TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - Florida voters selected the nominees for governor, agriculture commissioner, attorney general, and several congressional seats Tuesday. Here’s a look at the some of the races Florida decided on Election Day.
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REPUBLICAN GUBERNATORIAL PRIMARY
U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis easily defeated Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam after President Donald Trump backed DeSantis. Putnam was elected to the state House in 1996 at the age of 22, elected to the U.S. House in 2000, and to his current job in 2010. He was considered a shoo-in for the Republican nomination. Then in December, Trump tweeted out his support for DeSantis, who wasn’t even in the race at the time. DeSantis announced his candidacy in January. While Putnam was focused on a grassroots campaign, DeSantis was an almost nightly feature on Fox News, usually defending Trump.
DEMOCRATIC GUBERNATORIAL PRIMARY
Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum won a crowded primary, setting up the chance to become the state’s first black governor.
Gillum did not have as much money as other candidates, but he won support from progressive groups and was endorsed by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. He defeated former U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham, the daughter of former U.S. Sen. Bob Graham and four other candidates.
The Democratic ballot was also one of the most diverse Florida has seen. Of the five major candidates, only Orlando-businessman Chris King was a white, Christian man.
AGRICULTURE COMMISSIONER
The Republican primary for this open Cabinet seat had gained most of the attention. State Rep. Matt Caldwell won the Republican nomination for the seat that Putnam is leaving because of term limits. Caldwell was backed by the National Rifle Association and focused his media campaign on being pro-gun. Lobbyist Nikki Fried, who called for making medical marijuana more accessible, won the Democratic primary in the race.
ATTORNEY GENERAL
The Democratic and Republican primaries for attorney general were won by two candidates from the Tampa area.
State Rep. Sean Shaw won his primary over Tampa attorney Ryan Torrens, while former judge and prosecutor Ashley Moody won the GOP nomination.
Both primaries were particularly nasty - and there almost wasn’t a Democratic primary. Democratic state Rep. Sean Shaw has more money and establishment support, but he filed a lawsuit to get Torrens off the ballot. Torrens responded by suing Shaw for libel. Just four days before the primary, a judge agreed that Torrens used an illegal donation to pay the qualifying fee to get on the ballot, and ruled that no votes for him should be counted. But an appeals judge put a stay on the decision on Monday, keeping Torrens’ campaign alive.
On the Republican side, auto-dealer lawyer and state Rep. Frank White ran as a Trump-style conservative, while Moody ran on her experience in court. White attacked Moody for suing Trump over a failed Tampa development project, while Moody has attacked White as a car salesman turned politician.
CONGRESS
Four incumbent members of Congress are leaving their seats, setting up some interesting primaries. And three incumbents - Republican U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz and Democratic U.S. Reps. Al Lawson and Darren Soto - had serious challenges within their own parties but all won.
Among the most watched races was the scramble to replace Republican U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen in a district that should favor Democrats. The best-known candidate in that race was Donna Shalala, who served as President Bill Clinton’s Health and Human Services secretary and won the primary over several challengers.
Gaetz, who was endorsed by Trump, easily defeated challenger Cris Dosev, who had 20 percent of the vote in 2016 primary. Soto defeated Alan Grayson, a liberal firebrand who formerly held the same congressional seat.
Lawson beat back a challenge by former Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown. Republican U.S. Rep. Dennis Ross is giving up his seat and state Rep. Neil Combee and state Rep. Ross Spano are battling for the Republican nomination in a heavily GOP district.
Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney is also leaving Congress in a heavily Republican district. State Sen. Greg Steube won the primary, meaning he will likely go to Washington. And the seat DeSantis is leaving to run for governor had two primaries. Republican businessmen Michael Waltz won the Republican primary while former United Nations ambassador and member of President Bill Clinton’s National Security Council Nancy Soderberg won the Democratic primary.
U.S. SENATE
Republican Gov. Rick Scott had a primary, but he overwhelmingly defeated Rocky De La Fuente, who was running for Senate in several states and hasn’t had a visible campaign in Florida. Scott will face Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson in an expensive race that could decide control of the U.S. Senate.
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