The 2010 census will confirm continued robust population growth among Hispanics, who hope to translate their status as the nation's largest minority group into more political power.

"The Latino electorate has been consistently increasing both their total number of voters as well as their share of the electorate," Andres Ramirez, senior vice president and director of Hispanic programs at the center-left think tank NDN, said at a briefing Tuesday in Washington.

This trend is evident across the nation, and not just in states along the U.S. border with Mexico. "As this trend continues, it will be increasingly difficult for any candidate to win either a state or a national election without the support of Latino voters," Ramirez said.

The question is whether Hispanics can parlay their beefed-up population numbers into greater clout in Congress, where there are only 23 Hispanics in the 435-member House, or 5 percent of the total.

The powerful anti-tax group the Club for Growth on Monday endorsed former state House Speaker Marco Rubio in Florida's Senate Republican primary, setting up a marquee showdown with national party leaders, who have already backed Gov. Charlie Crist.

The endorsement came just days after the group announced it would release a television ad attacking Crist for endorsing President Barack Obama¹s economic stimulus plan earlier this year.

Crist has the backing of by the National Republican Senatorial Committee. But Florida is an expansive state where campaigns have to buy ads in multiple markets, so the Club for Growth commitment could make the primary battle much more competitive.

The anti-tax group the Club for Growth said Thursday that it is ready to air a television commercial in Florida that hits Gov. Charlie Crist for endorsing the stimulus bill -- one day after the governor said in a CNN interview that he never backed the $787 billion spending legislation.

The ad uses video from a Crist appearance with President Barack Obama in February during which the governor talks about the importance of passing the stimulus package.

"Since Charlie Crist helped pass Barack Obama's spending program, nearly 200,000 Floridians have lost their jobs. Unemployment is the highest in decades. Personal income's down. And the deficit in Washington is three times larger," a narrator says in the ad. "Tell Gov. Crist to work on fixing Florida's economy, not passing more debt to our children."

Outspoken freshman Rep. Alan Grayson raised more than $500,000 for his re-election effort during a one day online "money bomb" event held Monday.

Grayson's Web site, www.congressmanwithguts.com, broke the half-million dollar fundraising mark early Tuesday morning and in a press release the campaign announced that contributions, generally of less than $40 each, came in from more than 13,000 people.

"What we've demonstrated is that you can finance a campaign for a competitive district in an expensive media market through People Power. Not by sucking up to lobbyists, special interests or favor-seekers," Grayson said in the news release.

Sen. James M. Inhofe, R-Okla., endorsed a second candidate in another GOP Senate primary, picking Rep. Todd Tiahrt over Rep. Jerry Moran in Kansas' open-seat Senate race.

Moran and Tiahrt are in a competitive race for the GOP nomination -- the winner of that contest in August 2010 is expected to be the next senator from Kansas.

Inhofe announced last week that he was backing former House Speaker Marco Rubio over Gov. Charlie Crist in Florida's GOP Senate primary.

"There is a real battle going on in Washington, a philosophical battle between [House Speaker] Nancy Pelosi and her Washington liberals, who want to tax and spend this country into deeper recession and mind-numbing debt and a group of conservatives who believe we must stop bailing out Wall Street and start investing again in Main Street," Inhofe said. "Todd Tiahrt is one of those conservatives."

More potential challengers to Florida Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Fla., are deciding to take a pass on running against the freshman Democrat.

Former state Sen. Dan Webster, who was seen by many Republicans as someone who could clear the GOP field and help the party avoid a contested primary, took his name out of consideration Tuesday afternoon.

"This has been a very difficult decision for me personally, especially because of the tremendous outpouring of support that has flooded me from all sides," Webster said in a statement to the Florida press. "However, in spite of this incredible encouragement, I still have a certain check in my spirit, prompting me to follow a principle that has always served me well: 'When in doubt, don't.'"

Former Miami Mayor Maurice Ferre added his name Wednesday to the growing list of Florida Democrats seeking the party's Senate nomination in 2010.

The Puerto Rico-born Ferre is hoping to appeal to the Sunshine State's large Hispanic population.

Ferre is fairly well known from his 12 years as mayor, but standing squarely in his way in the August 2010 primary will be Rep. Kendrick Meek, who is the well-funded frontrunner in the Democratic field. Meek jumped into the Senate race early in the year and, with the backing of former President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton , has become the establishment pick in the primary.

North Miami Mayor Kevin Burns also is in the primary, and Rep. Corrine Brown is exploring a run.

"Florida has been the promised land for five generations of my family But, a record level of unemployment, a damaged economy and a shrinking population has our paradise on the brink of disaster," Ferre said in his announcement. "My mission as a United States Senator is to turn that around and fight for our people so that Florida begins to lead the pack."

One of the hard things to explain to casual consumers of political news is the sometimes thin connection between philosophy and party. Not all Democrats consider themselves liberal, not all Republicans consider themselves conservative and vice versa.

The latest example of how not all conservatives march in step with the Republican Party comes from the blog RedState, which is leading a fundraising drive for four conservative Senate candidates, two of whom are running in GOP primaries against opponents backed by the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

"I won't call this the 'screw the NRSC' fundraiser, but I'm sorely tempted," wrote editor-in-chief Erick Erickson.

There's a bumper crop of House members who are seeking other political offices in 2010 in lieu of running for re-election.

Seventeen House members are pursuing other offices, according to a CQ Politics count that has been updated to reflect the Senate candidacy announcement last week by Rep. Charlie Melancon, D-La.

Eight House members are running for the Senate, eight are seeking governorships and Rep. Adam H. Putnam, R-Fla., is running for state agriculture commissioner.

Larry Cretul, the Republican Speaker of the Florida House, will not challenge freshman Democratic Rep. Alan Grayson.

Cretul's decision was confirmed by the Ocala Star-Banner newspaper Sunday after multiple news reports suggested he would not run against Grayson, who won the 8th District seat in central Florida in 2008 by defeating Republican incumbent Ric Keller with 52 percent of the vote.

While Cretul was the most prominent among the potential Republican candidates for next year's race, the GOP is still has a number of contenders who do want to take on Grayson. The heavy-hitters include state Rep. Stephen Precourt, Orange County Mayor Rich Crotty and former state Sen. Dan Webster.