2006 United States Senate election in Florida

The 2006 United States Senate election in Florida was held on November 7, 2006. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Bill Nelson won re-election to a second term.

Background During the Terri Schiavo case in March 2005, a talking points memo on the controversy was written by Brian Darling, the legal counsel to Republican Senator Mel Martínez of Florida. The memo suggested the Schiavo case offered "a great political issue" that would appeal to the party's base (core supporters) and could be used against Senator Bill Nelson, a Democrat from Florida who was up for reelection in 2006, because he had refused to co-sponsor the bill which came to be known as the Palm Sunday Compromise. Bill Nelson was nevertheless reelected as Senator on November 7, 2006, with 60% of the vote.

Florida was one of five Democratic-held Senate seats up for election in a state that George W. Bush won in the 2004 presidential election.

Republican primary Candidates LeRoy Collins Jr., retired naval officer and son of former Governor LeRoy Collins Katherine Harris, U.S. representative and former Florida secretary of state Will McBride, attorney Peter Monroe, businessman and former COO of the Federal Housing Administration

Declined Jeb Bush, governor of Florida 1999–2007

Endorsements The Bradenton Herald: McBride Florida (Jacksonville) Times-Union: Collins or MonroeU.S. SENATE: It's a toss up | Jacksonville.com Gainesville Sun: Collinspalmbeachpost.com Lakeland Ledger: Collins Miami Herald: Collins404 | MiamiHerald.com Naples Daily News: Collins Orlando Sentinel: McBrideTopic Galleries - OrlandoSentinel.com Palm Beach Post: Monroe Sarasota Herald-Tribune: no endorsement South Florida (Fort Lauderdale) Sun Sentinel: Monroe St. Petersburg Times: Collins Tampa Tribune: Collins

Polling Poll Source Date LeRoyCollins Jr. KatherineHarris WillMcBride PeterMonroeStrategic VisionStrategic Vision July 26, 2006 9% 45% 22% 7%Mason-DixonMason-Dixon July 26, 2006 8% 36% 11% 2%QuinnipiacQuinnipiac July 27, 2006 6% 40% 21% 3%Scroth Eldon & AssociatesScroth Eldon & Associates August 11, 2006 9% 28% 11% 5%SurveyUSASurveyUSA August 24, 2006 20% 43% 15% 7%Strategic VisionStrategic Vision August 30, 2006 19% 38% 21% 5%QuinnipiacQuinnipiac August 31, 2006 11% 38% 22% 3%SurveyUSASurveyUSA August 31, 2006 12% 45% 22% 5%Mason-DixonMason-Dixon September 2, 2006 17% 38% 21% 2% Primary Results September 5, 2006 15% 49% 30% 5%

Results

General election Candidates

Floyd Ray Frazier (Independent) Katherine Harris, former Florida secretary of state and former U.S. representative (Republican) Brian Moore, retired health care executive and former congressional candidate (Independent) Bill Nelson, incumbent U.S. senator (Democratic) Belinda Noah (Independent) Roy Tanner (Independent)

Campaign The organization Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), which monitors political corruption, complained to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) in October 2006 that the Bacardi beverage company had illegally used corporate resources in support of a fundraising event for Nelson in 2005. CREW had previously filed a similar complaint concerning a Bacardi fundraising event for Republican Senator Mel Martinez, an event that raised as much as $60,000 for Martinez's campaign. The amended complaint alleged that, on both occasions, Bacardi violated the Federal Election Campaign Act and FEC regulations by soliciting contributions from a list of the corporation's vendors.

Endorsements In a rare move, all twenty-two of Florida's daily newspapers supported Nelson, while none supported Harris in the general election. The only paper to endorse Harris was the Polk County Democrat in Bartow, Harris's hometown.

Bradenton Herald: Bill Nelson Charlotte Sun-Herald: Bill Nelson Daytona Beach News-Journal: Bill Nelson Florida Times-Union: Bill NelsonU.S. SENATE: Nelson the best choice | Jacksonville.com Fort Myers News-Press: Bill NelsonThe News Press Endorsement Recap Gainesville Sun: Bill Nelson Lakeland Ledger: Bill Nelson Miami Herald: Bill Nelson Naples Daily News: Bill Nelson Orlando Sentinel: Bill Nelson Palm Beach Post: Bill Nelson Pensacola News Journal: Bill Nelson Saint Petersburg Times: Bill NelsonNelson for U.S. Senate Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Bill Nelson Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers: Bill Nelson South Florida Sun-Sentinel: Bill Nelson Tallahassee Democrat: Bill NelsonTallahassee Democrat - www.tallahassee.com - Tallahassee, FL Tampa Tribune: Bill Nelson Polk County Democrat: Katherine Harris

Debates Complete video of debate, October 23, 2006 Complete video of debate, November 1, 2006

