While there were some dramatic races in the Sunshine State, including some pivotal victories that helped Republicans take control of the U.S. House, most of the states congressional races were not particularly close.
CD 1: Jeff Miller wins easily on the Panhandle
With more than 211,000 votes counted, U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller won 81 percent of the vote in his district in the Panhandle -- defeating two candidates running with no party affiliation. Joe Cantrell took 11 percent while John Krause took 8 percent.
CD 3: Corrine Brown wins 10th term in Congress
Democratic U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown is headed back to Washington -- where she has been since 1992. Republican businessman Mike Yost offered a plucky challenge to the incumbent, but with 98 percent of the votes counted, Brown took 63 percent while Yost took 34 percent. The remaining 3 percent went to Terry Martin-Black who ran with no party affiliation.
CD 4: Ander Crenshaw holds off conservative challenger
Republican U.S. Rep. Ander Crenshaw is headed back to Washington. While the veteran legislator did not face a Democratic opponent, he did face a spirited challenge from conservative businessman and Navy vet Troy Stanley, a tea party favorite, who ran with no party affiliation. With more than 215,000 votes counted, Crenshaw had more than 77 percent while Stanley took just under 22.5 percent.
CD 5: Rich Nugent heads to Washington
Hernando County Sheriff Rich Nugent, the Republican candidate, is headed to Congress to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite. With 100 percent of the precincts reporting, Nugent took 67 percent -- crushing Jim Piccillo, the Democrat in the race, who had 33. With this victory, Nugent keeps the seat for the Republicans.
CD 6: Two more years for Cliff Stearns
Veteran Republican legislator U.S. Rep. Cliff Stearns won another term in Congress. While Stearns did not have a Democratic opponent, he did face a challenge from Steve Schonberg who was running with no party affiliation. With almost 248,000 votes counted, Stearns had more than 71 percent of the vote.
CD 7: John Mica beats back Heather Beaven
With 93 percent of precincts reporting, Republican U.S. Rep. John Mica held off a spirited challenge from Democratic challenger Navy vet Heather Beaven. Mica took 69 percent compared to Beavens 31 percent.
CD 9: Big win for Gus Bilirakis
With 98 percent of the vote counted, Republican U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis won a big victory. Bilirakis took 72 percent -- crushing Democratic candidate Anita de Palma who had 28 percent.
CD 1O: Bill Young crushes Charlie Justice
When 2010 opened, Democrats thought they had a chance of knocking off U.S. Rep. Bill Young, the dean of congressional Republicans, with a strong candidate in Sen. Charlie Justice of St. Petersburg. With 100 percent of the vote in, Young, who has been in Congress since the presidency of Richard Nixon, had 66 percent with Justice taking 34 percent.
CD 11: Kathy Castor wins in rare Democratic bright spot
U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor held on to win another term, but the Florida Democrat did not do as well as she had traditionally. With 85 percent of the vote counted, Castor took 60 percent over Republican Mike Prendergast who took 40 percent. Castor crushed her Republican opponent with more than 70 percent in 2006 and 2008. Still, Republicans had high hopes for Prendergast -- but while he did better, he did not pick up the seat in a Republican year.
CD 12: Dennis Ross keeps seat for Republicans
Democrats thought they had an outside shot at taking this congressional seat, most of which is in Polk County. However, former Rep. Dennis Ross, the Republican running to replace U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam, held on to keep the seat in the Republican column. With 96 percent of the vote in, he took 48 percent while Democrat Lori Edwards came in with 41 percent. Randy Wilkinson, the TEA Party candidate, placed third with 11 percent.
CD 13: Vern Buchanan wins another term
Republican U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan was not expected to have much of a challenge on Tuesday -- and he didnt. With 99 percent of the votes counted, Buchanan took 69 percent while Democrat James Golden, a former city councilman in Bradenton, placed second with 31 percent.
CD 14: Connie Macks back in Washington
Republican U.S. Rep. Connie Mack, who has his eye on running for the U.S. Senate in 2012, won another term in Congress. Mack had two opponents -- whom he defeated handily: Democrat James Roach and real estate developer William Maverick St. Claire, who ran with no party affiliation. With 71 percent of the vote in, Mack took 68 percent while Roach placed second with 28 percent. With Republicans picking up the House, Mack will be chairman of the House Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere.
CD 15: Bill Posey crushes Shannon Roberts
Republican U.S. Rep. Bill Posey was not expected to have a challenge for re-election and the race lived up to expectations. With 97 percent of precincts reporting, Posey crushed Democratic candidate Shannon Roberts, a retired NASA official who serves on the Cape Canaveral City Council. Posey won another term with 65 percent with Roberts taking 35 percent.
CD 16: Tom Rooney rolls to another term
With 74 percent of the votes counted, U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney won another term, taking 67 percent of the vote. That was more than enough to defeat Democratic candidate Jim Horn
CD 17: Frederica Wilson will hang her hat in Washington
Sen. Frederica Wilson, D-Miami Gardens, will be hanging her many colorful hats in Washington. Wilson will replace U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek after blowing out Roderick Vereen, who was running with no party affiliation. With almost 115,000 votes counted, Wilson had more than 86 percent. With no Republicans in the race, Wilson keeps the seat for the Democrats.
CD 18: Ileana Ros-Lehtinen will lead Committee on Foreign Affairs
Two more years for U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. With 68 percent of the vote counted, the veteran Republican legislator had almost 71 percent of the vote -- easily besting Democratic candidate Rolando A. Banciella. Ros-Lehtinen is the ranking Republican woman in the House -- and with Republicans winning control of the U.S. House, she takes over the Committee on Foreign Affairs.
CD 19: Ted Deutch holds the line
Democratic U.S Rep. Ted Deutch won a congressional election for the second time in the year. Deutch, who won a special election earlier in the year, held off Republican challenger Joe Budd. Deutch took 63 percent while Budd took 37 percent with almost 146,000 votes counted.
CD 20: Debbie Wasserman Schultzs star continues to rise
With 92 percent of the vote in, U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a rising star in Democratic circles, held on to defeat Republican challenger Karen Harrington, taking 60 percent of the vote. Despite waging an aggressive campaign, Harrington placed a distant second, taking 38 percent. Two independent candidates split the remaining 2 percent of the vote.
CD 21: Mario Diaz-Balart wins his brothers seat
No congressional candidate in Florida had an easier task than Republican U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart. He vacated the seat in the 25th congressional district to run for the seat currently held by his brother Lincoln. With no opposition, the voters in the district kept the seat within the Diaz-Balart family.
CD 23: Alcee Hastings wins again
Democratic U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings blew out Republican candidate Bernard Sansaricq who had served aspresident of the Haitian Senate. With 78 percent of the vote in, Hastings ran away with the election, taking 79 percent of the vote with the Republican pulling 21 percent.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or at (85) 727-0859.
