2020 Florida Senate election
The 2020 elections for the Florida Senate took place on Tuesday, November 3, 2020, to elect state senators from 20 of 40 districts. The Republican Party has held a Senate majority since 1995. The result was a one-seat gain for the Republicans, thus maintaining their majority.[1]
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20 of the 40 seats in the Florida Senate 21 seats needed for a majority | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Turnout | 38.62% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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![]() Results: Republican gain Republican hold Democratic hold No election | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Elections in Florida |
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The elections for U.S. President, U.S. House of Representatives, and the Florida House of Representatives were also held on this date.[2]
Republican operatives, supported by Florida Power & Light,[3] ran sham ghost candidates in three races. In District 37, former senator Frank Artiles had Alex Rodriguez placed on the ballot to successfully siphon votes from Senator José Javier Rodríguez.[4] Both Artiles and Alex Rodriguez were charged and fined for electoral fraud.[5]
Competitive races
The most competitive races are expected to be the Democratic-held open Senate District 3 in North Florida, the Republican-held open District 9 to the northeast of Orlando, the special election in the Tampa area's open Republican-held District 20, the Democratic-held Senate District 37 in South Florida, and the Republican-held open District 39 in South Florida.[6][7]
2016 Presidential Results[8] and 2020 Candidates in Competitive Races:
Senate district | Clinton 2016 vote share | Trump 2016 vote share | 2020 Democratic nominee | 2020 Republican nominee |
District 3 | 52.60% Clinton | 43.95% Trump | Loranne Ausley | Marva Harris Preston |
District 9 | 45.98% Clinton | 49.87% Trump | Patricia Sigman | Jason Brodeur |
District 20 | 43.99% Clinton | 52.28% Trump | Kathy Lewis | Danny Burgess |
District 37 | 59.55% Clinton | 37.89% Trump | José Javier Rodríguez | Ileana Garcia |
District 39 | 53.74% Clinton | 43.49% Trump | Javier Fernandez | Ana Maria Rodriguez |
Overview
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Party | Votes | % | Seats | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total before |
Up | Won | Total after |
+/− | ||||
Republican Party of Florida | 2,663,076 | 49.03 | 23 | 10 | 11 | 24 | +1 | |
Florida Democratic Party | 2,642,318 | 48.65 | 17 | 10 | 9 | 16 | -1 | |
Independent | 125,497 | 2.31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | |
Write-in | 603 | 0.01 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | |
Total | 5,431,494 | 100.00 | 40 | 20 | 20 | 40 | ±0 | |
Source: Florida Division of Elections[9][10] |
Closest races
Seats where the margin of victory was under 10%:
- District 37, 0.02% gain
- District 9, 2.7%
- District 3, 6.8%
- District 20, 9.6%
Predictions
Source | Ranking | As of |
---|---|---|
The Cook Political Report[11] | Lean R | October 21, 2020 |
Primary election polling
District 27 - Republican
Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[lower-alpha 1] |
Margin of error |
Heather Fitzhagen |
Ray Rodriguez |
Undecided |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
St. Pete Polls/Florida Politics | July 28, 2020 | 463 (LV) | ± 4.6% | 18% | 59% | 23% |
Remington Research Group/Heather Fitzhagen[upper-alpha 1] | July 20, 2020 | 1,229 (LV) | ± 3% | 22% | 44% | 34% |
Remington Research Group/Heather Fitzhagen[upper-alpha 1] | June 18–19, 2020 | 460 (LV) | ± 4.5% | 34% | 24% | 42% |
District 29 - Democratic
Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[lower-alpha 1] |
Margin of error |
Tina Polsky |
Irving "Irv" Slosberg |
Undecided |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
St. Pete Polls/Florida Politics | August 14, 2020 | 477 (LV) | ± 4.5% | 49% | 37% | 13% |
District 39 - Democratic
Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[lower-alpha 1] |
Margin of error |
Javier E. Fernandez |
Daniel "Dan" Horton-Diaz |
Undecided |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
St. Pete Polls/Florida Politics | August 1–2, 2020 | 203 (LV) | ± 6.9% | 24% | 16% | 61% |
Retiring incumbents
Democrats
- 3rd district: Bill Montford (term-limited)
- 29th district: Kevin Rader (retiring)
- 35th district: Oscar Braynon (term-limited)
Republicans
- 5th district: Rob Bradley (term-limited)
- 9th district: David H. Simmons (term-limited)
- 21st district: Bill Galvano (term-limited)
- 27th district: Lizbeth Benacquisto (term-limited)
- 39th district: Anitere Flores (term-limited)
General election polling
District 3
Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[lower-alpha 1] |
Margin of error |
Loranne Ausley (D) |
Marva Preston (R) |
Undecided |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
