The race to replace Rep. Byron Donalds in Florida’s 19th Congressional District is getting wild, with 10 Republicans vying for the GOP nomination.
They include felons and a fashion model. Well, actually, one of the felons is also a former underwear model.
John Strand was convicted of participating in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol and went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court to have his conviction overturned.
“I will never stand down and never sell out in the fight to defend the American citizen — to defend their faith, their family, our freedoms and our Judeo-Christian culture,” Mr. Strand told “Seen, Heard & Whispered.”
Five of the 10 Republican candidates have previously run for Congress somewhere else. Only one, Jim Schwartzel, is actually from Southwest Florida. He’s been endorsed by Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio and Steve Scalise of Louisiana.
Among the others:
• Chris Collins, who served in Congress from New York and pleaded guilty to insider trading for leaking information gleaned from his service on Capitol Hill. He was pardoned by President Trump.
• Madison Cawthorn, another former member of Congress who was booted from his North Carolina seat in a 2022 primary after a single tumultuous term.
• Catalina Lauf, who twice ran for Congress in two different Illinois districts and lost.
• Jim Oberweis, another former Illinois resident who served in that state’s Senate from 2013 to 2021.
• Ola Hawatmeh, a former congressional staffer who ran for a congressional seat in New York in 2020 but lost in the GOP primary.
The GOP candidates include Greg Bukowski, Mike Pedersen and Linda Sawyer.
A Victory Insights poll taken Aug. 4-6 shows Ms. Lauf and Mr. Schwartzel tied for the lead at 19%. And Ms. Lauf recently picked up endorsements from fellow Florida Reps. Anna Paulina Luna, Greg Steube and Kat Cammack.
Ms. Lauf says she is proud of the support her campaign has been receiving.
“The voters of SWFL are ready for the next generation of America First leadership. Our team has been on the ground listening to voters and hearing what matters to them. As our opponents lie, attack and defame, we’re going to where it matters — THE PEOPLE,” she told “Seen, Heard & Whispered.”
Terry Miller, campaign manager for Mr. Schwartzel, said the race has attracted all sorts of previously failed GOP candidates.
“They’re chasing a safe seat so they can build a political career,” Mr. Miller told “Seen, Heard & Whispered.” “It’s unique. I don’t think anyone has ever seen anything like this before, but they see this as a very safe Republican seat and it is one of the seats that helps influence other races around the country.”
The primary is Tuesday.
“Our closing message is that Southwest Florida deserves better than failed career candidates who moved here just to run for Congress,” Mr. Miller said.
Mr. Donalds, a GOP rising star, is not seeking reelection in order to run for governor.
Kalshi’s legal headwinds
The prediction market platform Kalshi stormed onto the political scene in 2024, when it went toe-to-toe with the Biden administration and won the right to offer contracts on the outcome of elections.
But in the two years since then, Kalshi’s legal woes have accumulated.
Complaints of insider trading have abounded, with the White House even firing one of its own teleprompter operators after Kalshi said he was using his advance knowledge of speeches to make bets on what President Trump would say.
Now Kalshi faces lawsuits in New York and California, which accuse the firm of wrongly sharing users’ personal information and activities with the likes of Google, TikTok and LinkedIn.
A user’s trading and wagering information can reveal a person’s risk-taking, interests and level of engagement involving topics ranging from politics, sports, social controversies, real-world events and financial markets, the lawsuits allege.
“Despite the sensitive nature of the information collected through its Digital Platforms, Kalshi installed and permitted third-party scripts, pixels, and tracking technologies to operate on the platforms,” reads one complaint, filed in a federal court in Manhattan.
The other lawsuit was filed in a federal court in Southern California.
Kalshi has yet to file formal responses to the complaints. The firm didn’t respond to “Seen, Heard & Whispered”’s inquiry.
Separately, New York Attorney General Leticia James sued late last month to try to shut down Kalshi, calling it an illegal gambling operation.
But Kalshi has a major supporter in the Trump administration and Michael S. Selig, chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, who has told states to stop the lawsuits. He argues that if the U.S. cedes the ground, foreign operators will take over, with fewer protections for Americans.
Contact crazy
Lots of people vote regularly. For others, it takes a bit of prodding.
Turning Point PAC says it takes 40 contacts with some voters before they can be counted on to vote.
The group, part of the Turning Point family founded by the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk, revealed the eye-popping figure in an email to supporters.
“Forty. That’s how many times low-propensity voters need to be contacted before they reliably show up on Election Day,” TPP said.
• Seen, Heard & Whispered is a weekly column taking you inside the conversations happening in Washington’s power corridors, the moves being made and the whispers that explain what’s really going on in the nation’s capital. Email tips to whispered@washingtontimes.com. Click here to receive this in your inbox every Friday morning.
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