Eye on 2010

Typically, the national campaign committees are more highly involved in House races than the state party committees, which also focus on state-level races for offices such as governor and for seats in the legislature. State Republican parties often coordinate with the House Republicans' campaign arm, the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), on individual House contests.

But Greer said he has stepped up the state party's involvement in Florida's U.S. House races.

"There was a little bit of a disconnect between the state party's efforts as it relates to congressional elections," Greer said. "And I felt that it was important that the state party have a close working relationship with congressional candidates, and we're going to continue to have that in 2010."

To date, no major Republican contender has announced an intention to run in either the 8th or the 24th. Greer said, though, that he believes his decision not to run may encourage candidates to enter the 24th District field.

Greer said Republican state Reps. Dorothy L. Hukill and Sandy Adams have spoken to him about running in the 24th.

In the 8th, Greer said state Rep. Stephen L. Precourt, former state Sen. Daniel Webster, and Orange County Mayor Richard Crotty continue to be discussed as possible GOP candidates.

The state Republican Party publicized a video last week in which a member of Grayson's staff, as identified by Republicans, calls the lawmaker "the congressman from ACORN" -- a reference to a political group, which advocates for low-income Americans, that faced controversy for its voter registration procedures during the 2008 campaign.

The national parties have also placed these races on their target lists.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee named both Grayson and Kosmas to its list of potentially vulnerable "Frontline" candidates, who receive additional aid and support. The NRCC, meanwhile, has slapped at both of these freshman lawmakers after they voted for economic stimulus and federal budget legislation favored by President Barack Obama.

Voters in the Orlando-area 8th District favored Obama as the 2008 Democratic presidential nominee with 52 percent of the vote, according to a CQ Politics' analysis. But even as Democrat Kosmas prevailed in the 24th -- which ranged from suburbs east of Orlando to Florida's "Space Coast" --Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain prevailed with 51 percent of the district's presidential vote.