St. Pete Polls/Florida Politics | October 17–18, 2020 | 948 (LV) | – | 51% | 44% | 5% |
ALG Research/Florida Senate Victory Fund/FDLCC[upper-alpha 2] | October 15, 2020 | 503 (V) | – | 48% | 40% | – |
District 9
Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[lower-alpha 1] |
Margin of error |
Jason Brodeur (R) |
Patricia Sigman (D) |
Jestine Ianotti (I) |
Undecided |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
St. Pete Polls/Florida Politics | October 31 – November 1, 2020 | 522 (LV) | ± 4.3% | 42% | 49% | 2% | 7% |
St. Pete Polls/Florida Politics | October 17–18, 2020 | 490 (LV) | ± 4.4% | 43% | 52% | – | 5% |
GQR Research/Florida Senate Victory Fund/FDLCC[upper-alpha 3] | October 16, 2020 | 400 (V) | – | 42% | 42% | – | – |
District 20
Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[lower-alpha 1] |
Margin of error |
Danny Burgess (R) |
Kathy Lewis (D) |
Undecided |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
St. Pete Polls/Florida Politics | October 24–25, 2020 | 644 (LV) | ± 3.9% | 45% | 44% | 12% |
District 37
Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[lower-alpha 1] |
Margin of error |
José Javier Rodríguez (D) |
Ileana Garcia (R) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
SEA Research/Florida Senate Victory Fund/FDLCC[upper-alpha 4] | October 13, 2020 | 400 (V) | – | 42% | 37% |
District 39
Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[lower-alpha 1] |
Margin of error |
Ana Maria Rodriguez (R) |
Javier Fernandez (D) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
GQR Research/Florida Senate Victory Fund/FDLCC[upper-alpha 5] | October 9, 2020 | 503 (V) | – | 43% | 43% |
Tyson Group/Let's Preserve the American Dream PAC | September 8–11, 2020 | – (V)[lower-alpha 2] | – | 37% | 31% |
Tyson Group/Let's Preserve the American Dream PAC | July, 2020 | – (V)[lower-alpha 3] | – | 31% | 28% |
Results
District 1 • District 3 • District 5 • District 7 • District 9 • District 11 • District 13 • District 15 • District 17 • District 19 • District 20 • District 21 • District 23 • District 25 • District 27 • District 29 • District 31 • District 35 • District 37 • District 39 |
District 1
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Douglas V. Broxson | 185,380 | 65.3% | |
Democratic | Karen M. Butler | 98,407 | 34.7% | |
Total votes | 293,787 | 100% | ||
Republican hold | ||||
District 3
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Loranne Ausley | 137,609 | 53.4% | |
Republican | Marva Harris Preston | 120,176 | 46.6% | |
Total votes | 257,785 | 100% | ||
Democratic hold | ||||
District 5
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Jennifer Bradley | 194,198 | 74.8% | |
Democratic | Stacey L. Peters | 65,568 | 25.2% | |
Total votes | 259,766 | 100% | ||
Republican hold | ||||
District 7
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Travis J. Hutson | 212,577 | 61.7% | |
Democratic | Heather Hunter | 131,763 | 38.3% | |
Independent | Richard Dembinsky (Write in) | 13 | 0.0% | |
Total votes | 344,353 | 100% | ||
Republican hold | ||||
District 9
No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Republican | Democratic |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Key: P Participant A Absent N Not invited I Invited W Withdrawn |
||||||
Jason Brodeur | Patricia Sigman | |||||
1 | Oct. 6, 2020 | WESH | Greg Fox | YouTube | P | P |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Jason Brodeur | 141,544 | 50.3% | |
Democratic | Patricia Sigman | 133,900 | 47.6% | |
Independent | Jestine Iannotti | 5,787 | 2.1% | |
Total votes | 281,231 | 100% | ||
Republican hold | ||||
District 11
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Randolph Bracy | 147,244 | 65.0% | |
Republican | Joshua Eli Adams | 79,224 | 35.0% | |
Total votes | 226,468 | 100% | ||
Democratic hold | ||||
District 13
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Linda Stewart | 152,769 | 60.6% | |
Republican | Josh Anderson | 99,134 | 39.4% | |
Total votes | 251,903 | 100% | ||
Democratic hold | ||||
District 15
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Victor M. Torres | 180,185 | 57.1% | |
Republican | Louis T. Minnis | 123,153 | 39.0% | |
Independent | Mike James | 12,207 | 3.9% | |
Total votes | 315,545 | 100% | ||
Democratic hold | ||||
District 17
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Debbie Mayfield | 193,560 | 60.6% | |
Democratic | Scot Fretwell | 114,515 | 35.9% | |
Independent | Phillip Snyder | 11,323 | 3.5% | |
Total votes | 319,398 | 100% | ||
Republican hold | ||||
District 19
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Darryl Ervin Rouson | 174,343 | 68.7% | |
Independent | Christina Paylan | 79,463 | 31.3% | |
Total votes | 253,806 | 100% | ||
Democratic hold | ||||
District 20
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Danny Burgess | 141,607 | 54.8% | |
Democratic | Kathy Lewis | 116,685 | 45.2% | |
Total votes | 258,292 | 100% | ||
