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Florida's 15th Congressional District election, 2020 (August 18 Republican primary)
- Primary date: Aug. 18
- Primary type: Closed
- Registration deadline(s): July 20
- Online registration: Yes
- Same-day registration: No
- Early voting starts: Aug. 8
- Absentee/mail voting deadline(s): Aug. 18 (received)
- Voter ID: Photo ID
- Poll times: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
2022 →
← 2018
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| Florida's 15th Congressional District |
|---|
 |
| Democratic primary Republican primary General election |
| Election details |
| Filing deadline: April 24, 2020 |
| Primary: August 18, 2020 General: November 3, 2020 Pre-election incumbent: Ross Spano (Republican) |
| How to vote |
| Poll times: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voting in Florida |
| Race ratings |
Inside Elections: Lean Republican Sabato's Crystal Ball: Lean Republican |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds Federal and state primary competitiveness Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2020 |
| See also |
1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th • 9th • 10th • 11th • 12th • 13th • 14th • 15th • 16th • 17th • 18th • 19th • 20th • 21st • 22nd • 23rd • 24th • 25th • 26th • 27th Florida elections, 2020 U.S. Congress elections, 2020 U.S. Senate elections, 2020 U.S. House elections, 2020 |
Scott Franklin defeated incumbent Rep. Ross Spano in the Republican primary for Florida's 15th Congressional District on August 18, 2020. Franklin received 51% of the vote to Spano's 49%.
Spano was one of eight House incumbents defeated in a primary election in 2020.
Spano's campaign website said he "continues to fight for families and small businesses in Washington, looking for ways to reduce burdensome regulations on small businesses and allowing them to invest, grow and create jobs."[1] Franklin, who was elected to the Lakeland City Commission in 2018, said he would advance the Trump agenda and "earn back the trust, respect and integrity the people of Central Florida deserve."[2]
The Federal Election Commission received complaints that Spano had loaned his 2018 campaign $167,000 that he borrowed from friends, in violation of contribution limits. In November 2019, the Justice Department and House Ethics Committee began federal probes into the alleged violation. On Feb. 10, the Florida Bar announced it would also investigate. Spano said the loan likely violated campaign finance law but said it was a mistake.[3] Learn more here.
Spano's endorsers included Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), and House Republican Conference Chairwoman Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.). Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) endorsed Franklin.[4]
Spano was first elected to the House in 2018, defeating Democrat Kristen Carlson 53% to 47%. Three election forecasters rated the general election Lean Republican as of the primary.
This page focuses on Florida's 15th Congressional District Republican primary. For more in-depth information on the district's Democratic primary and the general election, see the following pages:
- Florida's 15th Congressional District election, 2020 (August 18 Democratic primary)
- Florida's 15th Congressional District election, 2020
Election procedure changes in 2020
Ballotpedia provided comprehensive coverage of how election dates and procedures changed in 2020. While the majority of changes occurred as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some changes occurred for other reasons.
Florida modified its candidate filing procedures as follows:
- Candidate filing procedures: Candidates allowed to submit qualifying documents, including signed petitions, electronically.
For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, click here.
Candidates and election results
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Florida District 15
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Scott Franklin | 51.2 | 30,736 |
 | Ross Spano | 48.8 | 29,265 | |
| Total votes: 60,001 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Candidate profiles
This section includes candidate profiles created in one of two ways. Either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey or Ballotpedia staff created a profile after identifying the candidate as noteworthy.[5] Ballotpedia staff compiled profiles based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements.
Party: Republican Party
Incumbent: No
Political Office: Lakeland City Commission (Assumed office: 2018)
Biography: Franklin graduated from the United States Naval Academy and received an M.B.A. from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He also graduated from the Armed Forces Staff College and Wharton’s Executive Leadership Development Program. Franklin was a naval aviator. He was also president of an insurance and risk management agency.
Show sources
This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Florida District 15 in 2020.
