Florida elections, 2010
Encyclopedia
Elections were held in Florida
on Tuesday, November 2, 2010. Primary election
s were held on August 24, 2010.
Florida had 4.6 million Democrats and 4 million Republicans. The latter outpolled Democrats among the 2.4 million independent voters and attracted conservative Democrats in cross-party voting. While running behind Republicans generally, the Democrats ran strongly in every urban area of the state. They lost by lopsided margins in the far Panhandle
, Southwest Florida and the Space Coast
.
, Democrat Kendrick Meek
, and independent Charlie Crist
, along with many other third-party and independent candidates.
are up for election in 2010.
did not run for re-election, choosing instead to run for election as Senator (initially as a Republican, then later as an independent). In Florida, the Governor and Lieutenant Governor run as a ticket.
Republican Rick Scott and Democrat Alex Sink
won their respective party's primaries; Scott named Jennifer Carroll as his Lieutenant-Governor running-mate while Sink named Rod Smith.
Scott would go on to win the general election by plurality, thus holding the seat for the GOP.
were up for election in 2010.
are up for election in 2010.
, Democrat Dan Gelber
and independent Jim Lewis
ran for Florida Attorney General, with Bondi winning the election.
up for election were the Chief Financial Officer and the Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The Republican candidates (Jeff Atwater and Adam Putnam
, respectively) won their elections.
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...
on Tuesday, November 2, 2010. Primary election
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
s were held on August 24, 2010.
Florida had 4.6 million Democrats and 4 million Republicans. The latter outpolled Democrats among the 2.4 million independent voters and attracted conservative Democrats in cross-party voting. While running behind Republicans generally, the Democrats ran strongly in every urban area of the state. They lost by lopsided margins in the far Panhandle
Florida Panhandle
The Florida Panhandle, an informal, unofficial term for the northwestern part of Florida, is a strip of land roughly 200 miles long and 50 to 100 miles wide , lying between Alabama on the north and the west, Georgia also on the north, and the Gulf of Mexico to the south. Its eastern boundary is...
, Southwest Florida and the Space Coast
Space Coast
The Space Coast is a region in the U.S. state of Florida around Kennedy Space Center , where NASA launched space shuttles until the last one on July 8th, 2011 at 11:29am; and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, site of unmanned civilian and military space launches...
.
United States Senate
Main contenders for Florida's open Senate seat include Republican Marco RubioMarco Rubio
Marco Antonio Rubio is the junior United States Senator from Florida . A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives ....
, Democrat Kendrick Meek
Kendrick Meek
Kendrick Brett Meek is an American politician who was the U.S. Representative for from 2003 to 2011. He was the Democratic nominee in the 2010 Senate election for the seat of Mel Martinez, but he lost in a three way race to Republican Marco Rubio along with Independent Charlie Crist.-Early life,...
, and independent Charlie Crist
Charlie Crist
Charles Joseph "Charlie" Crist, Jr. is an American politician who was the 44th Governor of Florida. Prior to his election as governor, Crist previously served as Florida State Senator, Education Commissioner, and Attorney General...
, along with many other third-party and independent candidates.
United States House
All twenty-five of Florida's seats in the United States House of RepresentativesUnited States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
are up for election in 2010.
Governor and Lieutenant Governor
Incumbent Governor Charlie CristCharlie Crist
Charles Joseph "Charlie" Crist, Jr. is an American politician who was the 44th Governor of Florida. Prior to his election as governor, Crist previously served as Florida State Senator, Education Commissioner, and Attorney General...
did not run for re-election, choosing instead to run for election as Senator (initially as a Republican, then later as an independent). In Florida, the Governor and Lieutenant Governor run as a ticket.
Republican Rick Scott and Democrat Alex Sink
Alex Sink
Adelaide "Alex" Sink is an American politician of the Democratic Party. Sink was the Chief Financial Officer for the state of Florida and treasurer on the board of trustees of the Florida State Board of Administration...
won their respective party's primaries; Scott named Jennifer Carroll as his Lieutenant-Governor running-mate while Sink named Rod Smith.
Scott would go on to win the general election by plurality, thus holding the seat for the GOP.
State Senate
Approximately one-half of the forty seats of the Florida SenateFlorida Senate
The Florida Senate is the upper house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida. The Senate is composed of 40 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 470,032....
were up for election in 2010.
State House of Representatives
All 120 seats in the Florida House of RepresentativesFlorida House of Representatives
The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida. The House is composed of 120 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 156,677.The House convenes at...
are up for election in 2010.
Attorney General
Republican Pam BondiPam Bondi
Pamela Jo Bondi is the current Attorney General of Florida.-Early life and education:Bondi's hometown is Temple Terrace, Florida. Her father, Joseph Bondi, was a City Councilman and then Mayor of Temple Terrace. She is a graduate of C. Leon King High School in Tampa, Florida...
, Democrat Dan Gelber
Dan Gelber
Dan Gelber is a former prosecutor, a candidate for Attorney General of Florida and is a member of the Florida Senate, representing the 35th District. He is a Democrat and previously represented the 106th District of the Florida House from 2000 - 2008...
and independent Jim Lewis
Jim Lewis
Jim Lewis may refer to:* Jim Lewis * Jim Lewis , Muppet writer* Jim Lewis , former Minnesota Twins, Seattle Mariners, and New York Yankees pitcher* Jim Lewis , former San Diego Padres baseball pitcher...
ran for Florida Attorney General, with Bondi winning the election.
Other state offices
The other state-level offices within the Florida CabinetFlorida Cabinet
The Florida Cabinet is a body of the government of Florida that engages in the collective governance of the state.Created following Reconstruction, when there had been a widespread distrust of the governors appointed by the federal government, the cabinet was designed to decentralize authority from...
up for election were the Chief Financial Officer and the Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The Republican candidates (Jeff Atwater and Adam Putnam
Adam Putnam
Adam H. Putnam is the current Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 2001 until 2011. He is a member of the Republican Party.-Early life, education and career:...
, respectively) won their elections.
Judicial positions
Multiple judicial positions will be up for election in 2010, including four justices of the Supreme Court of Florida.- Florida judicial elections, 2010 at JudgepediaSam Adams AllianceSam Adams Alliance is a non-profit organization based in Richmond, Virginia. Founded in Chicago in 2006, the group describes itself as a "fiercely independent organization dedicated to inspiring and encouraging grass-roots citizen activism."...
Ballot measures
Seven measures have been certified for the 2010 ballot.- Florida 2010 ballot measures at BallotpediaSam Adams AllianceSam Adams Alliance is a non-profit organization based in Richmond, Virginia. Founded in Chicago in 2006, the group describes itself as a "fiercely independent organization dedicated to inspiring and encouraging grass-roots citizen activism."...
External links
- Elections Division of the Florida Secretary of State
- Florida Candidate List at Imagine Election - Search for candidates by zip code
- Candidates for Florida State Offices at Project Vote SmartProject Vote SmartProject Vote Smart is a non-profit, non-partisan research organization that collects and distributes information on candidates for public office in the United States...
- Florida Congressional Races in 2010 for campaign finance data for federal races from OpenSecrets.orgCenter for Responsive PoliticsThe Center for Responsive Politics is a non-profit, nonpartisan research group based in Washington, D.C. that tracks money in politics and the effect of money and lobbying activity on elections and public policy and maintains a public online database of its information.Their database...
- Florida State Races in 2010 campaign finance data for state races from Follow the Money