/s3.amazonaws.com/arc-wordpress-client-uploads/tbt/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/12092742/seanshaw.jpg "Rep. Sean Shaw, D-Tampa")
Winner of the week.
Tommy Gregory. The Sarasota Republican state House candidate no longer has a primary opponent. Rival Melissa Howard dropped out after finally fessing up to lying about her university degree and even creating a fake diploma in the clumsy attempt to discredit the revelations.
Runner up.
David Bishop. The lobbyist/GOP consultant’s previously obscure news site. Fla News Online, rocketed into the national spotlight by breaking one of the bizarro stories of the election cycle: State House candidate Melissa Howard lying about her college diploma.
Losers of the week.
Sean Shaw, Ryan Torrens. The two Hillsborough County Democrats running for attorney general engaged in pathetic, petty, pointless petulance. Frontrunner Shaw sued to get Torrens tossed off the ballot on a technicality, and Torrens responded by filing a libel suit against Shaw. Way to elevate the image of lawyers, boys.
UPDATE: Torrens tonight called on Shaw to join him in dropping their dueling lawsuits:
I want to invite Mr. Shaw to join with me in a new public-spirited campaign pledge: Let’s both agree to drop our lawsuits – right now – and instead of meeting in a courtroom on Wednesday to tear each other down, let’s meet for a joint press conference, declaring loud and clear that no matter who prevails in this primary, we will stand united to make sure we elect a Democratic attorney general in November. If we cannot lead on the campaign trail, Florida voters will never trust a Democrat to lead the attorney general’s office. It’s time to stop tearing each other apart so that in November, our Democratic nominee can have the strength and support to lift our people up and take back the attorney general’s office after sixteen years of Republican dominance.
/s3.amazonaws.com/arc-authors/tbt/f76d61b3-1f6e-4a45-8647-dd512e9bbb99.png "Adam C. Smith - Former Times Staffer")
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