Party: Republican Party
Incumbent: Yes
Political Office:
- U.S. House of Representatives (Assumed office: 2019)
- Florida House of Representatives (2012-2018)
Biography: Spano received a bachelor's degree in history from the University of South Florida and a J.D. from the Florida State University College of Law. He owned the law firm Christmas Spano & Owen.
Show sources
This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Florida District 15 in 2020.
Campaign finance
This section contains campaign finance figures from the Federal Election Commission covering all candidate fundraising and spending in this election.[6] It does not include information on fundraising before the current campaign cycle or on spending by satellite groups. The numbers in this section are updated as candidates file new campaign finance reports. Candidates for Congress are required to file financial reports on a quarterly basis, as well as two weeks before any primary, runoff, or general election in which they will be on the ballot and upon the termination of any campaign committees.[7] The chart below contains data from financial reports submitted to the Federal Election Commission.
| Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ross Spano | Republican Party | $1,130,467 | $1,108,390 | $23,722 | As of December 31, 2020 |
| Scott Franklin | Republican Party | $1,665,298 | $1,639,817 | $25,481 | As of December 31, 2020 |
|
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2020. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." |
|||||
Primaries in Florida
A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Florida utilizes a closed primary process, in which the selection of a party's candidates in an election is limited to registered party members.[8][9]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Noteworthy events
Investigation into alleged campaign finance violations during the 2018 election
In November 2019, the Justice Department and House Ethics Committee began federal probes into the legality of loans Spano made to his own campaign during Florida’s 15th Congressional District election in 2018.[10] On February 10, 2020, the Florida Bar announced they would also investigate allegations that Spano violated campaign finance regulations during his run for Congress in 2018.[3]
Specifically, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) received complaints that Spano had loaned his campaign $167,000 that he borrowed from friends.[11] The money was indirectly given to the campaign through a personal loan from Spano.[3] The complaint said this loan was a violation of contribution limits that would have limited the contribution of Spano’s friends to $2,800 each.[3][12]
The Tampa Bay Times reported that Spano said he didn’t know the loans violated any campaign finance regulations and that Spano acknowledged the likely wrongdoing, but stated if campaign finance regulations were violated, they were violated by mistake.[3]
General election race ratings
- See also: Race rating definitions and methods
Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:
- Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
- Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
- Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[13]
- Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.
Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[14][15][16]
| Race ratings: Florida's 15th Congressional District election, 2020 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Race tracker | Race ratings | ||||||||
| November 3, 2020 | October 27, 2020 | October 20, 2020 | October 13, 2020 | ||||||
| The Cook Political Report | Lean Republican | Lean Republican | Lean Republican | Lean Republican | |||||
| Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales | Lean Republican | Lean Republican | Lean Republican | Lean Republican | |||||
| Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball | Lean Republican | Lean Republican | Lean Republican | Lean Republican | |||||
| Note: Ballotpedia updates external race ratings every week throughout the election season. | |||||||||
District analysis
- See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index
- See also: FiveThirtyEight's elasticity scores
The 2017 Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was R+6, meaning that in the previous two presidential elections, this district's results were 6 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Florida's 15th Congressional District the 187th most Republican nationally.[17]
FiveThirtyEight's September 2018 elasticity score for states and congressional districts measured "how sensitive it is to changes in the national political environment." This district's elasticity score was 0.97. This means that for every 1 point the national political mood moved toward a party, the district was expected to move 0.97 points toward that party.[18]
Pivot Counties
- See also: Pivot Counties by state
Four of 67 Florida counties—6 percent—are Pivot Counties. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.
| Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County | Trump margin of victory in 2016 | Obama margin of victory in 2012 | Obama margin of victory in 2008 | ||||
| Jefferson County, Florida | 5.06% | 1.75% | 3.66% | ||||
| Monroe County, Florida | 6.82% | 0.44% | 4.90% | ||||
| Pinellas County, Florida | 1.11% | 5.65% | 8.25% | ||||
| St. Lucie County, Florida | 2.40% | 7.86% | 12.12% | ||||
In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump (R) won Florida with 49 percent of the vote. Hillary Clinton (D) received 47.8 percent. Florida was considered a key battleground state in the 2016 general election. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, Florida voted Democratic 56.67 percent of the time and Republican 43.33 percent of the time. Florida went to the Republicans in 2000, 2004, and 2016, and it went to the Democrats in 2008 and 2012.
