Christine Jennings
Encyclopedia
Christine Jennings is a self-made banker and businessperson, and a Democratic politician
in Florida
.
In 2006, Jennings was the Democratic nominee for the United States Congress
to represent Florida's 13th congressional district
. The seat was left open when incumbent Katherine Harris
ran for the U.S. Senate.
In the 2006 election, 237,861 votes were cast, but for unknown reasons, 18,382 of the electronic ballots in Sarasota County recorded no vote for a congressional candidate. By the tally of the remaining votes, Jennings received 373 fewer votes than her opponent, Republican
Vern Buchanan
. Of the counted votes in Sarasota County, Jennings won 52.8%. If the missing votes had broken for Jennings by the same percentage as the counted votes in Sarasota County, the Democrat would have won the race by about 600 votes instead of losing by 368, according to a Herald-Tribune review.
An audit of the machines found nothing wrong, and it is believed that some voters failed to vote for the Congressional Candidate because it was on the same page as the crowded Governor's race. Other voters who failed to vote in the Congressional race initially were able to catch the mistake on the review page of the ballot. Still others, who had voted, noticed their votes had not been recorded when they reviewed the votes at the end. There has been no explanation as to why some votes did not record after they were made.
Jennings, a former Republican, never graduated from college and started her career as a bank teller at the age of 17. In 1992, she founded Sarasota Bank, which was bought by Colonial Bank
in 2003 for $40.5 million USD.
In her career as a banker, Jennings rose to become President, CEO, Chairman of the Board and Director of Sarasota Bank. She also served as President of the Sarasota Downtown Association and President of the Sarasota Film Festival.
, by 47% to 38% in a four-candidate race, despite outspending Schneider by a ratio of nearly 4 to 1. "Her supporters attribute this outcome, though, to Jennings’ late start, and they say her business background gives her both better cross-party appeal and stronger fundraising potential."
Poll numbers showed Jennings with a lead, which varied from 2–12% based on five polls.
In November, Jennings faced Republican Vern Buchanan
, who won a bitterly fought Republican primary with 32.3% of the vote. Buchanan's fund-raising receipts more than tripled those of Jennings, including infusions of nearly $6 million of his own money. Jennings was endorsed by the Sarasota Herald-Tribune
, the major newspaper in District 13.
After the votes were counted, Buchanan narrowly led Jennings by fewer than four hundred votes. In Sarasota County, Florida there were almost 18,000 undervotes in the race. Some advocated for a revote, but that rarely occurs in Florida, and would have been a first in Florida for the federal office.
In March 2007 a letter surfaced "in which Electronic Systems & Software Inc. (ES&S)— the company that manufactured the electronic voting machines used in the Florida 13 election—told election officials that the voting screens exhibited slow response times during testing." The following week "California Democratic Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald
, chairwoman of the House Administration Committee
... announced the formation of the task force" to investigate the election.
The House committee dismissed Jennings' challenge on February 25, 2008 and affirmed the certified result of the FL-13 declaring Buchanan the winner of the 2006 election. The full House of Representatives affirmed the committee's findings in HR 989, declaring that machine error could not be demonstrated after a Government Accountability Office
(GAO) review in Sarasota. Jennings dropped her challenge to the race shortly after to focus on her 2008 Congressional rematch against Buchanan.
. Jennings lost to incumbent Vern Buchanan, taking just 37% of the vote.
However, the next day the Jennings campaign stated that the amount of unpaid payroll taxes was closer to $38,000, but IRS and campaign records indicated that the amount of repaid payroll taxes since July 2006 amounted to $70,126. The revelations followed a 2006 election where Jennings spoke at length about Buchanan's refusal to release his personal tax returns; upon the breaking of the controversy, Schneider referred to the news as a demonstration of "shameful hypocrisy" on the part of Jennings.
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
.
In 2006, Jennings was the Democratic nominee for the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
to represent Florida's 13th congressional district
Florida's 13th congressional district
Florida's 13th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Florida that encompasses all of Sarasota, DeSoto, and Hardee counties and most of Manatee County except for a small northern coastal portion that is located in the neighboring 11th Congressional District...
. The seat was left open when incumbent Katherine Harris
Katherine Harris
Katherine Harris is an American Republican politician, former Secretary of State of Florida, and former member of the United States House of Representatives. Harris won the 2002 election to represent Florida's 13th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives. She held that post...
ran for the U.S. Senate.
In the 2006 election, 237,861 votes were cast, but for unknown reasons, 18,382 of the electronic ballots in Sarasota County recorded no vote for a congressional candidate. By the tally of the remaining votes, Jennings received 373 fewer votes than her opponent, Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Vern Buchanan
Vern Buchanan
Vernon G. "Vern" Buchanan is the Congressman for , serving since 2007. He is a member of the Republican Party.-Early life and education:...
. Of the counted votes in Sarasota County, Jennings won 52.8%. If the missing votes had broken for Jennings by the same percentage as the counted votes in Sarasota County, the Democrat would have won the race by about 600 votes instead of losing by 368, according to a Herald-Tribune review.
An audit of the machines found nothing wrong, and it is believed that some voters failed to vote for the Congressional Candidate because it was on the same page as the crowded Governor's race. Other voters who failed to vote in the Congressional race initially were able to catch the mistake on the review page of the ballot. Still others, who had voted, noticed their votes had not been recorded when they reviewed the votes at the end. There has been no explanation as to why some votes did not record after they were made.
