Ballotpedia's 2012 General Election Preview Articles: Florida State Legislature
October 30, 2012
By Ballotpedia's State legislative team
| Florida's State Legislative Elections in 2012 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Senate seats | Contested senate seats | House seats | Contested house seats |
| 40 | 25 (62.5%) | 120 | 48 (40.0%) |
Tallahassee: Florida: There are 160 total legislative seats with 2012 elections in Florida, where polling places are open from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM.[1] Florida is split between Eastern and Central time zones.
The Senate, with a current composition of 28 Republicans to 12 Democrats, is not projected to change hands in 2012. Like the Senate, the House has an overwhelming Republican majority (81 of 120 seats) and this chamber will likely remain in Republican control.
Of the 160 incumbents up for election in 2012, 109 (68.13%) of them are running for re-election. A total of 73 of 160 (45.6%) districts will see more than one major party candidate in the general election.
Here are a few races to watch:
Senate
- District 8: This open seat has seen large amounts of outside money pour in, and is expected to be one of the closest in the entire Senate. Frank T. Bruno, Jr. (D) and Dorothy L. Hukill (R) will face off.[2]
- District 25: Democratic candidate Joseph Abruzzo and Republican Melanie Peterson are facing off for the open seat. This is a district where Democrats have a big registration edge, but the Republican Party has countered with an substantial amount of spending on television advertisements.[3]
- District 34: Incumbents Maria Sachs (D) and Ellyn Bogdanoff (R), both freshman, will vie for the seat.
House
- District 30: New redistricting maps mean that Republican Scott Plakon's once safe district is now a tossup. Democrat Karen Castor Dentel will try and flip the seat.[2]
- District 49: Joe Saunders (D) faces off against Marco Pena (R). This open seat has become a toss up due to the advantages for both parties in the district. Democrats have a big registration advantage in the district, but Republicans have spent $500,000 on television-advertising.[3]
- District 68: The Republican nominee is former state representative Frank Farkas, a chiropractor from St. Petersburg. The Democrat is Dwight Dudley, a criminal-defense lawyer and former public defender who is the nephew of a St. Petersburg City Council member. Democrats hold a marginal registration advantage in the district, but Republicans have raised significantly more money than Democrats.[3]
- District 69: Relative political newcomers Josh Shulman (D) and Kathleen Peters (R) are facing off for the district seat. The district, located along the Pinellas coast, is divided almost dead-even between Republicans and Democrats.[3]
- District 112: Republicans are favored to win this seat in Miami, where their nominee is Alex Diaz de la Portilla, a former member of the House and Senate and former Senate Republican Leader, in addition to being part of one of Miami’s best-known political families.[3] He faces Democratic challenger Jose Javier Rodriguez.
| Florida State Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 5, 2012 | After the 2012 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 12 | 14 | |
| Republican Party | 28 | 26 | |
| Total | 40 | 40 | |
| Florida House of Representatives | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 5, 2012 | After the 2012 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 38 | 46 | |
| Republican Party | 81 | 74 | |
| Vacancy | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 120 | 120 | |
Articles
- 2012 elections review: Handful of incumbents defeated in Florida primaries August 15
- 2012 elections preview: Florida voters to select winners in congressional, legislative primaries August 13
See also
- Ballotpedia's 2012 General Election Preview Articles: Florida Congressional Seats
- State legislative elections, 2012
- Florida elections, 2012
Footnotes
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