Complete Election Results From Florida And Alabama
November 3, 2010
NorthEscambia.com is your source for complete local and state election coverage.
We have complete post-election coverage from Escambia and Santa Rosa counties in Florida, Escambia County in Alabama, as well as the big state issues and races in Florida and Alabama.
For results and analysis, click a link below.
- Florida
- Complete Escambia Florida Results; Commisison, ECUA Incumbents Re-elected
- Evers Takes Senate District 2, Defeats Tea Party Candidate
- Broxson Easily Wins House District 1 Race
- Alex Sink Concedes Florida Governor’s Race To Rick Scott
- Hayward Pensacola Mayor, Council Results
- Amendment 8 Fails; Class Size Rules Stand
- Bob Cole Returned To Santa Rosa Commission
- Rubio Rides Republican Wave, Puts Crist Out Of Work
- Charlie Crist Sees Career Halted On GOP’s Night
- Republicans Pick Up Seats In Fla. House, Senate
- Amendments 5 And 6 Poised To Pass
- Putnam Wins Ag Commissioner
- Pam Bondi Wins AG Spot
- Atwater Elected Florida CFO
- Land-Use Amendment 4 Rejected
Alabama
- Complete Results: Escambia County Alabama
- Escambia (Ala.) Sheriff: Smith Defeats Jackson
- Robert Bentley Defeats Ron Sparks For Ala. Gov.
Rick Scott Elected Governor
November 3, 2010
Democrat Alex Sink has conceded the Florida governor’s race to Republican Rick Scott.
“Unfortunately we just fell less than 100,000 votes of victory,” Sink said during a morning news conference in Tampa. “The fact that we came so incredibly close is really a remarkable statement that so many people believed in me.”
“”He will need to work very hard to bring our state together,” a teary-eyed Sink said. “There are 2.5 million Floridians who did not vote for him, and his highest priority needs to be to bring the people of the state of Florida together.”
She blamed Scott’s record-setting spending for her loss. Scott poured about $73 million of his own money into the race, more than any other politician in Florida history.
The unofficial tally has Scott ahead of Scott by 68,277 votes. The unofficial results this morning as Sink conceded were
Rick Scott 2,588,415 (48.94%)
Alex Sink 2,520,138 (47.65%)
The difference was outside the one percent threshold that would automatically trigger a recount. Over three percent of the total vote went to no or minor part candidates.
Palm Beach County election officials finished tallying up ballots shortly after 4 a.m. Democratic candidate Alex Sink tallied 216,438 votes in the Democratic stronghold compared to 146,786 votes recorded for Republican challenger Rick Scott.
Late additions to the troubled Palm Beach numbers added about 12,690 votes to Sink’s earlier tally but she remained about 60,000 votes behind Scott, more than double the number, about 26,500, that would trigger a recount. Palm Beach again became the focus of election night drama when returns were delayed with little explanation for Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Susan Bucher.
Pictured above: Now Florida’s governor-elect, Republican Rick Scott campaigns at Fran’s Country Grill in Molino last Friday. Pictured inset: Scott greets supporters at Fran’s. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Amendment 8 Fails; Class Size Rules Stand
November 3, 2010
Florida voters Tuesday narrowly struck down a lawmaker orchestrated attempt to alter the laws dictating how many kids can sit in a Florida classroom.
Amendment 8, a proposal that would have tweaked the existing class size law to eliminate the hard classroom size caps set in place by voters in 2002, garnered 54.6 percent of the vote, short of the required 60 percent for proposed constitutional amendments to be enacted.
The vote means that caps on school classroom sizes that voters put in the Constitution eight years earlier will stay in place. The 2002 Constitutional amendment caps classes at 18 students in kindergarten through third grade, 22 in fourth through eighth grade, and 25 in high school. The limits have been phased in since the amendment was passed. The hard numerical caps went into effect this year.
But shrinking class sizes is pricey — it requires putting more teachers in the classrooms. And lawmakers have struggled to give schools the amount of money needed for them to adequately meet the caps.
Districts began clamoring for flexibility to meet the caps when the economy spiraled downward and lawmakers couldn’t budget the necessary dollars to keep pace. The cost has been a major concern since before the original amendment was even passed. Its highest profile opponent back in 2002 was then- Gov. Jeb Bush, who said the cost of it would “blot out the sun.”
The proposed amendment would have allowed schools to calculate the class size at a grade wide average, rather than at the individual classroom level.
