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United States House of Representatives elections in Florida, 2016

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November 8, 2016 (2016-11-08)
  
2018 →

16
  
11

4,733,630
  
3,985,050

17
  
10

1
  
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54.71%
  
45.21%

United States House of Representatives elections in Florida, 2016

The 2016 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida were held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016 to elect the 27 U.S. Representatives from the state of Florida, one from each of the state's 27 congressional districts. The elections coincided with the elections of other federal and state offices, including President of the United States. A lawsuit challenging the districts under Florida's Congressional District Boundaries Amendment (Fair Districts Amendment) was filed in 2012 and was resolved in 2015. The results of the lawsuit will have major repercussions on the congressional races in Florida in 2016. The primaries were held on August 30.

Contents

Redistricting lawsuit

In 2014, Circuit Court Judge Terry Lewis threw out the congressional map for violating Florida's 2010 Amendment 6 to the state Constitution, commonly called the Fair Districts Amendment. The ruling specifically applied to FL-5 and FL-10. Subsequent rulings by higher courts and concluding in the Supreme Court of Florida also struck down FL-13, FL-21, FL-22 and FL-26, which also necessitated redraws of varying scale to the districts surrounding them.

Republican primary

Republican Jeff Miller has represented the district since being elected in 2001. Miller considered running for the U.S. Senate. On July 30, 2015, Miller decided not to run for the open Senate seat and announced he would run for reelection. In March 2016, Miller announced he would not run for reelection.

State Senator Greg Evers had expressed his interest in running for this seat if Miller had run for the Senate. In the August 30 primary, Matt Gaetz defeated Rebekah Johansen Bydlak, Cris Dosev, Greg Evers, Gary Fairchild, Brian Frazier, Mark Wichern, and James Zumwalt for the nomination.

Candidate

  • Steven Specht, law student and former Air Force intelligence officer ran unopposed on primary day.
  • District 2

    Redistricting significantly altered the 2nd, mainly by shifting most of Tallahassee's African American residents to the 5th District. On paper, this made the 2nd heavily Republican. Democrat Gwen Graham represented the district for one term after being elected in 2014, when she beat Republican incumbent Steve Southerland. She did not run for re-election.

    Democratic primary

    Steve Crapps filed to run as a Democrat in the primary as did former Deputy Attorney General Walter Dartland.

    The primary results were too close to call as of September 1, 2016.

    Candidates

    Declared
  • Neal Dunn, urologist
  • Ken Sukhia, former United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida
  • Mary Thomas, general counsel for the Florida Department of Elder Affairs
  • Dunn won the primary on August 30, 2016.

    Candidates

    Declared
  • Rob Lapham, retired IT executive
  • District 3

    Republican Ted Yoho has represented the district since being elected in 2012, and ran unopposed. Businessman Kenneth McGurn also ran unopposed for the Democratic nomination.

    District 4

    Republican Ander Crenshaw has represented the district since being elected in 2000. On April 14, 2016, he announced that he will not run for re-election.

    Candidates

    Declared
  • Stephen Kaufman, public relations manager
  • Lake Ray, State Representative
  • Ed Malin
  • Bill McClure, St. John's County commissioner
  • Deborah Katz Pueschel, perennial candidate
  • John Rutherford, former Sheriff of Jacksonville
  • Hans Tanzler III, son of former Mayor of Jacksonville Hans Tanzler
  • John Rutherford won the primary on August 30, 2016.

    Democratic primary

    Former Jacksonville City Councilman and former State Representative Eric Smith announced that he would run for the Democratic nomination. On June 22, 2016, Smith announced that he was withdrawing from the race, leaving no Democratic candidates two days before the close of filing.

    Dave Bruderly, an environmental engineer who was the nominee for Florida's 6th congressional district in 2004 and 2006, qualified on the last day of filing. and thus ran unopposed.

    Democratic primary

    Democrat Corrine Brown has represented the district and its various permutations since 1993. The court-ordered redistricting significantly altered her district. She had previously represented a district stretching from Jacksonville to Orlando. The new map pushed the 5th well to the north and west, and made it a more compact district stretching from Tallahassee to Jacksonville.

    In July 2016, Brown and her chief of staff were indicted on charges of fraud. In the Democratic primary--the real contest in this district--she was defeated by former state senator Al Lawson of Tallahassee.

