The Sunshine State, Florida, will be at the center of attention this evening as we find out who Floridians chose when they went to the polls and, God willing, correctly voted for their preferred Presidential candidate. The Republican contest has grown strident in the past few days, as perceived frontrunners Mitt Romney and John McCain duke it out.  We’ll be covering the results here at The Everyday Republican as soon as we get them.

Over at the “big site“, we’ve put together a new feature page for 22nd Senate District candidate Rob Russo.  A win in this special election will make Russo “Lucky 13″ in the Senate Republican Caucus, break the Democratic supermajority in the General Assembly, and give Governor M. Jodi Rell the full power of the veto once again.  This is a race of statewide importance and we’ll be following the race closely as Mr. Russo as he tries represent Bridgeport, Trumbull, and Monroe in the Senate.  The special election to replace Senator/Mayor Bill Finch will be on March 11th.

And finally, we are going to try a new feature on February 5th to track the winners, losers, and all-important delegate counts as the results from “Super Tuesday” come in and shed light on who each Party will nominate to be President of the United States.  We’ll release more details on that soon.

Rob Russo of Bridgeport was nominated this evening to be the Republican candidate in the 22nd Senate District, to fill the seat of Senator/Mayor Bill Finch, who reluctantly resigned his post as Senator last week.  Rob ran in 2004 and 2006, coming within 2,500 votes of the heavily-entrenched Bill Finch.

 Russo, 32, lives in Bridgeport and practices law in Southport.  According to his biography, Mr. Russo has a wide range of interests and activities, from serving on the Board of Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo to being a licensed private pilot.

At her regular press conference after the State Bonding Commission meeting, Governor M. Jodi Rell said that Senator/Mayor Bill Finch ought to resign his seat in the State Senate and serve the people of Bridgeport full time. 

Add it to yesterday’s list - the Monroe Town Council, Rep. Chris Caruso, Rep. Jack Hennessy, Rep. Andres Ayala, Rep. Bob Keeley, and Rep. ‘Don’ “It’s Not a Crime If I Don’t Say I Saw a Crime” Clemons.  That’s quite a list that Senator/Mayor Finch has going.

Actually the Governor had a really great idea.  She suggested that she was going to get business cards printed up with “Mayor Bill Finch” on one side, and “State Senator Bill Finch” on the other side - showing the Governor’s considerable skill when it comes to making fun of Bill Finch.

Senator/Mayor Bill Finch, Bridgeport’s “Man for All Seasons”, is under fire again today for failing to resign his Senate seat.  The Monroe Town Council agreed last night to vote 9-0 in favor of a resolution calling for the Senator’s resignation in January while a number of State Representatives, including scorned Rep. Chris Caruso, Rep. Jack Hennessy, Rep. Andres Ayala, Don “The Felony Watcher” Clemons, and Rep. Bob Keeley - Democrats all -are publicly voicing their opinion that the Senator/Mayor should resign from the Senate.

Quoted in the article, Rep. Bob Keeley said: “I’m asking the mayor to leave the Senate immediately. He’s showing no evidence of solid judgment. He should work hard with one paycheck as mayor. This is going on and on, and it’s making it difficult for future Democrats to win the suburbs.”

Rep. Keeley wasn’t the only one.  Democrat Jack Hennessy: “He’s got a family and a commitment to the city. It’s just too much. People need him representing the city. The state Senate requires a lot of time and energy,” Hennessy said. Caruso said he would have given up his legislative seat had he won the mayor’s office. “He should step down. This should not hinge on anything.”

Representative Andres Ayala: “It’s a full-time position and it needs his undivided attention. The city needs him to be focused on the city. The mayor runs day-to-day operations. It’s the right thing to do,” Ayala said.

The “voice of the people” seems pretty clear on this one: 

Senator/Mayor Finch - pick one job!