Presidential results by legislative district
The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Florida. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[19][20]
| In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 55 out of 120 state House districts in Florida with an average margin of victory of 29.1 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 54 out of 120 state House districts in Florida with an average margin of victory of 30.3 points. Clinton won 14 districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections. |
| In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 65 out of 120 state House districts in Florida with an average margin of victory of 17.7 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 66 out of 120 state House districts in Florida with an average margin of victory of 21.1 points. Trump won two districts controlled by Democrats heading into the 2018 elections. |
| 2016 presidential results by state House district | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | Obama | Romney | 2012 Margin | Clinton | Trump | 2016 Margin | Party Control |
| 1 | 36.20% | 62.79% | R+26.6 | 34.08% | 62.44% | R+28.4 | R |
| 2 | 40.60% | 58.27% | R+17.7 | 39.85% | 55.53% | R+15.7 | R |
| 3 | 22.07% | 76.75% | R+54.7 | 19.63% | 76.01% | R+56.4 | R |
| 4 | 25.64% | 73.07% | R+47.4 | 24.90% | 69.68% | R+44.8 | R |
| 5 | 25.87% | 73.02% | R+47.2 | 21.51% | 76.01% | R+54.5 | R |
| 6 | 28.12% | 70.72% | R+42.6 | 25.59% | 70.40% | R+44.8 | R |
| 7 | 35.78% | 63.03% | R+27.3 | 29.54% | 67.81% | R+38.3 | R |
| 8 | 76.69% | 22.32% | D+54.4 | 74.29% | 22.33% | D+52 | D |
| 9 | 52.23% | 46.70% | D+5.5 | 52.98% | 42.92% | D+10.1 | D |
| 10 | 29.54% | 69.49% | R+40 | 24.47% | 73.15% | R+48.7 | R |
| 11 | 29.10% | 69.98% | R+40.9 | 28.75% | 67.52% | R+38.8 | R |
| 12 | 38.82% | 60.18% | R+21.4 | 39.91% | 55.90% | R+16 | R |
| 13 | 66.27% | 33.01% | D+33.3 | 64.06% | 33.01% | D+31.1 | D |
| 14 | 67.05% | 32.34% | D+34.7 | 64.74% | 32.99% | D+31.8 | D |
| 15 | 43.22% | 55.85% | R+12.6 | 43.85% | 52.54% | R+8.7 | R |
| 16 | 36.02% | 63.09% | R+27.1 | 38.53% | 57.46% | R+18.9 | R |
| 17 | 29.91% | 69.15% | R+39.2 | 31.55% | 64.91% | R+33.4 | R |
| 18 | 27.33% | 71.82% | R+44.5 | 27.27% | 69.17% | R+41.9 | R |
| 19 | 31.02% | 68.02% | R+37 | 25.79% | 71.54% | R+45.8 | R |
| 20 | 65.02% | 33.40% | D+31.6 | 63.38% | 32.58% | D+30.8 | D |
| 21 | 47.01% | 51.55% | R+4.5 | 47.92% | 47.87% | D+0.1 | R |
| 22 | 40.28% | 58.79% | R+18.5 | 35.09% | 62.28% | R+27.2 | R |
| 23 | 38.65% | 60.23% | R+21.6 | 31.70% | 65.06% | R+33.4 | R |
| 24 | 41.79% | 57.34% | R+15.6 | 35.96% | 61.17% | R+25.2 | R |
| 25 | 43.38% | 55.73% | R+12.4 | 37.23% | 59.47% | R+22.2 | R |
| 26 | 57.57% | 41.40% | D+16.2 | 49.01% | 47.49% | D+1.5 | D |