    Republican primary

    Gloreatha "Glo" Scurry-Smith ran unopposed on primary day, August 30, 2016.

    District 6

    Republican Ron DeSantis has represented the district since being elected in 2012. DeSantis ran for the U.S. Senate, initially creating an open seat, though, on June 22, 2016, he withdrew from the Senate race to run for re-election to the House.

    Candidates

    Declared
  • Ron DeSantis, incumbent U.S. Representative
  • Fred Costello, State Representative
  • G.G. Galloway, real estate broker
  • Withdrawn
  • Sandy Adams, former U.S. Representative
  • Malcolm Anthony, attorney
  • Adam Barringer, former Mayor of New Smyrna Beach
  • James Jusick, gun-parts manufactuter and retired police officer
  • Ric Keller, former U.S. Representative
  • Pat Mooney, direct-mail consultant and brother of Congressman Alex Mooney
  • Brandon Patty, political consultant
  • David Santiago, State Representative (running for Re-Election)
  • Declined
  • Dorothy Hukill, State Senator
  • Travis Hutson, State Senator
  • Mark Miner, former St. Johns County Commissioner
  • Doc Renuart, former State Representative
  • John Rutherford, Duval County Sheriff
  • Candidates

    Declared
  • Jay McGovern, US Navy veteran
  • Bill McCullough, businessman
  • George Pappas, attorney
  • Dwayne Taylor, State Representative
  • Republican primary

    Republican John Mica has represented the 7th District since 1992. However, since the Florida Supreme Court's 2015 redistricting decision, Florida's 7th District now includes all of Seminole County and northern Orange County, including downtown Orlando, Winter Park, and the main campus of the University of Central Florida. In 2012, when Mica ran for re-election, he won with 59% of the vote, his smallest margin of victory in twenty years. Mica ran for re-election and wound up unopposed in the primary election after John Morning ended his campaign in November 2015.

    Democratic primary

    Stephanie Murphy, a businesswoman, professor and former U.S. Defense Department national security specialist, ran unopposed for the Democratic nomination.

    Republican primary

    Republican Bill Posey has represented the district since being elected in 2012. He previously represented the 15th district from 2009-2013, prior to the decennial redistricting. He ran for re-election.

    Democratic primary

    Corry Westbrook, former legislative director of the National Wildlife Federation, ran unopposed for the Democratic nomination.

    District 9

    Democrat Alan Grayson has represented the district since being elected in 2012. He previously represented the 8th district from 2009-2011, prior to the decennial redistricting. On July 9, 2015 Grayson announced he would run for U.S. Senate in 2016 rather than seek re-election. Grayson lost the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate seat to 18th congressional district Representative Patrick Murphy, who defeated Grayson and was declared the winner on August 30, 2016.

    Democratic primary

    Darren Soto was declared the winner of the Democratic primary for the 9th District on August 30, 2016, defeating Valleri Crabtree, Dena Minning Grayson and Susannah Randolph.

    Polling

  • *Internal poll for the Dena Grayson campaign
  • Candidates

    Declared
  • Wayne Liebnitzky, engineer
  • Wanda Rentas, Vice Mayor of Kissimmee
  • Declined
  • Mike La Rosa, State Representative
  • District 10

    Republican Daniel Webster has represented the district since being elected in 2012. He previously represented the 8th district from 2011 to 2013, prior to the decennial redistricting. However, after redistricting made the 10th substantially more Democratic, Webster opted to run in the neighboring 11th District, which included a slice of his former territory.

    Candidates

    Geoff LaGarde withdrew his name from the race on June 24, and endorsed Thuy Lowe for the nomination. Lowe was declared the nominee, and no Republican primary was held.

    Democratic primary

    Val Demings, former Orlando Police Chief and nominee for the 10th congressional district in 2012, was declared the winner of the Democratic primary for the 10th District on August 30, 2016.

    Candidates

    Declared
  • Val Demings, former Orlando Police Chief and nominee in 2012
  • Fatima Fahmy, attorney
  • Bob Poe, former Chair of the Florida Democratic Party
  • Geraldine Thompson, State Senator
  • District 11

    Republican Rich Nugent represented the district since being elected in 2011 (it was numbered as the 5th district from 2011-2013, prior to the decennial redistricting). He is not seeking re-election.