The state teachers’ union has staunchly defended the original class size provision, arguing that the softening of the law is merely the Legislature backing out of a promise to fund the schools to meet the hard caps. The group challenged the proposed amendment in court, but the Supreme Court ultimately ruled to keep it on the ballot.
The group has argued that there was no need to amend the Constitution and that flexibility could be achieved via statutory changes.
By Kathleen Haugney
The News Service Florida
Rubio Rides Republican Wave, Puts Crist Out Of Work
November 3, 2010
Republican Marco Rubio rode a rising national GOP tsunami to an easy trip to the U.S. Senate Tuesday, getting help from a divided Democratic electorate split by Charlie Crist’s independent bid.
Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants and a former speaker of the state House, was one of several conservatives swept into office Tuesday as an angry electorate protested the policies of President Barack Obama and the Democratic Congress. While Republicans were poised to take control of the U.S. House, it wasn’t clear yet whether they’d take the Senate. The Florida seat that Rubio was taking had already been in GOP hands.
Rubio, 39, ran as a fiscal conservative who will fight against Obama’s policies, and was a Tea Party favorite. He was so popular with conservative Republicans that Crist, an extremely popular governor, quit the GOP primary when it became apparent he would lose to Rubio.
While running as an independent, Crist clearly staked out Democratic positions, posing himself as an alternative to Rubio with a legitimate chance to win, unlike, he said, Meek.
Meek, who left a safe U.S. House seat for the run, was in third place in most polls for much of the race – and it got worse for him as time went on, as Crist began telling Democrats they should go with him if they wanted to keep Rubio out of Congress.
The race got heated, but both Crist and Meek offered gracious concessions early in the evening Tuesday, Rubio said.
And as he did during the campaign, Rubio said he wanted to return the GOP to promises it has made but not kept, to control spending and lower taxes.
“We make a grave mistake if we believe these results are an embrace of the Republican Party,” Rubio said at a victory party in Coral Gables. “What they are is a second chance.”
The seat is being vacated by caretaker U.S. Sen. George LeMieux, who was appointed by Gov. Charlie Crist to fill a vacancy – but supported Rubio in the race. The seat became vacant when former U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez quit early.
Several Republicans praised Rubio with backhanded final slaps at Crist, who Republicans derided as willing to compromise principle to get elected.
“Through it all Marco never compromised his beliefs for momentary fame, he never traded his take on the issues for votes from interest groups, and as a result voters are sending a United States senator to Washington who they can trust to stand up for Florida regardless of the circumstance,” said incoming House Speaker Dean Cannon.
Meek lamented the role Crist played in the race, saying that his willingness to float between the two parties was not a virtue, as Crist had argued, but a vice.
“The lifelong bedrock that makes our party great and this nation flourish is rooted in principles of equality and social justice, of protecting our environment and defending a woman’s right to choose,” Meek said in a short concession speech. “These are not sometime Democratic values, but all-the-time Democratic values. On our essential beliefs, we can never compromise because too many people in the generations preceding us have toiled and struggled for the liberties we now enjoy and the way of life we deserve.”
Sen. Tony Hill, D-Jacksonville, mourned the third-place finish by his friend Meek, with whom he had a sit-in in former Gov. Jeb Bush’s office with when the pair opposed Bush’s “One Florida” anti-affirmative action hiring proposal.
But not only did Meek and Crist split the vote – both ran into a buzzsaw in Rubio on a night when conservatives around the country were enthusiastic to send a message to Washington. And Rubio was a formidable messenger, Hill said.
“We were hoping the numbers would’ve been a little closer, but you have to remember the guy (Rubio) ran a sitting governor out of his own party,” said Hill.
By David Royse
The News Service Florida
Escambia (Ala.) Sheriff: Incumbent Grover Smith Defeats Heath Jackson
November 3, 2010
Two-term Democratic Sheriff Grover Smith defeated political newcomer Republican Heath Jackson, an Escambia County (Fla.) Sheriff’s narcotics investigator in the race for Escambia County (Ala.) Sheriff.
“I an deeply humbled and appreciate the fact that people overlooked party lines in voting for me,” Smith (pictured left) said Tuesday night in Brewton. “I will continue to be a sheriff that every man, woman and child in this county can count on.”
Jackson, who handily defeated Lloyd Albritton in June’s primary election, conceded the race just before 9:30 Tuesday night. Smith received 6,531 votes, while Jackson received 4,203 according to complete, but unofficial, results.