| 27 | 50.25% | 48.70% | D+1.6 | 42.51% | 54.04% | R+11.5 | R |
| 28 | 46.01% | 52.86% | R+6.9 | 46.02% | 49.59% | R+3.6 | R |
| 29 | 44.35% | 54.70% | R+10.4 | 45.97% | 50.16% | R+4.2 | R |
| 30 | 50.06% | 48.88% | D+1.2 | 51.93% | 43.61% | D+8.3 | R |
| 31 | 40.55% | 58.49% | R+17.9 | 37.12% | 59.50% | R+22.4 | R |
| 32 | 43.05% | 56.11% | R+13.1 | 40.66% | 56.10% | R+15.4 | R |
| 33 | 33.03% | 66.40% | R+33.4 | 29.41% | 68.70% | R+39.3 | R |
| 34 | 38.74% | 60.18% | R+21.4 | 28.67% | 68.26% | R+39.6 | R |
| 35 | 45.66% | 53.25% | R+7.6 | 34.40% | 62.35% | R+28 | R |
| 36 | 51.81% | 46.55% | D+5.3 | 37.97% | 58.18% | R+20.2 | R |
| 37 | 42.35% | 56.41% | R+14.1 | 34.77% | 61.75% | R+27 | R |
| 38 | 44.80% | 54.00% | R+9.2 | 39.90% | 56.32% | R+16.4 | R |
| 39 | 43.29% | 55.62% | R+12.3 | 38.74% | 57.77% | R+19 | R |
| 40 | 46.30% | 52.68% | R+6.4 | 41.48% | 54.62% | R+13.1 | R |
| 41 | 48.78% | 50.29% | R+1.5 | 45.76% | 51.24% | R+5.5 | R |
| 42 | 49.88% | 49.23% | D+0.7 | 46.82% | 49.98% | R+3.2 | R |
| 43 | 74.04% | 25.31% | D+48.7 | 73.13% | 24.03% | D+49.1 | D |
| 44 | 45.77% | 53.48% | R+7.7 | 51.21% | 45.05% | D+6.2 | R |
| 45 | 68.39% | 30.95% | D+37.4 | 67.75% | 29.32% | D+38.4 | D |
| 46 | 85.10% | 14.40% | D+70.7 | 82.72% | 14.71% | D+68 | D |
| 47 | 49.79% | 49.04% | D+0.8 | 53.85% | 41.40% | D+12.5 | R |
| 48 | 71.31% | 27.89% | D+43.4 | 71.71% | 25.05% | D+46.7 | D |
| 49 | 59.87% | 38.85% | D+21 | 61.07% | 33.94% | D+27.1 | D |
| 50 | 46.33% | 52.71% | R+6.4 | 46.10% | 49.78% | R+3.7 | R |
| 51 | 43.21% | 55.60% | R+12.4 | 37.31% | 58.51% | R+21.2 | R |
| 52 | 39.39% | 59.51% | R+20.1 | 36.49% | 59.05% | R+22.6 | R |
| 53 | 48.93% | 49.90% | R+1 | 42.52% | 53.45% | R+10.9 | R |
| 54 | 39.76% | 59.51% | R+19.8 | 37.01% | 60.11% | R+23.1 | R |
| 55 | 38.22% | 60.83% | R+22.6 | 31.47% | 66.00% | R+34.5 | R |
| 56 | 41.15% | 57.81% | R+16.7 | 35.36% | 61.69% | R+26.3 | R |
| 57 | 42.15% | 56.94% | R+14.8 | 42.01% | 54.38% | R+12.4 | R |
| 58 | 46.77% | 52.09% | R+5.3 | 43.06% | 53.20% | R+10.1 | R |
| 59 | 49.52% | 49.33% | D+0.2 | 47.68% | 48.08% | R+0.4 | R |
| 60 | 45.69% | 53.23% | R+7.5 | 47.16% | 48.50% | R+1.3 | R |
| 61 | 84.25% | 14.95% | D+69.3 | 80.00% | 16.79% | D+63.2 | D |
| 62 | 64.91% | 34.12% | D+30.8 | 63.03% | 33.28% | D+29.8 | D |
| 63 | 52.82% | 46.09% | D+6.7 | 53.22% | 42.91% | D+10.3 | R |
| 64 | 43.41% | 55.66% | R+12.3 | 43.51% | 52.80% | R+9.3 | R |
| 65 | 45.20% | 53.72% | R+8.5 | 41.15% | 55.05% | R+13.9 | R |
| 66 | 47.12% | 51.78% | R+4.7 | 41.07% | 55.29% | R+14.2 | R |
| 67 | 52.12% | 46.53% | D+5.6 | 45.78% | 49.98% | R+4.2 | R |
| 68 | 54.01% | 44.56% | D+9.5 | 50.98% | 44.15% | D+6.8 | D |
| 69 | 51.25% | 47.57% | D+3.7 | 46.57% | 49.53% | R+3 | R |
| 70 | 79.17% | 20.00% | D+59.2 | 73.65% | 23.39% | D+50.3 | D |