    Republican primary

    On the Republican side, Nugent's former chief-of-staff Justin Grabelle ran. 10th District congressman Daniel Webster ran against Grabelle in the Republican primary for the 11th; Webster was declared the primary winner on August 30, 2016.

    Democratic primary

    Businessman Dave Koller, who was the Democratic nominee in 2014, ran unopposed in the 2016 primary.

    District 12

    Republican Gus Bilirakis has represented the district since being elected in 2012. He previously represented the 9th district from 2007-2013, prior to the decennial redistricting.

    Attorney Robert Tager ran unopposed for the Democratic nomination.

    District 13

    Republican David Jolly has represented the district since being elected in a special election in 2014. Jolly ran for the U.S. Senate, initially creating an open seat, though, on June 17, 2016, he withdrew from the Senate race to run for re-election to the House, citing "unfinished business."

    Candidates

    Declared
  • Mark Bircher, commercial pilot, retired United States Marine Corps Brigadier General, candidate for the seat in the 2014 special election
  • David Jolly, incumbent U.S. Representative
  • Declined
  • Rick Baker, former Mayor of St. Petersburg
  • Jeff Brandes, State Senator (running for re-election)
  • George Cretekos, Mayor of Clearwater
  • Bob Gualtieri, Pinellas County Sheriff (running for re-election)
  • Frank Hibbard, former Mayor of Clearwater
  • Jack Latvala, State Senator
  • Susan Latvala, former Pinellas County Commissioner
  • Ash Mason, former staffer to Sen. Marco Rubio
  • Kathleen Peters, State Representative and candidate for the seat in 2014
  • Karen Seel, Pinellas County Commissioner (running for re-election)
  • Candidates

    Declared
  • Charlie Crist, former Republican-turned-independent Governor of Florida, independent candidate for U.S. Senate in 2010, and Democratic nominee for Governor in 2014
  • Withdrew
  • Eric Lynn, political consultant and former White House Middle East policy adviser and Pentagon official (running for State House)
  • Declined
  • Dwight Dudley, State Representative
  • Rick Kriseman, Mayor of St. Petersburg
  • Mary Mulhern, former Tampa city councilwoman
  • Darden Rice, St. Petersburg city councilwoman
  • General election

    Polling
  • ^Internal poll for the Charlie Crist campaign
  • *Internal poll for the David Jolly campaign
  • District 14

    Democrat Kathy Castor has represented the district since being elected in 2012. She previously represented the 11th district from 2007-2013, prior to the decennial redistricting. Businesswoman Christine Quinn is challenging Castor as a Republican.

    District 15

    Republican Dennis A. Ross has represented the district since being elected in 2012. He previously represented the 12th district from 2011-2013, prior to the decennial redistricting. Jim Lange is challenging Ross as a Democrat.

    Candidates

  • Jan Schneider
  • Brent King
  • Republican primary

    Republican Vern Buchanan has represented the district since being elected in 2012. He previously represented the 16th district from 2009-2013, prior to the decennial redistricting. Buchanan ran for re-election. Buchanan had previously considered running for the U.S. Senate instead.

    Attorney Jan Schneider and airline pilot Brent King are running for the Democratic nomination.

    District 17

    Republican Tom Rooney has represented the district since being elected in 2012. He previously represented the 13th district from 2007-2013, prior to the decennial redistricting. Rooney considered running for the U.S. Senate, but decided to run for re-election instead.

    Businesswoman April Freeman ran unopposed for the Democratic nomination.

    Democratic primary

    Democrat Patrick Murphy has represented the district since being elected in 2012. On March 23, 2015, Murphy announced he would run for U.S. Senate rather than reelection, creating an open seat. Murphy defeated Alan Grayson in the primary on August 30, 2016, and faced Marco Rubio in the November general election. Rubio defeated Murphy. Republican Brian Mast, a former U.S. Army bomb technician and Democrat Randy Perkins, founder and CEO of Ashbritt won their parties' respective primary elections on August 30, 2016. Mast defeated Perkins in the general election.

    General election

    Polling

    District 19

    Republican Curt Clawson has represented the district since being elected in a special election in 2014. Clawson was mentioned as a potential candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2016. In May 2016, Clawson announced he would not seek a second term.

