United States Senate election in Florida, 2006

Infobox Election
election_name = United States Senate election in Florida, 2006
country = Florida
type = presidential
ongoing = no
previous_election = United States Senate election in Florida, 2000
previous_year = 2000
next_election = United States Senate election in Florida, 2012
next_year = 2012
election_date = November 7 2006


nominee1 = Bill Nelson
party1 = Democratic Party (United States)
popular_vote1 = 2,890,548
percentage1 = 60.3


nominee2 = Katherine Harris
party2 = Republican Party (United States)
popular_vote2 = 1,826,127
percentage2 = 38.1
map_

---

map_size = 200px
map_caption = Election results by county
title = Senator
before_election = Bill Nelson
before_party = Democratic Party (United States)
after_election = Bill Nelson
after_party = Democratic Party (United States)The Florida Senate election of 2006 was held on November 7, 2006. The incumbent Democratic senator, Bill Nelson, won by a significant margin, over 60% of the popular vote, over the Republican opponent, two-term Florida congresswoman and former secretary of state Katherine Harris. Nelson's term will end on January 3, 2013.

Candidates

Democratic candidate

*Bill Nelson, the incumbent, was first elected in to the US Senate in 2000 beating then Republican US Representative Bill McCollum. (The seat was open because of the retirement of Republican US Senator Connie Mack.) Nelson was former member of the Florida House of Representatives (1973-1979), former Representative in the United States Congress (1979-1991), former Democratic candidate for Governor of Florida (losing to Lawton Chiles in 1990), former Treasurer and Insurance Commissioner of Florida (1995-2000).

Republican candidate

*Katherine Harris, Representative in Congress, and Florida's Secretary of State during the 2000 presidential election, won her party's nomination and faced Bill Nelson in the general election.

Former Republican candidates

*LeRoy Collins Jr., retired naval officer, son of former governor of Florida LeRoy Collins
*Will McBride, corporate and immigration lawyer and son-in-law of Stuart Epperson, chairman of Salem Communications [http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/index.cfm/fuseaction/viewItem/itemID/11969] ; unrelated to former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill McBride.
*Peter Monroe, real-estate developer [http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/politics/florida/news-article.aspx?storyid=57503] , who was appointed by the first President Bush to a Cabinet-level post steering the federal government's bailout of the savings and loan industry [http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_politics/florida_senate_race/index.html]

Green Party

*Brian Moore, a retired health care executive and former congressional candidate who has centered his candidacy on opposition to the war in Iraq

Independents

*Roy Tanner
*Belinda Noah
*Floyd Ray Frazier

Write-in candidates

*Alexander Grosholz
*Lawrence Scott
*Bernard Senter

Republican primary endorsements

* "The Bradenton Herald:" Will McBride [http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/news/opinion/15363709.htm]
* "Florida (Jacksonville) Times-Union:" LeRoy Collins, Jr. or Peter Monroe [http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/082706/opi_opinion.shtml]
* "Gainesville Sun:" LeRoy Collins, Jr.http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/nation/epaper/2006/08/25/a9a_endorse_0825.html]
* "Lakeland Ledger:" LeRoy Collins, Jr.
* "Miami Herald:" LeRoy Collins, Jr. [http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/opinion/15308276.htm]
* "Naples Daily News:" LeRoy Collins, Jr.
* "Orlando Sentinel:" Will McBride [ [http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/orl-ed27106aug27,0,534520.story Topic Galleries - OrlandoSentinel.com ] ]
* "Palm Beach Post:" Peter Monroe
* "Sarasota Herald-Tribune:" not making an endorsement
* "South Florida (Fort Lauderdale) Sun Sentinel:" Peter Monroe
* "St. Petersburg Times:" LeRoy Collins, Jr.
* "Tampa Tribune:" LeRoy Collins, Jr.

