Many had predicted 2018 would be "the Year of the Woman" in Florida. Instead, it turned into the "Year of Party Extremes" -- a year when moderates fell, when both party bases flexed their muscles, when pollsters demonstrated a surprising fallibility in a political climate dominated by technology and social media.
Two South Florida lawmakers lost Democratic primaries Tuesday, while other candidates from Miami-Dade County to the Panhandle locked up spots in the state House and Senate.
State Rep. Matt Caldwell topped a four-way Republican primary for agriculture commissioner Tuesday, while lawyer and medical-marijuana lobbyist Nikki Fried had an easier time emerging from a field of three Democrats to become her party’s nominee for the Cabinet post.
Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum didn't just shock Florida, he shocked the nation Tuesday, scoring a major victory for the party's progressive wing, putting himself in a position to become the state's first black governor.
Gillum's fortunes against wealthier, better funded opponents began to turn after Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and a coalition of progressive groups threw their support and money behind him. Among them were liberal megadonors Tom Steyer and George Soros who donated $650,000 to his affiliated political action committee.
While some members of the Florida delegation faced high profile primaries, incumbents beat back challenges across the Sunshine State on Tuesday night as candidates from both sides of the aisle get ready for November.
In the Republican primary for attorney general -- a surprisingly bitter TV campaign -- Circuit Court Judge Ashley Moody defeated state Rep. Frank White, 57 percent to 43 percent, while on the Democratic side, consumer advocate Sean Shaw scored a runaway victory, 73 percent to 27 percent, over attorney Ryan Torrens.
In a victory as much for President Donald Trump as for the congressman himself, U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis -- Trump's hand-picked man -- trounced state Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, winning the GOP gubernatorial primary for governor by nearly a 20-point margin by the time the race was called.
TV networks called the race just before 9 p.m. ET, with 90 percent of Florida's 5,968 precincts reporting, when the contest stood at 56.4 percent to Putnam's 36.7 percent.
Voters across the Sunshine State will be heading to the polls on Tuesday to vote in competitive primaries across Florida.
