2004 United States Senate election in Florida
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 County results
Martinez: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Castor: 40-50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Florida |
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The 2004 United States Senate election in Florida took place on November 2, 2004, alongside other elections to the United States Senate in other states as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Bob Graham decided to retire instead of seeking a fourth term. Graham made an unsuccessful bid for the Democratic presidential nomination. The primary elections were held on August 31, 2004. Republican Mel Martínez won the open seat with 49.4% of the vote to Democratic nominee Betty Castor's 48.3%. With a margin of 1.1%, this election was the closest race of the 2004 Senate election cycle. This was the first open-seat United States Senate election in Florida for this seat since 1974.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Betty Castor, former President of the University of South Florida, former Education Commissioner of Florida, and former State Senator
- Peter Deutsch, U.S. Representative from Broward County
- Bernard Klein, businessman
- Alex Penelas, Mayor of Miami-Dade County
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Betty Castor | 669,346 | 58.1% | |
| Democratic | Peter Deutsch | 321,922 | 27.9% | |
| Democratic | Alex Penelas | 115,898 | 10.1% | |
| Democratic | Bernard E. Klein | 45,347 | 3.9% | |
| Total votes | 1,152,513 | 100.0% | ||
Republican primary
Martínez was supported by the Bush Administration.
Candidates
- Johnnie Byrd, State Representative from Plant City
- Doug Gallagher, businessman
- Larry Klayman, attorney
- William Kogut
- Sonya March
- Mel Martínez, former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and candidate for Lieutenant Governor in 1994
- Bill McCollum, former U.S. Representative and candidate for U.S. Senate in 2000
- Karen Saull
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mel Martínez | 522,994 | 44.9% | |
| Republican | Bill McCollum | 360,474 | 30.9% | |
| Republican | Doug Gallagher | 158,360 | 13.6% | |
| Republican | Johnnie Byrd | 68,982 | 5.9% | |
| Republican | Karen Saull | 20,365 | 1.8% | |
| Republican | Sonya March | 17,804 | 1.5% | |
| Republican | Larry Klayman | 13,257 | 1.1% | |
| Republican | William Billy Kogut | 3,695 | 0.3% | |
| Total votes | 1,165,931 | 100.0% | ||
General election
Candidates
- Dennis Bradley (V), activist
- Betty Castor (D), former State Senator
- Mel Martínez (R), Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[3] | Lean R (flip) | November 1, 2004 |
Polling
Graphical summary
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Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Melquíades Rafael Martínez Ruiz | 3,672,864 | 49.43% | +11.9% | |
| Democratic | Elizabeth Castor | 3,590,201 | 48.32% | −14.15% | |
| Veterans | Dennis F. Bradley | 166,642 | 2.24% | +2.24% | |
| Write-ins | 187 | 0.00% | +0.0% | ||
| Majority | 82,663 | 1.11% | −23.83% | ||
| Turnout | 7,429,894 | 70.92%[9] | +24.08% | ||
| Total votes | 7,429,894 | 100.00% | +3,529,732 | ||
| Republican gain from Democratic | Swing | ||||
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
- Calhoun (Largest city: Blountstown)
- Citrus (Largest city: Homosassa Springs)
- Dixie (Largest city: Cross City)
- Glades (Largest city: Moore Haven)
- Gulf (Largest city: Port St. Joe)
- Levy (Largest city: Williston)
- Putnam (Largest city: Palatka)
- Taylor (Largest city: Perry)
- Jackson (Largest city: Marianna)
- Lafayette (Largest city: Mayo)
- Union (Largest city: Lake Butler)
- Washington (Largest city: Chipley)
- Brevard (largest municipality: Palm Bay)
- Okeechobee (largest municipality: Okeechobee)
- Polk (largest municipality: Lakeland)
- Miami-Dade (largest city: Miami)
- Osceola (largest municipality: Kissimmee)
- Orange (Largest city: Orlando)
- Escambia (Largest city: Pensacola)
- Hendry (Largest city: Clewiston)
- Marion (Largest city: Ocala)
- Hardee (Largest city: Wachula)
- Highlands (Largest city: Sebring)
- Indian River (Largest city: Sebastian)
- Lake (Largest city: Clermont)
- Lee (Largest city: Cape Coral)
- Suwannee (Largest city: Live Oak)
- Duval (largest municipality: Jacksonville)
- Charlotte (Largest city: Charlotte)
- Columbia (Largest city: Lake City)
- DeSoto (Largest city: Arcadia)
- Gilchrist (Largest city: Trenton)
- Sumter (Largest city: The Villages)
- Bradford (Largest city: Starke)
- Baker (Largest city: Macclenny)
- Bay (Largest city: Panama City)
- Clay (Largest city: Lakeside)
- Holmes (Largest city: Bonifay)
- Manatee (Largest city: Bradenton)
- Martin (Largest city: Palm City)
- Nassau (Largest city: Yulee)
- St. Johns (Largest city: St. Johns)
- Walton (Largest city: Miramar Beach)
- Seminole (largest municipality: Sanford)
See also
References
- ^ "Florida Department of State - Election Results". Archived from the original on October 3, 2011. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
- ^ "Florida Department of State - Election Results". Archived from the original on October 3, 2011. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
- ^ "The Final Predictions". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
- ^ Quinnipiac
- ^ Quinnipiac
- ^ Quinnipiac
- ^ Quinnipiac
- ^ "Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives".
- ^ "Voter Registration - Yearly - Division of Elections - Florida Department of State". Archived from the original on December 5, 2016. Retrieved December 6, 2016.
External links
Debates
- Florida Senate General Election Debate on C-SPAN, October 18, 2004
- Florida Senate General Election Debate on C-SPAN, October 25, 2004
Official campaign websites (archived)
Democrats
Republicans