Some of the House seats very much in play in Florida are seats that Republican party officials in Florida considered to be safely protected by gerrymandering, but were taken from them in the Democratic party resurgence in 2006 and 2008.
This year, the GOP wants some payback. One of the most interesting races is taking place in South Florida, where Democrat Ron Klein, who picked off longtime Congressman Clay Shaw in 2006, is now in serious trouble in his race against the very conservative Allen West. Alex Leary in today's St. Pete Times takes a look at that race.
You also have Democrat Suzanne Kosmas in Florida's 24th Congressional District, also facing peril in her bid for re-election against Republican Sandy Adams. Kosmas was considered a giant slayer after she beat out Republican Tom Feeney two years ago, but that seat could easily flip in that suburban Orlando district.
Then you have Florida's 8th Congressional District, where Alan Grayson knocked off four-term GOP incumbent Ric Keller in 2008.
Grayson's provocative comments (such as saying that the Republicans plan for health care is for people to "die quickly") over the past year have made him a national target over the past year, and there has been a lot of money raised for and against Grayson leading up to his re-election effort against former state legislator Daniel Webster in November.
This article appears in Sep 23-29, 2010.