Carol Platt from the Osceola County Realtors Association won the Republican primary on Tuesday night to challenge U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Fla.
With 96 percent of votes in, Platt, who had the backing of former Gov. Jeb Bush, took 54.4 percent in the primary. Navy veteran Jorge Bonilla came in a distant second with 29.8 percent and businessman Peter Vivaldi took third with 15.8 percent of the vote.
Grayson easily beat Nick Ruiz on the Democratic side, taking more than 74 percent of the vote.
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U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., easily bested Republican primary challenger John Krause in Tuesdays primary. With more than 44 percent of votes in, Miller had 77.4 percent and Krause 22.6 percent.
Miller will face businessman Jim Byran, who has the Democratic nomination, and businessman Mark Wichern who is running with no party affiliation. This Panhandle district is a Republican stronghold, making Miller a heavy favorite come November.
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It's finally official: former Gov. Charlie Crist will face Gov. Rick Scott in November's general election.
According to the Florida Division of Elections' website, Crist had snagged 74 percent of the vote. Former Sen. Nan Rich took 26 percent of the vote.
"Democrats across Florida are ready to work harder than weve ever worked to elect Charlie Crist governor of Florida, said Florida Democratic Party Chair Allison Tant on Tuesday evening.
This is a developing story. Keep checking back for more details.
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A member of Congress for more than two decades, U.S. Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., easily bested three Republican opponents in the primary on Tuesday. With more than 63 percent of the vote in, Mica took almost 72 percent while his closest opponent, David Smith, took 19.1 percent. Don Oehlrich stood in third with 5.1 percent and Kelly Shirley lagged behind with 3.9 percent.
Mica will be a heavy favorite in November over Democrat Wes Neuman and Al Krulick, who is running with no party affiliation, in this secure Republican district.
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Former gubernatorial aide Glo Smith beat businesswoman Twee Lowe on Tuesday in the Republican primary to challenge U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown, D-Fla., in November. With more than 63 percent of votes counted, Smith took 63.5 percent while Lowe garnered 36.5 percent of the votes cast.
Smith will have an uphill climb against Brown who has represented parts of North Florida in Congress since first winning her seat in 1992. Brown represents a solidly Democratic district.
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With 83 percent of precincts in, U.S. Rep. Ander Crenshaw, R-Fla., held off a spirited Republican primary challenge from retired Navy Capt. Ryman Shoaf. Crenshaw took more than 71 percent of the vote while Shoaf took less than 29 percent of the vote.
Crenshaw should be secure in November though he does face challenges from two candidates with no party affiliation: Gary Koniz and Paula Moser-Bartlett. Deb Pueschel will be running as a write-in candidate. With no Democratic challengers, Crenshaw should easily hold on to his congressional seat which he first won in 2000.
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Freshman U.S. Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Fla., won the Republican primary on Tuesday, easily holding off attorney Jake Rush. With almost 14,000 votes in, Yoho had 73.4 percent of the vote. Rush had been agressive, hitting Yoho on a number of fronts, but he never recovered from stories and photos showcasing his role-playing hobby that made national headlines.
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Former Florida Gov. and U.S. Sen. Bob Graham, D-Miami Lakes, knows politics. Other than his race for president, Gov. Graham has never lost a campaign. He is also a constant student of effective politics. So, when he came up to me in 1986 and described a campaign in which I was involved as textbook, I took notes.
As primary voting began to wrap up Tuesday afternoon, Florida's chief financial officer focused his efforts on ripping the likely Democratic nominee to face Gov. Rick Scott in the general election.
CFO Jeff Atwater ripped into former Gov. Charlie Crist for "walking away" from thousands of needy Floridians during his time in office, leaving behind his responsibilities as governor for higher political ambitions.
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