Summary
The 1980 United States Senate election in Florida took place on November 4, 1980, alongside other elections for President of the United States as well as to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Richard Stone ran for re-election to a second term, but lost the Democratic primary election to Bill Gunter. Republican Paula Hawkins defeated Gunter in the general election.[1]
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 County results
Hawkins: 50–60% 60–70% Gunter: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | |||||||||||||||||
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Democratic primary edit
Candidates edit
- John B. Coffey
- Bill Gunter, Florida State Treasurer and former U.S. Representative
- Buddy MacKay, State Senator
- James L. Miller
- Richard A. Pettigrew
- Richard Stone, incumbent U.S. Senator
Campaign edit
Stone, a freshman senator, had a reputation for changing his mind. In 1980, the AFL-CIO actively campaigned against him, and Stone was deemed vulnerable in his re-election bid.[2] Six Democrats entered the race for Stone's seat including his 1974 runoff opponent Bill Gunter who was Florida State Treasurer/Insurance Commissioner in 1980.[2] As was the case in 1974, Stone and Gunter were forced into a runoff but, unlike 1974, Gunter won the nomination.[citation needed]
Results edit
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Richard Stone (incumbent) | 355,287 | 32.08% | |
| Democratic | Bill Gunter | 335,859 | 30.33% | |
| Democratic | Buddy MacKay | 272,538 | 24.61% | |
| Democratic | Richard A. Pettigrew | 108,154 | 9.77% | |
| Democratic | James L. Miller | 18,118 | 1.64% | |
| Democratic | John B. Coffey | 17,410 | 1.57% | |
| Total votes | 1,107,366 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Bill Gunter | 594,676 | 51.76% | |
| Democratic | Richard Stone (incumbent) | 554,268 | 48.24% | |
| Total votes | 1,148,944 | 100.00% | ||
Republican primary edit
Candidates edit
- Ander Crenshaw, former state representative
- Lewis Dinkins
- Louis Frey Jr., former U.S. Representative
- Paula Hawkins, Florida Public Service Commissioner
- Ellis Rubin, criminal defense attorney
- John T. Ware, State Senator
Results edit
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Paula Hawkins | 209,856 | 48.14% | |
| Republican | Louis Frey Jr. | 119,834 | 27.49% | |
| Republican | Ander Crenshaw | 54,767 | 12.56% | |
| Republican | Ellis Rubin | 19,990 | 4.59% | |
| Republican | John T. Ware | 16,341 | 3.75% | |
| Republican | Lewis Dinkins | 15,174 | 3.48% | |
| Total votes | 435,962 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Paula Hawkins | 293,600 | 61.61% | |
| Republican | Louis Frey Jr. | 182,911 | 38.39% | |
| Total votes | 476,511 | 100.00% | ||
General election edit
Candidates edit
- Bill Gunter (D), Florida State Treasurer and former U.S. Congressman
- Paula Hawkins (R), Florida Public Service Commissioner
Results edit
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Paula Hawkins | 1,822,460 | 51.66% | +10.74% | |
| Democratic | Bill Gunter | 1,705,409 | 48.34% | +4.96% | |
| Write-in | 0 | 0.00% | N/A | ||
| Total votes | 3,528,028 | 100.00% | N/A | ||
| Republican gain from Democratic | |||||
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 4, 1980" (PDF). clerk.house.gov. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 20, 2022.
- ^ a b Abramowitz, Alan I.; Segal, Jeffrey Allan (1992). Senate Elections. University of Michigan Press. p. 78. ISBN 0-472-08192-6. Retrieved January 31, 2007.
bill gunter richard stone.
- ^ a b "Florida Department of State - Election Results". Archived from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
- ^ a b "Florida Department of State - Election Results". Archived from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved February 19, 2019.