Pam Bondi held onto her title as Floridas attorney general in a hotly contested election against Democrat George Sheldon Tuesday. Bondi took 56 percent of the vote to Sheldon's 41 percent.
With 5.7 million votes counted, Bondi toppled Sheldon by nearly 800,000 votes.
Bondi had fairly smooth sailing through the majority of her campaign, but the last few weeks were rough on Floridas first female attorney general. The New York Times shone a light on Bondi in a story about lobbyists targeting state attorneys general. She wasn't helped much by Gov. Rick Scott in the third and final gubernatorial debate, either. Former Gov. Charlie Crist pushed Scott on whether Bondi delayed an execution so she could attend a fundraising event. The governor simply shrugged the question off, saying Bondi was sorry.
Regardless, victory was Bondi's Tuesday evening.
Statewide Republicans showed their support for Bondis re-election bid, with former Gov. Jeb Bush chipping in to travel with Bondi to push her bid for re-election earlier this week.
I would like to support people like Pam Bondi who have core beliefs and who act on them and serve people with passion and conviction and do so in a way that truly makes a difference, said Bush on Bondi earlier this week in Tampa.
The two candidates ran on completely different platforms, agreeing on virtually no issue whatsoever.
Sheldon, a former state legislator and Department of Children and Families head, vehemently opposed Floridas same-sex marriage ban, while Bondi vowed to defend the ban.Bondi, who served as a prosecutor before making a run for AG, also came out heavily against the legalization of medical marijuana.
When it came to fundraising, Bondi significantly outperformed Sheldon, raking in more than $4 million for her second AG bid.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Reach Tampa-based reporter Allison Nielsen by email at allison@sunshinestatenews.com or follow her on Twitter: @AllisonNielsen