Republican hold | ||||
District 21
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Jim Boyd | 191,673 | 61.0% | |
Democratic | Anthony "Tony" Eldon | 122,480 | 39.0% | |
Total votes | 314,153 | 100% | ||
Republican hold | ||||
District 23
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Joe Gruters | 188,126 | 57.7% | |
Democratic | Katherine Norman | 131,491 | 40.3% | |
Independent | Robert Kaplan | 6,696 | 2.1% | |
Total votes | 326,313 | 100% | ||
Republican hold | ||||
District 25
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Gayle Harrell | 168,063 | 58.7 | |
Democratic | Corinna Robinson | 118,211 | 41.3 | |
Total votes | 286,274 | 100.0 | ||
Republican hold | ||||
District 27
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Ray Rodrigues | 176,954 | 60.5% | |
Democratic | Rachel Brown | 115,537 | 39.5% | |
Total votes | 292,491 | 100% | ||
Republican hold | ||||
District 29
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Tina Polsky | 156,441 | 55.7% | |
Republican | Brian Norton | 124,502 | 44.3% | |
Total votes | 280,943 | 100% | ||
Democratic hold | ||||
District 31
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Lori Berman | 156,495 | 62.2% | |
Republican | Tami Donnally | 95,019 | 37.8% | |
Total votes | 251,514 | 100% | ||
Democratic hold | ||||
District 35
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Shevrin "Shev" Jones | 188,942 | 99.7% | |
Independent | Darien Hill (Write in) | 590 | 0.3% | |
Total votes | 189,532 | 100% | ||
Democratic hold | ||||
District 37
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Ileana Garcia | 104,630 | 48.53% | |
Democratic | José Javier Rodríguez (Incumbent) | 104,598 | 48.51% | |
Independent | Alex Rodriguez | 6,382 | 2.96% | |
Total votes | 215,610 | 100% | ||
Republican gain from Democratic | ||||
District 39
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Ana Maria Rodriguez | 123,556 | 55.6% | |
Democratic | Javier E. Fernandez | 95,135 | 42.8% | |
Independent | Celso D. Alfonso | 3,639 | 1.6% | |
Total votes | 222,330 | 100% | ||
Republican hold | ||||
Notes
- Key:
A – all adults
RV – registered voters
LV – likely voters
V – unclear - Not yet released
- Not yet released
- Partisan clients
- Poll sponsored by Fitzhagen's campaign
- The Florida Senate Victory Fund and the FDLCC supported Ausley prior to the sampling period
- The Florida Senate Victory Fund and the FDLCC supported Sigman prior to the sampling period
- The Florida Senate Victory Fund and the FDLCC supported Javier Rodriguez prior to the sampling period
- The Florida Senate Victory Fund and the FDLCC supported Fernandez prior to the sampling period
See also
- 2020 Florida elections
- Politics of Florida
- Government of Florida
References
- "Florida State Senate elections, 2020". Ballotpedia. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
- "Florida 2020 General Election".
- Martin, Jason Garcia, Annie (December 2, 2021). "Florida Power & Light execs worked closely with consultants behind 'ghost' candidate scheme, records reveal | Special Report". orlandosentinel.com. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Fox, Greg (August 5, 2021). "Deception and dark money: Court documents show scheme of ghost candidates in Florida senate races". WESH. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
- Harper, Mark. "Florida Senate 'ghost' candidate Alex Rodriguez faces $20,000 ethics fine". Daytona Beach News-Journal Online. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
- Call, James. "Barack Obama weighs in on Florida Senate races; endorses Ausley for North Florida seat". Tallahassee Democrat. USA Today Network. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
- Wilson, Kirby. "Florida Democrat: I can lift Biden and flip state Senate. Why won't my party help?". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
- "Florida 2016 pres-by-sd.xlsx". Google Docs (Cited in Tampa Bay Times). Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
- "Election Results Data Extract Utility". results.elections.myflorida.com. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
- "Voter Registration - By County and Party - Division of Elections - Florida Department of State". dos.myflorida.com. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
- "October Overview: Handicapping the 2020 State Legislature Races". The Cook Political Report. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
- "2020 Florida State Senate Election Results". results.elections.myflorida.com.
External links
- Florida Elections Commission government website
- "League of Women Voters of Florida". (State affiliate of the U.S. League of Women Voters)
- Florida at Ballotpedia
- Government Documents Round Table of the American Library Association, "Florida", Voting & Elections Toolkits
- "Florida: Election Tools, Deadlines, Dates, Rules, and Links", Vote.org, Oakland, CA
- "Florida 2019 & 2020 Elections", OpenSecrets