The 2006 United States Senate election in Florida was held on November 7, 2006. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Bill Nelson won re-election to a second term.
Candidates
LeRoy Collins Jr., retired naval officer and son of former Governor LeRoy Collins
Katherine Harris, U.S. Representative
Will McBride, attorney
Peter Monroe, businessman and former COO of the Federal Housing Administration [1]
The Bradenton Herald: Will McBride
Florida (Jacksonville) Times-Union: LeRoy Collins, Jr. or Peter Monroe
Gainesville Sun: LeRoy Collins, Jr.
Lakeland Ledger: LeRoy Collins, Jr.
Miami Herald: LeRoy Collins, Jr.
Naples Daily News: LeRoy Collins, Jr.
Orlando Sentinel: Will McBride
Palm Beach Post: Peter Monroe
Sarasota Herald-Tribune: not making an endorsement
South Florida (Fort Lauderdale) Sun Sentinel: Peter Monroe
St. Petersburg Times: LeRoy Collins, Jr.
Tampa Tribune: LeRoy Collins, Jr.
Bill Nelson, incumbent U.S. Senator
Katherine Harris, former Florida Secretary of State and former U.S. Representative
Floyd Ray Frazier
Brian Moore, retired health care executive and former congressional candidate
Belinda Noah
Roy Tanner
Alexander Grosholz
Lawrence Scott
Bernard Senter
The organization Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), which monitors political corruption, complained to the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) in October 2006 that the Bacardi beverage company had illegally used corporate resources in support of a fundraising event for Nelson in 2005. CREW had previously filed a similar complaint concerning a Bacardi fundraising event for Republican Senator Mel Martinez, an event that raised as much as $60,000 for Martinez's campaign. The amended complaint alleged that, on both occasions, Bacardi violated the Federal Election Campaign Act and FEC regulations by soliciting contributions from a list of the corporation’s vendors.
In a rare move, all twenty-two of Florida's daily newspapers supported Nelson, while none supported Harris in the general election.
Bradenton Herald: Bill Nelson
Charlotte Sun-Herald: Bill Nelson
Daytona Beach News-Journal: Bill Nelson
Florida Times-Union: Bill Nelson
Fort Myers News-Press: Bill Nelson
Gainesville Sun: Bill Nelson
Lakeland Ledger: Bill Nelson
Miami Herald: Bill Nelson
Naples Daily News: Bill Nelson
Orlando Sentinel: Bill Nelson
Palm Beach Post: Bill Nelson
Pensacola News Journal: Bill Nelson
Saint Petersburg Times: Bill Nelson
Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Bill Nelson
Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers: Bill Nelson
South Florida Sun-Sentinel: Bill Nelson
Tallahassee Democrat: Bill Nelson
Tampa Tribune: Bill Nelson
