AARP FL seniors-Boomer poll: Obama 44%-Romney 46%, Sen. Nelson 39%-Mack 42%

Despite repeated attempts to paint Republicans as bad for Medicare and Social Security, President Obama and Sen. Bill Nelson are essentially tied with their Republican rivals when it comes to Florida retirees and baby boomers, a new AARP poll shows.

Obama garners 44 percent of the vote to Mitt Romney's 46 percent and Nelson trails Republican Rep. Connie Mack by a 42-39 split. The Republican leads are well within the 4.4 percent error margin for the poll of the 503 registered voters surveyed by Hart Research Associates.**

Indeed, the Nelson-Mack race might be even tighter, with 19 percent of voters undecided. Without so-called "leaners"-- those unsure voters asked whom they lean toward -- Nelson is slightly ahead of Mack by 29-31 percent.

Underlying the senior's sentiments are persistent fears of the bad economy, their finances and the increasing sense that they'll have to rely on Social Security and Medicare for their retirement. Because many Republican plans call for bigger future-year changes to the entitlements that could eventually reduce benefits, Democrats have long been able to persuade senior voters that they're better equipped to manage these programs, which were created by Democrats.

Pam Bondi, PR Gov. Fortuno to speak at RNC

Republican Natonal Committee Chairman Reince Priebus Tweeted this morning: Thrilled to announce that @luisfortuno51, @GovWalker, @tedcruz, @pambondi and @samolens will all be speaking at the @GOPconvention!

Romney's Fort Lauderdale bound for $50k-couple dinner

Mitt Romney will pop into a $50,000 per person/couple fundraiser in Fort Lauderdale on Monday as he swings through Florida for campaign events.

"This will be an intimate group of Mitt’s strongest supporters and we invite you to join us at the Founding Member level, $50,000 per person," reads an email being circulated to donors.

The fundraiser is at the home of Michael and Monica Maroone and the co-hosts are Rick and Rita Case, Robert and Sion Pereira, Manny and Annie Kadre and Justin Sayfie. -- Alex Leary

More Miami shadiness: write-in ringer runs 'against' Manny Diaz, Jr. -- after stumping for him and his pals

There's nothing new about political operatives creating mischief with straw-man candidates in races in Miami-Dade. But because every legislative and congressional race was technically open this year, there's more chance for more mischief.

The latest example: Josue Vazquez, a Hialeah activist who felt so passionately about politics that he decided to file as a write-in candidate in the House District 103 race -- technically running against the very man, Manny Diaz Jr., who had paid him $2,100 for campaign work in 2010. About the same time, Diaz's buddies, current representatives Jose Oliva and Eddy Gonzalez, were paying Vazquez $1,720 for their campaign work as well.

Diaz, Oliva and Gonzalez are all running on the same Hialeah-area slate. Did Vazquez have a falling out? Quite the opposite. Write-in candidates are often a buddy of a candidate on the ballot whose sole role is to ensure that a primary race is decided only by one-party's voters. In HD 103, that means only Republicans can vote for either Diaz, School Board member Renier Diaz de la Portilla or Alfredo Naredo-Acosta. If Vazquez weren't running, the all-Republican race would be open to voters of all parties. With the write-in, though, the contest becomes a closed primary.

This isn't the only race with suspicious candidates. Two write-ins closed the Democratic primary between State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle and Rod Vereen. Democrats suspect Congressional candidate Justin Lamar Sternad is a Republican plant. And political consultant Sasha Tirador got her mother, Ileana Abay, and her employee, Maykal "Miguel" Balboa, to run against Oliva and Gonzalez, respectively. Gonzalez, meantime, is suing Tirador and Balboa to strip him from the Aug. 14 ballot.