    Candidates

    Republicans running for their party's nomination include Sanibel councilman Chauncey Goss, businessman and former U.S. ambassador to the Vatican Francis Rooney and former Secret Service agent Dan Bongino.

    Potential candidates included Republicans Paige Kreegel, Fort Myers Councilman Tom Leonardo, and former State Representative Tom Grady, as well as Democratic businesswoman April Freeman, who was the party's nominee in 2014 for both the special election and in November.

    Democratic primary

    Robert Neeld ran unopposed for the Democratic nomination.

    District 20

    Democrat Alcee Hastings has represented the district since being elected in 2012. He previously represented the 23rd district from 1993-2013, prior to the decennial redistricting. Hastings announced in November 2014 that he would run for re-election in 2016.

    District 21

    Democrat Ted Deutch has represented the district since being elected in 2012. He previously represented the 19th district from 2010-2013, prior to the decennial redistricting.

    Deutch considered running for the U.S. Senate, but decided to run for re-election instead. If Deutch had run for Senate, State Senator Joseph Abruzzo was interested in running for this seat.

    As a result of 2015's statewide redistricting, incumbent Deutch will effectively be swapping seats with Lois Frankel, the current incumbent of the 22nd District. Deutch will seek election to the 22nd District seat while Frankel seeks election to District 21.

    District 22

    Democrat Lois Frankel has represented the district since being elected in 2012.

    Boca Raton businessman Joseph Bensmihen is challenging Frankel as a Republican. Physician Marc Freeman had also filed to run as a Republican, but switched to run in the 18th district.

    As a result of 2015's statewide redistricting, incumbent Frankel will effectively be swapping seats with Ted Deutch, the current incumbent of the 21st District. Frankel will seek election to the 21st District seat while Deutch seeks election to District 22.

    District 23

    Democrat Debbie Wasserman Schultz has represented the district since being elected in 2012. She previously represented the 20th district from 2005-2013, prior to the decennial redistricting.

    Candidates

    Declared
  • Debbie Wasserman Schultz, incumbent
  • Tim Canova, attorney and professor at Nova Southeastern University
  • Declined
  • Martin Karp, Miami-Dade School Board member
  • Polling

  • ^Poll for a Debbie Wasserman Schultz campaign-supporting Super PAC
  • *Internal poll for the Tim Canova campaign
  • Candidates

  • Marty Feigenbaum, attorney and Public Arbitrator for the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority
  • Joe Kaufman, 2014 Republican nominee
  • Official campaign websites

  • Tim Canova for Congress (D)
  • Marty Feigenbaum for Congress (R)
  • Joe Kaufman for Congress (R)
  • Debbie Wasserman Schultz for Congress (D)
  • Democratic primary

    Democrat Frederica Wilson has represented the district since being elected in 2012. She previously represented the 17th district from 2011-2013, prior to the decennial redistricting.

    Retired NFL player and former U.S. Homeland Security agent Randal Hill is challenging Wilson for the Democratic nomination.

    Results

    Democrat Frederica Wilson was unopposed in the General Election.

    District 25

    Republican Mario Diaz-Balart has represented the district since 2012. He previously represented the 21st district from 2011-2013, as well as a different version of the 25th from 2003-2011, prior to the decennial redistricting. The Democratic candidate is Dr. Alina Valdes; neither candidate will face a primary opponent.

    District 26

    Republican Carlos Curbelo has represented the district since being elected in 2014.

    Democratic primary

    Annette Taddeo, nominee for Florida's 18th congressional district in 2008 and nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Florida in 2014, is set to challenge Curbelo as a Democrat. Former U.S. Representative Joe Garcia, however, is seeking a rematch against Curbelo.

    Polling

  • ^ Internal poll for Joe Garcia campaign
  • * Internal poll for Annette Taddeo campaign
  • Republican primary

    Republican Ileana Ros-Lehtinen has represented the district since being elected in 2012. She previously represented the 18th district from 1989-2013, prior to the decennial redistricting.

    Democratic primary

    US Army veteran Frank Perez, businessman Scott Fuhrman, and attorney Adam Sackrin are running for the Democratic nomination.

    References

    United States House of Representatives elections in Florida, 2016 Wikipedia