| 71 | 45.45% | 53.64% | R+8.2 | 42.72% | 53.89% | R+11.2 | R |
| 72 | 47.80% | 51.26% | R+3.5 | 46.03% | 50.71% | R+4.7 | D |
| 73 | 37.59% | 61.60% | R+24 | 35.82% | 61.14% | R+25.3 | R |
| 74 | 42.64% | 56.48% | R+13.8 | 37.10% | 60.20% | R+23.1 | R |
| 75 | 42.40% | 56.68% | R+14.3 | 34.70% | 62.49% | R+27.8 | R |
| 76 | 35.45% | 64.01% | R+28.6 | 35.24% | 61.90% | R+26.7 | R |
| 77 | 41.60% | 57.61% | R+16 | 36.05% | 60.86% | R+24.8 | R |
| 78 | 44.44% | 54.88% | R+10.4 | 42.96% | 53.85% | R+10.9 | R |
| 79 | 45.93% | 53.26% | R+7.3 | 39.89% | 57.01% | R+17.1 | R |
| 80 | 38.79% | 60.51% | R+21.7 | 36.96% | 60.49% | R+23.5 | R |
| 81 | 60.36% | 39.13% | D+21.2 | 59.06% | 39.12% | D+19.9 | D |
| 82 | 38.70% | 60.58% | R+21.9 | 36.91% | 60.22% | R+23.3 | R |
| 83 | 48.78% | 50.42% | R+1.6 | 43.71% | 53.43% | R+9.7 | R |
| 84 | 53.34% | 45.89% | D+7.5 | 47.96% | 49.59% | R+1.6 | D |
| 85 | 47.28% | 52.04% | R+4.8 | 44.74% | 52.71% | R+8 | R |
| 86 | 58.97% | 40.46% | D+18.5 | 56.40% | 41.24% | D+15.2 | D |
| 87 | 68.41% | 30.79% | D+37.6 | 65.09% | 32.03% | D+33.1 | D |
| 88 | 82.26% | 17.18% | D+65.1 | 78.19% | 19.67% | D+58.5 | D |
| 89 | 47.47% | 51.83% | R+4.4 | 48.96% | 48.44% | D+0.5 | R |
| 90 | 62.95% | 36.37% | D+26.6 | 59.38% | 38.20% | D+21.2 | D |
| 91 | 58.67% | 40.92% | D+17.8 | 59.17% | 39.23% | D+19.9 | D |
| 92 | 74.08% | 25.42% | D+48.7 | 71.50% | 26.66% | D+44.8 | D |
| 93 | 47.43% | 51.88% | R+4.5 | 48.32% | 49.43% | R+1.1 | R |
| 94 | 83.50% | 16.05% | D+67.5 | 81.01% | 17.21% | D+63.8 | D |
| 95 | 86.68% | 12.99% | D+73.7 | 85.09% | 13.47% | D+71.6 | D |
| 96 | 61.11% | 38.32% | D+22.8 | 60.59% | 37.30% | D+23.3 | D |
| 97 | 65.66% | 33.79% | D+31.9 | 65.26% | 32.41% | D+32.9 | D |
| 98 | 60.99% | 38.39% | D+22.6 | 61.02% | 36.58% | D+24.4 | D |
| 99 | 61.62% | 37.75% | D+23.9 | 59.47% | 38.07% | D+21.4 | D |
| 100 | 57.57% | 41.85% | D+15.7 | 58.15% | 39.86% | D+18.3 | D |
| 101 | 79.29% | 20.19% | D+59.1 | 76.54% | 21.27% | D+55.3 | D |
| 102 | 85.86% | 13.86% | D+72 | 83.21% | 15.08% | D+68.1 | D |
| 103 | 54.82% | 44.76% | D+10.1 | 58.71% | 39.21% | D+19.5 | R |
| 104 | 58.34% | 41.21% | D+17.1 | 62.33% | 35.40% | D+26.9 | D |
| 105 | 53.14% | 46.37% | D+6.8 | 56.16% | 41.22% | D+14.9 | R |
| 106 | 31.21% | 68.26% | R+37.1 | 33.84% | 63.71% | R+29.9 | R |
| 107 | 86.16% | 13.52% | D+72.6 | 83.68% | 14.67% | D+69 | D |
| 108 | 89.58% | 10.12% | D+79.5 | 87.11% | 11.24% | D+75.9 | D |
| 109 | 90.13% | 9.58% | D+80.6 | 86.38% | 12.14% | D+74.2 | D |
| 110 | 50.15% | 49.43% | D+0.7 | 52.71% | 45.14% | D+7.6 | R |
| 111 | 47.97% | 51.64% | R+3.7 | 52.16% | 45.66% | D+6.5 | R |
| 112 | 53.53% | 45.94% | D+7.6 | 61.62% | 35.70% | D+25.9 | D |
| 113 | 63.42% | 35.97% | D+27.5 | 67.40% | 30.24% | D+37.2 | D |
| 114 | 50.14% | 49.27% | D+0.9 | 55.75% | 41.60% | D+14.2 | D |