Jennings, a former Republican, never graduated from college and started her career as a bank teller at the age of 17. In 1992, she founded Sarasota Bank, which was bought by Colonial Bank
Colonial Bank
Colonial Bank, formerly a subsidiary of Colonial Bancgroup Inc., was headquartered in Montgomery, Alabama. Colonial Bank had 346 branches in the states of Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Nevada and Texas. Colonial's assets had grown from $166 million in 1981 to $26 billion. This growth can be attributed...
in 2003 for $40.5 million USD.
In her career as a banker, Jennings rose to become President, CEO, Chairman of the Board and Director of Sarasota Bank. She also served as President of the Sarasota Downtown Association and President of the Sarasota Film Festival.
2004
Jennings lost the 2004 primary for the seat to the eventual nominee, Jan SchneiderJan Schneider
Dr Jan Schneider is a Democratic politician. She ran for United States Congress in in 2002 and 2004. Both times she won the Democratic Primary, and lost to Katherine Harris in the open election...
, by 47% to 38% in a four-candidate race, despite outspending Schneider by a ratio of nearly 4 to 1. "Her supporters attribute this outcome, though, to Jennings’ late start, and they say her business background gives her both better cross-party appeal and stronger fundraising potential."
2006
Jennings won 61.8% of the vote in the September 5, 2006 Democratic primary, having heavily outraised Schneider during the campaign. CQPolitics.com wrote that while Schneider had run game challenges to Harris as the Democratic nominee in 2002 and 2004, "[her] strongest appeal was to more liberal elements of the 13th District constituency, and many Democratic officials thought Jennings’ business background would make her a more viable general election contender".Poll numbers showed Jennings with a lead, which varied from 2–12% based on five polls.
In November, Jennings faced Republican Vern Buchanan
Vern Buchanan
Vernon G. "Vern" Buchanan is the Congressman for , serving since 2007. He is a member of the Republican Party.-Early life and education:...
, who won a bitterly fought Republican primary with 32.3% of the vote. Buchanan's fund-raising receipts more than tripled those of Jennings, including infusions of nearly $6 million of his own money. Jennings was endorsed by the Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
The Sarasota Herald-Tribune is a daily newspaper located in Sarasota, Florida.It is owned by The New York Times Company, who purchased it in 1982, and part of its regional news group. Along with Comcast, the newspaper operates a local 24-hour...
, the major newspaper in District 13.
After the votes were counted, Buchanan narrowly led Jennings by fewer than four hundred votes. In Sarasota County, Florida there were almost 18,000 undervotes in the race. Some advocated for a revote, but that rarely occurs in Florida, and would have been a first in Florida for the federal office.
In March 2007 a letter surfaced "in which Electronic Systems & Software Inc. (ES&S)— the company that manufactured the electronic voting machines used in the Florida 13 election—told election officials that the voting screens exhibited slow response times during testing." The following week "California Democratic Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald
Juanita Millender-McDonald
Juanita Millender-McDonald was an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1996 until her death in 2007, representing California's 37th congressional district, which includes most of South Central Los Angeles and the city of Long Beach, California...
, chairwoman of the House Administration Committee
United States House Committee on House Administration
The United States House Committee on House Administration deals with the general administration matters of the United States House of Representatives.-Jurisdiction:...
... announced the formation of the task force" to investigate the election.
The House committee dismissed Jennings' challenge on February 25, 2008 and affirmed the certified result of the FL-13 declaring Buchanan the winner of the 2006 election. The full House of Representatives affirmed the committee's findings in HR 989, declaring that machine error could not be demonstrated after a Government Accountability Office
Government Accountability Office
The Government Accountability Office is the audit, evaluation, and investigative arm of the United States Congress. It is located in the legislative branch of the United States government.-History:...
(GAO) review in Sarasota. Jennings dropped her challenge to the race shortly after to focus on her 2008 Congressional rematch against Buchanan.
2008
Jennings announced her intention to run for the 13th District seat once again in 2008. On September 6, 2007 she received the endorsement of Emily's ListEMILY's List
EMILY's List is a political action committee in the United States that aims to help elect female candidates to office. It was founded by Ellen Malcolm in 1984....
. Jennings lost to incumbent Vern Buchanan, taking just 37% of the vote.
Payroll tax controversy
In August 2007, while Jennings continued her court contest of the 2006 Congressional race results, the Herald-Tribune reported on a lawsuit filed by Democratic primary candidate Jan Schneider through the Federal Elections Commission (FEC). The lawsuit alleged that Jennings collected but failed to file and submit payroll taxes collected from her campaign staff during the 2006 election. Initially the Jennings campaign admitted that they had failed to pay $23,835 in payroll taxes during the campaign as a consequence of a paperwork error that was cleared up as soon as it was found. Said Jennings, "when I found out about it, I corrected it".However, the next day the Jennings campaign stated that the amount of unpaid payroll taxes was closer to $38,000, but IRS and campaign records indicated that the amount of repaid payroll taxes since July 2006 amounted to $70,126. The revelations followed a 2006 election where Jennings spoke at length about Buchanan's refusal to release his personal tax returns; upon the breaking of the controversy, Schneider referred to the news as a demonstration of "shameful hypocrisy" on the part of Jennings.
See also
- United States House of Representatives elections in Florida, 2008United States House of Representatives elections in Florida, 2008The 2008 congressional elections in Florida were held on November 4, 2008 to determine who will represent the state of Florida in the United States House of Representatives. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those elected will serve in the 111th Congress from January 4, 2009 until...
- Florida's 13th congressional districtFlorida's 13th congressional districtFlorida's 13th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Florida that encompasses all of Sarasota, DeSoto, and Hardee counties and most of Manatee County except for a small northern coastal portion that is located in the neighboring 11th Congressional District...
External links
- Christine Jennings for U.S. Congress official campaign website
- Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org