm the Tampa Bay Times' Political Editor, but really my job is to write about how struggles over politics and power define our state and impact people's lives. From Washington to Tallahassee to Tampa Bay, the political landscape is changing. It's my job to help you make sense of it all, while holding leaders to account and digging into how unelected interests wield their clout. I previously covered real estate and before that, worked in our Tallahassee bureau, which gave me an up-close view of how our state government works. I'm originally from Arizona, a state that instilled in me a love of hiking and tacos al pastor. Have a tip or story idea? Drop me a line.

  1. Rick Scott didn’t flip the Senate for Republicans, then he lost to McConnell. Now what?
    Nov. 19• The Buzz on Florida Politics
    Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., who led the Senate Republican campaign arm in the midterm elections, is surrounded by reporters as he walks to the historic Old Senate Chamber where he failed in a longshot bid to unseat Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022.
  2. How DeSantis-endorsed candidates fared nationally
    Nov. 16• The Buzz on Florida Politics
    Doug Mastriano, the Republican nominee for governor of Pennsylvania, records the scene on his phone as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis tosses baseball caps to the audience before speaking at the Turning Point Action-sponsored Unite and Win Rally on Aug. 19 in Pittsburgh. Mastriano lost his election last week. He had been endorsed by both DeSantis and Donald Trump.
  3. Florida’s Rick Scott says he’s challenging McConnell for US Senate leadership
    Nov. 15• The Buzz on Florida Politics
    Sen. Rick Scott speaks during a get-out-the-vote rally at an RNC Hispanic Community Center in Tampa on Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2022.
  5. Cómo Florida, el estado cambiante más grande de la nación, se volvió rojo intenso
    Nov. 14• CENTRO
    TJ Goodall de Tampa sostiene un cartel de apoyo a Donald Trump durante la fiesta de la noche de las elecciones de Ron DeSantis en el Centro de Convenciones de Tampa el martes 8 de noviembre de 2022 en Tampa.
  6. Trump bashes DeSantis in lengthy statement for ‘playing games’ with 2024 buzz
    Nov. 10• Elections
    Former President Donald Trump, right, and Florida's governor Ron DeSantis held a COVID-19 and storm preparedness roundtable in Belleair, Florida, July 31, 2020.
  7. How Florida, the nation’s biggest swing state, turned deep red
    Nov. 10• Elections
    TJ Goodall of Tampa holds up a sign supporting Donald Trump during the Ron DeSantis election night party at the Tampa Convention Center on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022 in Tampa.
  8. Ron DeSantis gana segundo mandato como gobernador de Florida
    Nov. 9• CENTRO
    El gobernador de Florida, Ron DeSantis, saluda a la multitud de simpatizantes con su esposa Casey DeSantis antes del comienzo de su discurso en el Keep Florida Free Tour el miércoles, 24 de agosto de 2022 en Tampa.
  9. What Florida could expect from Ron DeSantis’ second term
    Nov. 9• Elections
    Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks to a crowd of supporters during his election night party at the Tampa Convention Center on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022, in Tampa.
  10. DeSantis wins second term as Florida governor, beating Crist in landslide
    Nov. 9• Elections
    Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks to a crowd of supporters during his election night party at the Tampa Convention Center on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022, in Tampa.
  11. DeSantis-Trump tension on display in Florida just before Election Day
    Nov. 7• Elections
    Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks to a crowd of supporters during a rally on Sunday, Nov. 6, 2022, in Sun City Center.
  12. 9 things Florida’s election could say about its future
    Nov. 3• Elections
    Sean Cousins pushes a pallet of mail-in-ballots at the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections warehouse as workers transport them to begin distributing them in Tampa on Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022.
  13. El apoyo demócrata entre los hispanos disminuye ante el avance republicano
    Nov. 2• CENTRO
    Arlene Sánchez, de 41 años, toma un letrero después de asistir a una reunión en un Centro Comunitario Hispano de la RNC en Tampa el martes 18 de octubre de 2022. Sánchez es propietaria de Latin Fresh Market, una tienda de abarrotes cerca del centro comunitario.
  14. Charlie Crist casts ballot in St. Petersburg as Democrats trail early voting numbers
    Oct. 31• Elections
    Charlie Crist, Democratic candidate for governor, gives a fist pump as he exits the polls after early voting along with his fiancé Chelsea Grimes as Crist kicks off his campaign’s “Choose Freedom Bus Tour” on Monday, Oct. 31, 2022, in St. Petersburg.
  15. Florida Republicans cut further into Democratic support among Hispanics
    Oct. 28• Elections
    Arlene Sanchez, 41, takes a yard sign after attending a get-out-the-vote rally at an RNC Hispanic Community Center in Tampa on Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2022. Sanchez is an owner of Latin Fresh Market, a grocery store a few doors down from the community center.
  16. Legisladora de Tampa presenta demanda contra gerente de campaña, alegando acoso sexual
    Oct. 25• CENTRO
    La representante de Florida, Jackie Toledo, hace un comentario durante una audiencia del Subcomité de Asuntos de Veteranos y Administración Local en una sesión legislativa, el jueves 13 de enero de 2022, en Tallahassee. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
  17. Tampa lawmaker files lawsuit against campaign manager, alleging sexual harassment
    Oct. 25• The Buzz on Florida Politics
    Florida Rep. Jackie Toledo makes a point during a Local Administration and Veterans Affairs Subcommittee hearing in a legislative session, Thursday, Jan. 13, 2022, in Tallahassee.
  18. Will DeSantis run for president in 2024? In debate with Crist, he won’t say.
    Oct. 25• Elections
    Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, left, shakes hands with former Gov. Charlie Crist, D-Fla., at the start of their televised gubernatorial debate, at Sunrise Theatre in Fort Pierce, Fla., Monday, Oct. 24, 2022.
  19. 3 reasons Ron DeSantis is going to win in November, and 3 reasons he’ll lose
    Oct. 20• The Buzz on Florida Politics
    Right: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis delivers remarks at the 2022 CPAC conference in Orlando on Feb. 24, 2022. Left: former Gov. Charlie Crist
  20. How Hurricane Ian changed the Florida governor’s race
    Oct. 13• Elections
    Left to right, Casey DeSantis, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, US First Lady Jill Biden, and U.S. President Joe Biden walk to meet with local residents impacted by Hurricane Ian at Fishermans Pass in Fort Myers, Florida, on Oct. 5, 2022.
  21. Trump says UF will ‘regret’ decision to hire Ben Sasse as president
    Oct. 7• The Buzz on Florida Politics
    Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., shown at a confirmation hearing for Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson in March, is the sole finalist to become the president of the University of Florida, and the GOP senator has indicated that he will take the job. That means he could resign in the coming weeks.
  22. Ben Sasse could be UF’s new president. Here are some of his views.
    Oct. 6• The Buzz on Florida Politics
    Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., leaves after the first day of the second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2021.
  23. TV debate between DeSantis, Crist postponed due to Hurricane Ian
    Oct. 5• Elections
    U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, left, and Gov. Ron DeSantis are both hoping voters pick them in the midterms to be Florida's governor.
  24. Ian turned, Southwest Florida scrambled. Was there enough time to leave?
    Oct. 1• Hurricane
    Joe Orlandini, center, background, and Shannon Orlandini, right, evacuated from Fort Myers Beach with their children on Thursday, Sep 29, 2022, after Hurricane Ian made landfall overnight on Wednesday.
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