A Pro's Tip Sheet: Justin Sayfie's Guide to Florida Politics January 29, 2012, 12:50 pm Ah, Florida. The state looms large in Republican politics, not just because its primary on Tuesday will involve the largest, most diverse electorate yet. Republicans in Florida played kingmaker to Senator John McCain when he won its primary in 2008, but Barack Obama ultimately won the general election. The state is home to two of the Republicans" biggest heroes: Jeb Bush, a former governor, and Senator Marco Rubio - who, like Gov. Rick Scott, rode into office with Tea Party backing - and one the party's villains: former Gov. Charlie Crist, a moderate Republican who ran for the Senate against Mr. Rubio as an independent. To help us get up to speed on it all, we asked Justin Sayfie (@justinsayfie), a Miami lawyer and lobbyist who was a top aide to Mr. Bush, to curate a list of must-reads about Florida politics. We knew we would be in capable hands: Mr. Sayfie runs an award-winning newsletter, Sayfie Review, that Florida politicians have been relying on since 2002 - and that is a godsend for us national press types during this phase in the 2012 presidential cycle. Mr. Sayfie's list focuses on the landmark events in Florida politics since 2006 that have shaped the landscape. You can take this list to go, by the way, on The New York Times's Election 2012 app, which features not only Mr. Sayfie's thoughtful choices, but also The Times's picks of the best politics coverage from around the Web. We will have more expert lists for you in the coming days. Florida readers: Is there an article you would recommend to help people outside the state understand your state's politics? Let us know in the comments section, or send your tips in a Twitter message with #nyt2012. We will post the best ones in a few days. 2006: Governor in Chief, The Weekly Standard The conservative magazine's June 12, 2006, look at Mr. Bush's "remarkable eight years of achievement in Florida." January 2008: Florida Voters Crown McCain the G.O.P."s Front-Runner, The St. Petersburg Times "John McCain, the irascible U.S. senator and Vietnam War veteran who has clashed liberally with his party's base, edged Mitt Romney to win the Florida Republican primary, giving him the mantle of Republican front-runner and bathing him in a glow of national electability only a week before 21 other states make their picks for the GOP nominee." November 2008: Key to Obama Victory in Florida: Casting a Wide Net, The St. Petersburg Times "Barack Obama won Florida by winning Tampa Bay. He won it by racking up a 140,000-vote margin in Miami-Dade and by winning Hispanic voters around Orlando. And he won Florida by siphoning votes out of Republican strongholds such as Escambia, Marion and Collier counties. May 2009: Crist, Obama Join to Promote Stimulus, The St. Petersburg Times "President Obama visited one of Florida's most economically ravaged communities Tuesday, where Gov. Charlie Crist showered him with the kind of bipartisan love that has eluded the president in Washington." The moment would prove emblematic of Republicans" anger with Mr. Crist. April 2010: Behind Crist's Exit from the G.O.P.: The Hand of Jeb Bush?, Time Mr. Crist announced that he would run for the United States Senate as an independent when it became clear that Mr. Rubio, a Cuban-American leader in the State Legislature who was popular with the Tea Party, would beat him in a Republican primary. August 2010: Scott Shocks McCollum in Florida Governor's Race, Politico "On a night that was supposed to favor political insiders from coast to coast ... [Rick] Scott's victory in the G.O.P. primary stood out as a triumph of scorched-earth campaign tactics and relentless outsider messaging." Mr. Scott would go on to win the general election, though his popularity has deteriorated. Nov. 2010: Rubio Coasts to U.S. Senate Victory, The Orlando Sentinel "The Senate outcome, though predicted by pollsters for weeks, solidified Rubio's position as a rising star in the Republican Party. Already, he is being talked about as a possible 2012 vice-presidential candidate.