| 115 | 49.45% | 50.03% | R+0.6 | 54.08% | 43.37% | D+10.7 | R |
| 116 | 44.48% | 55.04% | R+10.6 | 50.91% | 46.43% | D+4.5 | R |
| 117 | 82.64% | 17.02% | D+65.6 | 78.36% | 19.57% | D+58.8 | D |
| 118 | 51.39% | 48.14% | D+3.3 | 54.87% | 42.54% | D+12.3 | D |
| 119 | 50.32% | 49.20% | D+1.1 | 55.15% | 42.23% | D+12.9 | R |
| 120 | 52.28% | 46.85% | D+5.4 | 49.21% | 47.52% | D+1.7 | R |
| Total | 50.01% | 49.13% | D+0.9 | 47.82% | 49.02% | R+1.2 | - |
| Source: Daily Kos | |||||||
District election history
2018
General election
General election for U.S. House Florida District 15
Ross Spano defeated Kristen Carlson in the general election for U.S. House Florida District 15 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ross Spano (R) | 53.0 | 151,380 |
 | Kristen Carlson (D) | 47.0 | 134,132 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.0 | 20 | ||
| Total votes: 285,532 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Florida District 15
Kristen Carlson defeated Andrew Learned and Raymond Pena Jr. in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Florida District 15 on August 28, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Kristen Carlson | 53.4 | 24,498 |
 | Andrew Learned | 31.6 | 14,509 | |
 | Raymond Pena Jr. | 15.1 | 6,912 | |
| Total votes: 45,919 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- James Gregory Pilkington (D)
- Jeffrey Rabinowitz (D)
- Greg Williams (D)
- Cameron Magnuson (D)
- Phil Hornback (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Florida District 15
Ross Spano defeated Neil Combee, Sean Harper, Danny Kushmer, and Ed Shoemaker in the Republican primary for U.S. House Florida District 15 on August 28, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ross Spano | 44.1 | 26,904 |
 | Neil Combee | 33.8 | 20,590 | |
 | Sean Harper | 9.9 | 6,018 | |
 | Danny Kushmer | 6.7 | 4,067 | |
 | Ed Shoemaker | 5.5 | 3,379 | |
| Total votes: 60,958 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Curt Rogers (R)
2016
Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Republican. Incumbent Dennis Ross (R) defeated Jim Lange (D) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Neither candidate faced a primary opponent in August.[21][22]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Dennis Ross Incumbent |
57.5% | 182,999 | |
| Democratic | Jim Lange | 42.5% | 135,475 | |
| Total Votes | 318,474 | |||
| Source: Florida Division of Elections | ||||
2014
The 15th Congressional District of Florida held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Incumbent Dennis Ross (R) defeated Alan Cohn (D) in the general election.
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Dennis Ross Incumbent |
60.3% | 128,750 | |
| Democratic | Alan Cohn | 39.7% | 84,832 | |
| Total Votes | 213,582 | |||
