Republican Pam Bondi will be Floridas first female attorney general.
With more than 5 million votes counted, Bondi had 55 percent of the vote, defeating Democratic opponent Dan Gelber, who garnered 41 percent. No party candidate Jim Lewis took in 4 percent.
Bondi replaces Bill McCollum, who ran in a failed bid for the Republican gubernatorial nomination.
The large margin of victory belied a race that turned somewhat nasty in the final weeks. Leaflets were issued by a political action committee accusing Gelber, who is Jewish, of being toxic to Jewish education because he opposed school vouchers. Bondis campaign denied involvement, but Gelber accused her of collusion with the PAC.
Gelber, in turn, linked Bondi to an old controversy involving her adoption of a dog in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina that was later reclaimed by a displaced family.
I congratulate Pam Bondi on her victory. Our state faces very serious challenges, and it is my hope that Ms. Bondi will move our state in a new direction, Gelber said.
One of the main differences between the two candidates was their stance on Floridas lawsuit against the Affordable Care Act brought by McCollum and joined by 19 other state attorneys general. Bondi vowed to continue the lawsuit while Gelber pledged to halt it.
Republican Party of Florida Chairman John Thrasher highlighted this difference in congratulating Bondi.
Her experience as a prosecutor, outsider credentials, and passion for justice will be invaluable as she fights to uphold our constitutional rights and continues General McCollums fight against Obamacare, Thrasher said.
U. S. District Court Judge Roger Vinson moved the lawsuit forward in October.
Bondi, a former prosecutor for Hillsborough State Attorneys office, was aided by the endorsement of former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, who helped sweep a number of other Republicans into office Tuesday.
Reach Gray Rohrer at grohrer@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
