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1988 United States Senate election in Florida
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 County results
Mack: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% MacKay: 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Florida |
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The 1988 United States Senate election in Florida was held on November 8, 1988. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Lawton Chiles decided to retire instead of seeking a fourth term. Republican Connie Mack III won the open seat, becoming the first Republican to hold this seat since Reconstruction in 1875.[1]
Chiles would later run successfully for Governor of Florida in 1990 and 1994.
Democratic primary
[edit]Incumbent U.S. Senator Lawton Chiles announced in December 1987, that he would not seek reelection.[2]
Former Governor Reubin Askew announced his candidacy and was regarded as a likely nominee, but withdrew stating that he was tired of campaigning and did not like fundraising.[3]
Candidates
[edit]- Bill Gunter, Florida State Treasurer
- Pat Frank, State Senator from Tampa
- Claude R. Kirk Jr., former Republican Governor
- Buddy MacKay, U.S. Representative from Ocala
- Dan Mica, U.S. Representative from Lake Worth
Results
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Bill Gunter | 383,721 | 38.00% | |
| Democratic | Buddy MacKay | 263,946 | 26.14% | |
| Democratic | Dan Mica | 179,524 | 17.78% | |
| Democratic | Pat Frank | 119,277 | 11.81% | |
| Democratic | Claude Kirk | 51,387 | 5.09% | |
| Democratic | Fred Rader | 11,820 | 1.17% | |
| Total votes | 1,009,675 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Buddy MacKay | 369,266 | 52.00 | |
| Democratic | Bill Gunter | 340,918 | 48.00 | |
| Total votes | 710,184 | 100 | ||
Republican primary
[edit]In 1987, U.S. Representative Connie Mack III announced his campaign for the Republican nomination. Robert Merkle, a former U.S. Attorney, was Mack's only opposition in the Republican primary.[3]
Candidates
[edit]- Connie Mack III, U.S. Representative from Cape Coral
- Robert Merkle, former U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida
Speculated
[edit]- Jeb Bush, Secretary of Commerce of Florida (1987–1988)[6]
- Paula Hawkins, former U.S. Senator (1981–1987)[6]
- Bill McCollum, member of the United States House of Representatives from Florida's 5th congressional district[6]
Results
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Connie Mack | 405,296 | 61.78 | |
| Republican | Robert Merkle | 250,730 | 38.22 | |
| Total votes | 656,026 | 100 | ||
General election
[edit]Candidates
[edit]- Connie Mack III, U.S. Representative (Republican)
- Buddy MacKay, U.S. Representative (Democratic)
Campaign
[edit]This senate election was heavily targeted by both parties. U.S. Representative Mack announced his candidacy back in October 1987.[7] President Ronald Reagan endorsed Mack in June 1988[8] to allow Mack to focus on the general election, as he easily won the September 6 Republican primary against U.S. Attorney Robert Merkle.[9] In May 1988, MacKay announced he would run for the open seat,[10] and defeated Insurance Commissioner Bill Gunter in a close October 4 runoff primary election.[11]
The general election became very nasty. MacKay tried to portray the Republican as "extremist."[12] Mack attacked his opponent in television ads by connecting him to unpopular Massachusetts Governor and presidential candidate Michael Dukakis.[13] Mack had help from vice presidential candidate Dan Quayle.[14] He also ran ten-second television advertisements that said "Hey Buddy, you're a liberal," a charge MacKay could never escape.[15] The election was so close there was a recount until MacKay conceded eight days after election day.[16]
Endorsements
[edit]Statewide officials
Results
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Connie Mack III | 2,051,071 | 50.42% | +12.15% | |
| Democratic | Buddy MacKay | 2,016,553 | 49.57% | −12.15% | |
| Write-in | 585 | 0.01% | |||
| Majority | 34,518 | 0.85% | −22.61% | ||
| Turnout | 4,068,209 | ||||
| Republican gain from Democratic | |||||
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives. "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 8, 1988" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 9.
- ^ Moreland, Steed & Baker 1991, p. 168.
- ^ a b Moreland, Steed & Baker 1991, p. 168-169.
- ^ a b "Florida Department of State - Election Results". Archived from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
- ^ "Florida Department of State - Election Results". Archived from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
- ^ a b c d Moreland, Steed & Baker 1991, p. 169.
- ^ Straight, Harry (October 20, 1987). "Mack opens Senate race, hits Chiles". Orlando Sentinel.
- ^ "Reagan Endorses Mack in Miami President Rebukes Dukakis at Fund- Raiser". Archived from the original on November 5, 2012. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
- ^ "Mack Easily Wins in Florida Primary". The New York Times. September 7, 1988.
- ^ "Daytona Beach Sunday News-Journal - Google News Archive Search".
- ^ "Gunter, MacKay in Runoff". Archived from the original on November 5, 2012. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
- ^ "The Albany Herald - Google News Archive Search".
- ^ "Sarasota Herald-Tribune - Google News Archive Search".
- ^ "Ocala Star-Banner - Google News Archive Search".
- ^ "Looking back with Buddy MacKay, Florida's last Democratic governor - Steve Bousquet", Sun Sentinel, April 2, 2021, retrieved December 18, 2022
- ^ Holmes, Charles (November 17, 1988). "MacKay throws in towel". The Palm Beach Post. Archived from the original on January 24, 2013. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
Works cited
[edit]- Moreland, Laurence; Steed, Robert; Baker, Tod, eds. (1991). The 1988 Presidential Election in the South: Continuity Amidst Change in Southern Party Politics. Praeger Publishers. ISBN 0275931455.
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