“We are very grateful for the citizens that put their trust in us,” Jackson (pictured left) said late Tuesday. Facing a two-term sheriff with more than a dozen years experience as a police chief was a “heck of a mountain to climb”, but he said he felt like it was a good, positive race.
The defeat will not be end of Jackson’s political aspirations — he plans to seek Escambia’s top cop job again.
“I hope in four years that 4,000 that voted for us and a few thousand more will support us,” Jackson said.
During his next four years as sheriff, Smith said he has a few major goals. One is to continue to be accessible to the citizens and to implement a required drug rehabilitation and mandatory work program for drug offenders in his jail.
And, in the short term, Smith said, “I going to be pulling up all of my signs. I’m sick of them”.
Jay Native Seriously Injured By Suicide Bomber in Afghanistan
November 3, 2010
Miles Baker of Jay was severely injured by a suicide bomber Monday in Afghanistan. He has shrapnel in his left arm and stomach and is being kept sedated, according to his wife Brittany, who learned of his injuries Tuesday morning.
“Thank you everyone for the prayers,” she said. “You have no idea what it means to me. Please continue to pray. They are not sending him home right now.”
Miles Baker joined the Army right after graduating from Jay High School. He and wife Brittany have one child, Zaiden, age two months.
Pictured: Brittany and Miles Baker. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Complete Escambia Florida Results; Commisison And ECUA Incumbents Are Re-elected
November 3, 2010
Incumbents Gene Valentino and Grover Robinson re-elected to the Escambia County Commission. Incumbents Lois Benson and Dale Perkins to return to the ECUA Board.
Local Escambia County (Fla.) results:
Initial Unofficial Results Include Partial Absentee and All Early Votes
90 of 90 Election Day Precincts Reporting
COUNTY COMMISSIONER DISTRICT 2
Gene M. Valentino 9,224 58.69 %
Myra L. Simmons 3,887 24.73 %
Paul Redman 2,606 16.58 %
COUNTY COMMISSIONER DISTRICT 4
Grover C. Robinson 18,019 80.64 %
Danny Lewis 4,325 19.36 %
ECUA DISTRICT 2
Lois Benson 11,506 76.47 %
Dave Carlson 3,541 23.53 %
ECUA DISTRICT 4
Dale Perkins 16,561 76.92 %
Scott Schroeder 4,970 23.08 %
ESCAMBIA SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION
Dan Cain 46,581 64.30 %
Dillon Mason Powell 25,863 35.70 %
Hayward Elected Pensacola Mayor; Complete City Council Results
November 3, 2010
Ashton Hayward has been elected as Pensacola’s first strong Mayor.
Mike Wiggins has conceded the race as unofficial results show him behind by just a few hundred votes in a very close race.
Unofficial results:
MAYOR PENSACOLA
Ashton Hayward 10,508 51.94 %
Mike Wiggins 9,723 48.06 %
CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT 1
P.C. Wu 2,358 75.89 %
Steve Fulford 749 24.11 %
CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT 2
Sherri Myers 1,110 51.58 %
Courtney B. Peterson 1,042 48.42 %
CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT 6
Brian Spencer 1,248 53.63 %
Jewel Cannada-Wynn 1,079 46.37 %
Evers Takes Senate District 2, Defeats Tea Party Candidate
November 3, 2010
Republican Greg Evers is celebrating victory tonight in the race for Senate District 23.
Evers, R-Baker, had 80 percent of the vote to 20 percent for Tea Party candidate Christopher Crawford in early returns.
“I am humbled and honored that the voters of Senate District 2 have chosen me to represent them in the Florida Senate,” said Evers, who celebrated his victory with a small group of family and friends. “I am a pro-life, conservative farmer and small businessman who has been endorsed by the NRA; and I ran for Senate District 2 because, like many voters in Northwest Florida, I’m concerned with the direction our country and state are headed.”
“Now that I have been elected, I will take the issues I campaigned on straight to the state’s Capitol and ensure Northwest Florida has a strong voice in the Florida Senate,” said Evers. “I am committed to fulfilling the promises I made while on the campaign trail – from fighting to take back our state from out-of-control Washington insiders, to focusing on building strong families, to getting our neighbors back to work and our economy back on track, to implementing Arizona-style immigration reform and fighting to defeat Obamacare.”
