Dreams of the Florida Senate were ignited for some candidates and extinguished for others Tuesday. Some state Senate races were predictable, while others came down to the wire, with every vote counting to send candidates towards their next step to the Florida Legislature.
Senate District 1 - Doug Broxson
State Rep. Doug Broxson clinched a win in this Panhandle Senate District, securing a win over Rep. Mike Hill and taking over 56 percent of the vote to Hill’s 43 percent.
Broxson has held office in the Florida House since 2012. He jumped into the race relatively early, announcing his run shortly after Sen. Greg Evers decided to forego a Senate bid and run for Congress to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller instead.
Hill’s run for Senate had several issues. He was under investigation for Homestead exemption fraud, charges which were later cleared. But another kick to Hill’s path to the Florida Senate came from Enterprise Florida. Hill voted against $250 million in funding for the program, which would have benefited big businesses which in turn dumped $800,000 into a PAC attacking him.
Senate District 11 - Randolph Bracy
Randolph Bracy won the SD11 race by nearly 46 percent, edging out his Democratic competitors to head to November.
The two candidates had similar positions on several issues, focusing on creating jobs and reforming the criminal justice system as some of their top priorities. Siplin had raised more money and had significant grassroots support to lead him to victory, while Bracy had far more air power in campaign ads.
This race was one of the first in the state to report results, mostly because Orange County has modem technology which reports voting results much quicker than other counties.
Senate District 12 - Dennis Baxley
Rep. Dennis Baxley nabbed a win in the Republican primary for Senate District 12, which covers northern Lake County, Sumter County and part of Marion County. Baxley took 37 percent of the vote
The race was a three-way showdown between Reps. Marlene O’Toole and Dennis Baxley against first-time candidate Dennis Gee. O'Toole gave Baxley a run for his money, winning 36 percent of the vote.
Baxley, who championed Florida’s Stand Your Ground law, spent pretty heavily to seal his path to victory in this race, and it paid off.
Senate District 15-Victor Torres
The Democratic primary came down to state Rep. Victor Torres and Bob Healy.
Torres, a retired police detective from New York City, had the backing of many groups in his campaign, but outside groups spent heavily for Healy, a funeral home director.
Ultimately, Torres walked away victorious, taking nearly 58 percent of the vote to Healy’s 42 percent.
Senate District 17: Debbie Mayfield
The race for this Treasure Coast seat broke late for Rep. Debbie Mayfield, who engaged in one of the fiercest battles statewide against Rep. Ritch Workman. The race was extremely tight, but Mayfield inched over Workman 42-35 percent.
Mayfield held a strong lead over Workman for a great deal of the primary campaign, but Workman began to close the gap later on in the election, narrowing her lead to just a few points in recent weeks.
Workman’s campaign ads strayed from the typical formula, featuring his wife and ex-wife defending him and telling voters to defeat Mayfield in the primary. The efforts didn’t pay off, though and Mayfield walloped Workman in the Republican primary.
Senate District 19
Senate District 19 was a four-way race between some of the biggest powerhouses in Pinellas County. Rep. Darryl Rouson duked out Ed Narain in a nail-biter election, with Rouson coming out on top taking 29 percent of the vote. Less than .2 percent separated Rouson from Narain, prompting many to speculate the need for a recount.
Augie Ribero, a trial lawyer for a firm based out of Connecticut, hopped onto the scene and proved to be a worthy opponent, taking 21 percent of the vote.
Ed Narain enjoyed a great deal of support from the Florida Chamber of Commerce, which invested heavily in his campaign.
Betty Reed didn’t have a lot of money for her campaign, but she did have a good base of supporters, earning her 22 percent of the vote.
Senate District 23-Greg Steube
The five-way Republican battle for Senate District 23 ended up being a close race between former Sarasota City and County Commissioner Nora Patterson and Sarasota Rep. Greg Steube, but Steube walked away victorious, winning over 31 percent of the vote.
The race quickly turned to a Patterson-Holder- Steube faceoff. Patterson, a more moderate Republican, received an endorsement from retiring Sen. Nancy Detert, which gave her a slight boost.
Steube, however, had the backing of more conservative groups, and despite a close race, walked away victorious.
Senate District 27-Lizbeth Benacquisto
Senate Majority Leader Lizbeth Benacquisto crushed her competition in the race for Senate District 27, beating her opponent Jason Maughan by nearly 40 percent.
The victory was mostly expected, as Benacquisto’s support has remained strong throughout her time in office.
Senate District 28-Kathleen Passidomo
Kathleen Passidomo emerged victorious against Matt Hudson, primarily due to an early start in her campaign. She blew Hudson out of the water, besting him by 60 percent to 40 percent in Lee County and 63 percent to 34 percent at the time of this article’s publishing.
Hudson put up a good fight against Passidomo, spending a great deal of money in the race to try and beat her, but didn't win the race.
Senate District 30- Bobby Powell
Bobby Powell walked away with a victory Tuesday evening, clinching a victory over trial lawyer Michael Steinger in the SD 30 Democratic primary race, where he won with 67 percent of the vote.
Powell had an extensive absentee voter turnout, which helped him win the primary.
Just last week, Powell was up 11 points, but Steinger made a last-stitch effort in nasty attack ads. Insiders called the ads “very provocative,” but they couldn't help Steinger to victory.
Senate District 31-Jeff Clemens
Sen. Jeff Clemens started out behind in the SD31 race, but ultimately emerged victorious against Irv Slosberg 52-32 percent. The SD31 race was one of the more expensive showdowns in the state, with Slosberg dumping over $1.9 million of his own money into the campaign.
The Florida Democratic Party lended a helping hand to Clemens, buying TV ads to run for the Clemens campaign.
Senate District 34-Gary Farmer
Consumer advocate lawyer Gary Farmer won this Democratic primary against a current state representative and a former state representative Tuesday evening.
Polls showed Farmer leading over state Rep. Gwendolyn Clark Reed by several points, and the lawyer ended up taking over 42 percent of the vote. Former state Rep. Jim Waldman received a great deal of support from the Florida Chamber of Commerce, while Farmer raised a hefty chunk of money and had significant support from trial lawyers.
Senate District 38-Daphne Campbell
State Rep. Daphne Campbell won out in SD 38 over her Democratic primary contenders in her journey to remain a Florida legislator, including beating Jason Pizzo in one of the most expensive Senate primaries this cycle.
Campbell took 31 percent of the vote to Pizzo's 24 percent.
Senate District 40-Dwight Bullard
The stakes were high and the campaign certainly had its moments in this South Florida Senate district, which started out as a three-way competition between Ana Rivas Logan, Andrew Korge and Dwight Bullard.
Rivas Logan dropped out after qualifying for the primary election in June, leaving her name on the ballot. Scandal plagued the primary, with allegations of bribery by Korge. The probe of those charges was eventually dropped.
Boosted by support from the teachers union, Bullard won over his competitor, securing 49 percent of the vote.
Reach reporter Allison Nielsen by email at allison@sunshinestatenews.com or follow her on Twitter: @AllisonNielsen
