Florida's 8th Congressional District | Source: National Atlas

Over the last several weeks, campaign ads for the upcoming November elections have begun to increase, especially in high priority, battleground districts. Florida’s 8th Congressional District is one such district. Jockeying for the seat in the House of Representatives are one outspoken, ultra-liberal Democrat, Alan Grayson, and a handful of conservative Republican hopefuls. Not to mention those running for the seat who have other or no party affiliations.

In November 2008, Democratic newcomer Alan Grayson was able to oust Republican Ric Keller who represented the district since 2001. Now, Grayson is up for re-election. After his vote on the health care bill and the stimulus, many of his constituents are beginning to question whether or not he is the right person to represent their district.

Before we can get to the November general election, however, we must first go through primary voting season, which takes place for this particular district on August 24th. While there are no Democrats running against Grayson in the Democratic primary, there are seven Republicans who will have to duke it out come August. However, there is only one that stands out to me.

Although the health care reform bill has been the main news maker in the United States over the past several weeks, we need not to forget about what the Church is doing in Haiti in response to the devastating earthquake that occurred on January 12, 2010. Today, the USCCB Media Blog updated us on what the church in the United States is doing in the poorest country in the western hemisphere.

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) has been overwhelmed with the outpouring of support from Catholics across the U.S. in response to the needs of earthquake survivors in Haiti. So far, the special collection from U.S. dioceses raised over $55 million for emergency help, and other contributions have brought in an additional $50 million. The USCCB Subcommittee for the Church in Latin America is partnering with CRS in the response. CRS is focusing now on rebuilding efforts—such as moving people from makeshift camps to temporary housing as the rainy station draws near—while the Bishops’ Advisory Group for Haiti of the Church in Latin America Committee will help rebuild the Church’s fabric and infrastructure in the Caribbean nation. This video shows how CRS put those donations to action in the days immediately following the quake.