“I could not have achieved this victory tonight without the support of voters across Northwest Florida, and I look forward to serving them proudly in the Florida Legislature,” concluded Evers.
Senate District 2 consists of Holmes and Washington, and parts of Escambia, Santa Rosa, Bay, Okaloosa, and Walton Counties. The seat was previously held by Senator Durrell Peaden, Jr., MD, who was term-limited out.
Evers had served Florida House District 1 since 2001.
Charlie Crist Sees Career Halted On GOP’s Night
November 3, 2010
Gov. Charlie Crist picked the wrong election year to leave the Republican Party.
Crist walked into a ballroom Tuesday night at the Vinoy Renaissance, a swanky hotel in his hometown of St. Petersburg, and conceded defeat in the U.S. Senate race to Republican Marco Rubio, doing what seemed unthinkable just a couple of years ago -putting a stop, at least for now, to what seemed to be a meteoric political rise.
Of course, few thought Crist wouldn’t be a Republican either.
Crist thanked his wife Carole, his parents and his sisters. And he thanked his supporters.
“I also want you to know from the bottom of my heart it has been the greatest honor of my public life to serve as your governor,” he told backers.
It was far different from the scene four years ago, when Crist, buoyed by cheering crowds and adoring supporters throughout the state, won the governor’s office over Democrat Jim Davis. The term political rock star was thrown around and Crist was talked of as a future presidential contender. He was also vetted as a possible running mate for Republican presidential candidate John McCain.
Tuesday night, he was the odd man out, watching from outside the Republican Party he once headed as it celebrated its biggest election night in more than a decade. And he watched Rubio win a Senate seat that early on seemed Crist’s to take.
“More than anything, Crist proves the axiom that timing and opportunity are the most important variables,” said Democratic strategist Steve Schale, who ran President Barack Obama’s Florida operation in 2008. “Virtually any other cycle, Crist would be punching his ticket to the Senate. He just ran into a buzz saw in 2010.”
Crist started as the easy favorite. When he jumped in, Republican leaders tried to clear the field for him.
But Rubio persisted, catching the attention of the Tea Party movement and county Republican parties. He went to all the small grassroots events and slowly his numbers began to rise. By the spring, Crist saw his campaign struggling to reach Republican voters. His popularity seemed to lie more with Democrats and moderates.
When it looked like he could lose the GOP primary to Rubio, he left the Republican Party to run as an independent and his cross party popularity showed as his poll numbers catapulted him past Rubio and Democratic candidate Kendrick Meek. Early in the summer, it looked like Crist would triumph over his former party. Then it fell apart.
As Crist moved away from his Republican roots, and enthusiasm grew among conservatives, Rubio rode a growing national star. And Crist’s numbers tumbled.
Crist – always thought of as having an incredibly keen sense of political timing – either missed what was developing, or suddenly became less interested in winning after a lifetime of having a knack for it. In what clearly was stacking up as a Republican year, Crist was courting Democrats and moderates. His strategy – and at least for now his career – came to a halt Tuesday night.
“This was the wrong year,” for a “raging moderate” like Crist said former Sen. Dave Aronberg, a Democrat who also lost this year in the primary for attorney general.
“I thought he had the highest political skill of anyone I ever met,” Aronberg said. “His major miscalculation was he underestimated the rise of the right wing of the Republican Party and the tea party.”
The question now is whether Crist’s quixotic independent Senate run was his swan song or whether he’ll reinvent himself. He could turn to the private sector and run a foundation like his predecessor Gov. Jeb Bush. He’d likely be a welcome visiting professor at university political science departments.
Or, he could sit back and wait for an opportune moment to jump back in the political arena. In 1998, former Gov. Bob Graham trounced Crist in the U.S. Senate race. Afterward, Bush appointed him to be a deputy secretary at the Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Crist bided his time and in 2000 won a special election for Education Commissioner’s race, then an elected position. He followed it up with a win in the 2004 attorney general’s race and then the governor’s race in 2006. Some have suggested he may be interested in the Tampa Bay area U.S. House seat now held by U.S. Rep. Bill Young.
“For Crist, with his universal name ID, the question isn’t if he can make a comeback, but when his ambition and political opportunity line up,” Schale said.
Crist was brief in his public remarks Tuesday night and left no hint as to what he might do in the future. He exited the stage, shaking hands and hugging friends. Crist, who has rarely been unwilling to go before the press, didn’t take any questions.
By Kathleen Haughney
The News Service Florida