| Source: Florida Division of Elections | ||||
See also
- Florida's 15th Congressional District election, 2020 (August 18 Democratic primary)
- Florida's 15th Congressional District election, 2020
- United States House elections in Florida, 2020 (August 18 Democratic primaries)
- United States House elections in Florida, 2020 (August 18 Republican primaries)
- United States House Democratic Party primaries, 2020
- United States House Republican Party primaries, 2020
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2020
- U.S. House battlegrounds, 2020
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Ross Spano's 2020 campaign website, "Meet Ross," accessed August 14, 2020
- ↑ Scott Franklin's 2020 campaign website, "Meet Scott Franklin," accessed August 14, 2020
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Tampa Bay Times, "Florida Bar investigating Ross Spano for campaign finance violations from irregular loans," February 10, 2020
- ↑ WFLA, "Rep. Matt Gaetz visits Polk County to endorse Rep. Ross Spano’s GOP primary challenger," updated August 6, 2020
- ↑ Candidate Connection surveys completed before September 26, 2019, were not used to generate candidate profiles. In battleground primaries, Ballotpedia based its selection of noteworthy candidates on polling, fundraising, and noteworthy endorsements. In battleground general elections, all major party candidates and any other candidates with the potential to impact the outcome of the race were included.
- ↑ Fundraising by primary candidates can be found on the race's respective primary election page. Fundraising by general election candidates can be found on the race's general election page.
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "2022 Quarterly Reports," accessed March 2, 2022
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Primary Election Types," accessed July 23, 2024
- ↑ Florida Division of Elections, "Closed Primary Election," accessed July 23, 2024
- ↑ Politico, "DOJ investigating GOP Rep. Ross Spano over alleged campaign-finance violations," November 14, 2019
- ↑ Tampa Bay Times, "Florida Bar investigating Ross Spano for campaign finance violations from irregular loans," February 10, 2020
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Contribution Limits," accessed February 26, 2020
- ↑ Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "Introducing the 2017 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index," April 7, 2017
- ↑ FiveThirtyEight, "Election Update: The Most (And Least) Elastic States And Districts," September 6, 2018
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
- ↑ Florida Department of State, "Candidate Listing for 2016 General Election," accessed June 25, 2016
- ↑ Politico, " Florida House Races Results," August 30, 2016