Predictions Source Ranking As of The Cook Political Report November 6, 2006 Sabato's Crystal Ball November 6, 2006 Rothenberg Political Report November 6, 2006 Real Clear Politics November 6, 2006

Polling

Graphical summary

Poll source Date BillNelson (D) KatherineHarris (R)Strategic Vision (R)Strategic Vision (R) July 20, 2005 48% 40%Strategic Vision (R)Strategic Vision (R) August 21, 2005 47% 38%QuinnipiacQuinnipiac August 31, 2005 57% 33%Strategic Vision (R)Strategic Vision (R) September 22, 2005 48% 36%RasmussenRasmussen November 14, 2005 53% 36%QuinnipiacQuinnipiac November 15, 2005 55% 31%Strategic Vision (R)Strategic Vision (R) November 30, 2005 48% 32%RasmussenRasmussen January 5, 2006 54% 31%RasmussenRasmussen February 14, 2006 49% 40%Strategic Vision (R)Strategic Vision (R) February 22, 2006 49% 34%QuinnipiacQuinnipiac February 24, 2006 53% 31%University of North FloridaUniversity of North Florida March 15, 2006 48% 28%Mason-DixonMason-Dixon March 29, 2006 51% 35%Strategic Vision (R)Strategic Vision (R) March 30, 2006 56% 28%Zogby/WSJZogby/WSJ March 31, 2006 50% 37%RasmussenRasmussen April 14, 2006 57% 27%QuinnipiacQuinnipiac April 20, 2006 56% 27%Strategic Vision (R)Strategic Vision (R) April 26, 2006 56% 24%RasmussenRasmussen May 22, 2006 60% 33%Strategic Vision (R)Strategic Vision (R) May 25, 2006 56% 26%QuinnipiacQuinnipiac May 25, 2006 58% 25%Zogby/WSJZogby/WSJ June 21, 2006 51% 33%Strategic Vision (R)Strategic Vision (R) June 28, 2006 61% 26%QuinnipiacQuinnipiac June 30, 2006 59% 26%Zogby/WSJ July 24, 2006 55% 34%Strategic Vision (R)Strategic Vision (R) July 26, 2006 60% 22%Mason-Dixon July 26, 2006 57% 29%QuinnipiacQuinnipiac July 27, 2006 61% 24%RasmussenRasmussen July 28, 2006 61% 33%St. Petersburg TimesSt. Petersburg Times August 11, 2006 60% 25%Zogby/WSJZogby/WSJ August 28, 2006 52% 32%Strategic Vision (R)Strategic Vision (R) August 30, 2006 63% 20%RasmussenRasmussen September 5, 2006 57% 34%Zogby/WSJ September 11, 2006 51% 33%SurveyUSASurveyUSA September 14, 2006 53% 38%Mason-DixonMason-Dixon September 20–22, 2006 53% 35%Strategic Vision (R)Strategic Vision (R) September 27, 2006 59% 31%RasmussenRasmussen September 27, 2006 56% 33%RasmussenRasmussen October 4, 2006 54% 37%SurveyUSASurveyUSA October 10, 2006 55% 37%QuinnipiacQuinnipiac October 11, 2006 61% 33%Mason-DixonMason-Dixon October 16–17, 2006 57% 31%Strategic Vision (R)Strategic Vision (R) October 25, 2006 58% 35%QuinnipiacQuinnipiac October 25, 2006 64% 29%St. Petersburg TimesSt. Petersburg Times October 28, 2006 56% 30%Strategic Vision (R)Strategic Vision (R) November 2, 2006 59% 33%Mason-DixonMason-Dixon November 3, 2006 58% 34%SurveyUSASurveyUSA November 5, 2006 59% 36%

Results As expected, Nelson was easily reelected. He won with 60.3% of the vote, winning by 1,064,421 votes or 22.2%, and carried 57 of Florida's 67 counties. Nelson was projected the winner almost immediately when the polls closed at 7 P.M. EST.

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic Gilchrist (largest city: Trenton) Sumter (largest city: The Villages) Bradford (largest city: Starke) Charlotte (largest city: Charlotte) Columbia (largest city: Lake City) DeSoto (largest city: Arcadia) Escambia (largest city: Pensacola) 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) Seminole (largest municipality: Sanford) Hendry (largest city: Clewiston) Marion (largest city: Ocala)

See also 2006 United States Senate elections 2006 Florida gubernatorial election 2006 Florida state elections 2006 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida

References

External links Debates Debate, October 23, 2006

Campaign websites (archived) Bill Nelson for Senate Katherine Harris for Senate Leroy Collins for Senate Peter Monroe for Senate Ray Frazier for Senate Brian Moore for Senate Belinda Noah for Senate Roy Tanner for Senate Lawrence Scott for Senate