Florida Democrats chip away at GOP power in Tallahassee
Source: Tampa Bay Times
TALLAHASSEE — Before Tuesday, Florida Republicans had the wind at their back — record amounts of special interest money, a veto-proof majority in the Legislature and unbridled power all over the state.
But the muscle flexing appeared to backfire and the special interest money, this time, did not translate into landslide victories. Voters delivered a series of election night losses for Florida's power party. President Barack Obama holds a lead over Mitt Romney. Legislature-backed amendments were mostly defeated. The GOP drive to remake the Supreme Court failed, and the Republicans lost their supermajority in the House and Senate.
Even the projected future speaker of the House — one of the most moneyed and powerful Republicans in the state — is in danger of losing his seat to an underfunded political neophyte.
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Controversial measures like privatizing state prisons and flipping public schools into charter schools failed last year in razor-thin votes in the 40-seat Senate. With more Democrats now in that chamber, these proposals could face more hurdles next year.
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Read more: http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/elections/article1260501.ece
As explained later in the article, that's Chris Dorworth of Lake Mary who would be the Republican House Speaker if he'd won, but he lost narrowly to Democrat Mike Clelland (there will be a recount).
Those "controversial measures" the article mentions are backed by ALEC.
Dorworth is known for introducing ALEC bills:
http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/11603/
http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2011-08-14/news/os-ed-alec-081411-20110812_1_alec-legislators-teachers-unions
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