General election endorsements

* "Bradenton Herald:" Bill Nelson [http://www.nelsonforsenate.com/newsroom/releases/?id=12 Bill Nelson For Senate ] ]
* "Charlotte Sun-Herald:" Bill Nelson
* "Daytona Beach News-Journal:" Bill Nelson [ [http://www.nelsonforsenate.com/newsroom/mediaclips/?id=32 Bill Nelson For Senate ] ]
* "Florida Times-Union:" Bill Nelson [http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/102906/opi_5662326.shtml]
* "Gainesville Sun:" Bill Nelson [ [http://www.nelsonforsenate.com/newsroom/mediaclips/?id=37 Bill Nelson For Senate ] ]
* "Lakeland Ledger:" Bill Nelson
* "Miami Herald:" Bill Nelson
* "Naples Daily News:" Bill Nelson [ [http://www.nelsonforsenate.com/newsroom/mediaclips/?id=39 Bill Nelson For Senate ] ]
* "Orlando Sentinel:" Bill Nelson [ [http://www.nelsonforsenate.com/newsroom/mediaclips/?id=49 Bill Nelson For Senate ] ]
* "Palm Beach Post:" Bill Nelson [ [http://www.nelsonforsenate.com/newsroom/mediaclips/?id=30 Bill Nelson For Senate ] ]
* "Pensacola News Journal:" Bill Nelson [ [http://www.nelsonforsenate.com/newsroom/mediaclips/?id=47 Bill Nelson For Senate ] ]
* "Saint Petersburg Times:" Bill Nelson [ [http://www.nelsonforsenate.com/newsroom/mediaclips/?id=36 Bill Nelson For Senate ] ]
* "Sarasota Herald-Tribune:" Bill Nelson [ [http://www.nelsonforsenate.com/newsroom/mediaclips/?id=34 Bill Nelson For Senate ] ]
* "Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers:" Bill Nelson [ [http://www.nelsonforsenate.com/newsroom/mediaclips/?id=33 Bill Nelson For Senate ] ]
* "South Florida Sun-Sentinel:" Bill Nelson [ [http://www.nelsonforsenate.com/newsroom/mediaclips/?id=38 Bill Nelson For Senate ] ]
* "Tallahassee Democrat:" Bill Nelson [ [http://www.tallahassee.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article Tallahassee Democrat - www.tallahassee.com - Tallahassee, FL ] ]
* "Tampa Tribune:" Bill Nelson [ [http://www.nelsonforsenate.com/newsroom/mediaclips/?id=35 Bill Nelson For Senate ] ]

Opinion polling

General election

Republican primary

General election campaign

The organization Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), which monitors political corruption, complained to the Federal Elections 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. [ [http://www.citizensforethics.org/press/newsrelease.php?view=171 CREW FILES AMENDED FEC COMPLAINT AGAINST BACARDI USA AND MARTINEZ FOR SENATE | Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington ] ]

Election results

Election box candidate with party link
party = Democratic Party (US)
candidate = Bill Nelson (incumbent)
votes = 2,890,548
percentage = 60.3
change = +9.8Election box candidate with party link
party = Republican Party (US)
candidate = Katherine Harris
votes = 1,826,127
percentage = 38.1
change = -8.1Election box candidate with party link
party = Independent (politician)
candidate = Belinda Noah
votes = 24,880
percentage = 0.5
change = "n/a"Election box candidate with party link
party = Independent (politician)
candidate = Brian Moore
votes = 19,695
percentage = 0.4
change = "n/a"Election box candidate with party link
party = Independent (politician)
candidate = Floyd Ray Frazier
votes = 16,628
percentage = 0.3
change = "n/a"Election box candidate with party link
party = Independent (politician)
candidate = Roy Tanner
votes = 15,562
percentage = 0.3
change = "n/a"Election box candidate
party = Write-ins
candidate =
votes = 94
percentage = 0.0
change = "n/a"Election box majority
votes = 1,064,421
percentage = 22.2
change = +17.4Election box turnout
votes = 4,793,534
percentage =
change = Election box hold with party link
winner = Democratic Party (US)
swing =

References

ee also

*Florida statewide elections, 2006
*Florida congressional elections, 2006

External links

* [http://www.nelsonforsenate.com/ Bill Nelson for Senate]
* [http://www.electharris.org/ Katherine Harris for Senate]
* [http://www.leroycollins.org/ Leroy Collins for Senate]
* [http://www.mcbrideforsenate.com/ Will McBride for Senate]
* [http://www.monroeforsenate.com/ Peter Monroe for Senate]
* [http://www.frazierforussenate06.com/ Floyd Ray Frazier for Senate]
* [http://www.votebrianmoore.com/ Brian Moore for Senate]
* [http://www.noah2006.com/ Belinda Noah for Senate]
* [http://www.grosholz.com/ Alexander Grosholz for Senate]
* [http://www.tannerforsenate.com/ Roy Tanner for Senate]
* [http://www.lscottforsenate2006.com/ Lawrence Scott for Senate]

sequence
prev= 2004
Mel Martinez
list= Florida U.S. Senate elections
2006
next= 2010