2000 United States Senate election in Florida explained

Election Name:2000 United States Senate election in Florida
Country:Florida
Type:presidential
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:1994 United States Senate election in Florida
Previous Year:1994
Next Election:2006 United States Senate election in Florida
Next Year:2006
Election Date:November 7, 2000
Image1:Bill Nelson.jpg
Nominee1:Bill Nelson
Party1:Democratic Party (United States)
Popular Vote1:2,989,487
Percentage1:51.04%
Nominee2:Bill McCollum
Party2:Republican Party (United States)
Popular Vote2:2,705,348
Percentage2:46.19%
Map Size:300px
U.S. Senator
Before Election:Connie Mack III
Before Party:Republican Party (United States)
After Election:Bill Nelson
After Party:Democratic Party (United States)

The 2000 United States Senate election in Florida was held on November 7, 2000, on the same date as the U.S. House of Representatives and presidential election. Incumbent Republican Senator Connie Mack III decided to retire instead of seeking a third term. Democrat Bill Nelson won the open seat, even as Republican presidential nominee George W. Bush narrowly triumphed over Al Gore in the state by a mere 537 vote, thus this is the last time that a party flipped a Senate seat in a state that flipped against them in the simultaneous presidential election.

Bill McCollum's 46.19% popular vote percentage is the highest for a losing Republican United States Senate candidate in Florida.

Republican primary

Candidates

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

Results

General election

Candidates

Campaign

This election was in conjunction to the presidential election, where Bush narrowly defeated Gore after an intense recount. The Senate election was evenly matched, with two U.S. Congressmen named Bill in their mid-50s. Both parties heavily targeted this senate seat.[1] The election became very nasty as Nelson called his opponent "an extremist who would sacrifice the elderly, the poor, and the working class to coddle the rich." McCollum called the Democrat "a liberal who would tax everything that moves, and some things that don't." The election advertisements were very negative, as both candidates talked more about each other than themselves.[2]

Nelson raised only soft money,[3] but had help from Gore and President Bill Clinton. Two days before the election, McCollum predicted he would win by a 6-point margin.[4] On election day, he lost by a five-point margin.

Debates

Results

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Dunkelburger. Lloyd. 1 August 2000. Rep. McCollum raises stakes at Nelson fights. live. 2021-05-07. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. 3A. https://web.archive.org/web/20160428025449/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=o0EgAAAAIBAJ&sjid=RH8EAAAAIBAJ&pg=6654,152782&dq=bill+mccollum+nelson&hl=en . 2016-04-28 .
  2. Web site: Bragg. Rick. 18 October 2000. The 2000 Campaign: A Florida Race; 2 Senate Candidates Eagerly Woo Moderates. dead. https://archive.today/20120714153120/http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0712FA3C5A0C7B8DDDA90994D8404482. 2012-07-14. 2017-02-20. New York Times.
  3. Web site: 31 July 2000. Nelson Raises Million - and Heat. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20121024111501/http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=MH&s_site=miami&p_multi=MH&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB72E5B1B1E71AA&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM. 2012-10-24. Miami Herald. 1B.
  4. Web site: Zuckerman. Laura. 2 November 2000. Rep. Mccollum Predicting 6-Point Victory Over Nelson. live. 2021-05-07. Nl.newsbank.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20121024111512/http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=NJ&p_theme=nj&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB51B511C29FC0A&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM . 2012-10-24 .