Read this week's edition of The Tap: Rigged Debates.

Florida's 9th Congressional District election, 2016

From Ballotpedia
Jump to: navigation, search
2014

CongressLogo.png

Florida's 9th Congressional District

General Election Date
November 8, 2016

Primary Date
August 30, 2016

November 8 Election Winner:
Pending
Incumbent prior to election:
Alan Grayson Democratic Party
Alan Grayson.jpg

Race Ratings
Cook Political Report: Solid D[1]
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe D[2]
Rothenberg & Gonzales: Safe D[3]

Florida U.S. House Elections
District 1District 2District 3District 4District 5District 6District 7District 8District 9District 10District 11District 12District 13District 14District 15District 16District 17District 18District 19District 20District 21District 22District 23District 24District 25District 26District 27

2016 U.S. Senate Elections

Flag of Florida.png
The 9th Congressional District of Florida will hold an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 8, 2016.

Ballotpedia currently rates this race as safely Democratic. Incumbent Alan Grayson (D) is not seeking re-election in 2016. Five Democrats will vie to replace him: Darren Soto, Susannah Randolph, Dena Grayson, Valleri Crabtree, and Carmelo Garcia. On the other side of the aisle, Wayne Liebnitzky and Wanda Rentas will compete for the Republican nomination. The primary elections will take place on August 30, 2016. The general election will take place on November 8, 2016.[4]

Candidate Filing Deadline Primary Election General Election
June 24, 2016
August 30, 2016
November 8, 2016

Primary: Florida utilizes a closed primary process, in which the selection of a party's candidates in an election is limited to registered party members.[5][6][7]


Incumbent: Heading into the election the incumbent is Alan Grayson (D), who was first elected in 2012. Grayson is not seeking re-election in 2016. He is instead seeking election to the U.S. Senate from Florida.[8]

Florida's 9th Congressional District is located in east central Florida and includes portions of Orange and Polk counties and all of Osceola County.[9]

Candidates

Filed candidates:

Democratic

Darren Soto - State senator[10]
Susannah Randolph - Aide to Rep. Alan Grayson[11]
Dena Grayson - Wife of Rep. Alan Grayson[12]
Valleri Crabtree[13]
Carmelo Garcia[4]

Republican

Wayne Liebnitzky [14]
Wanda Rentas[4]

Not running:

Alan Grayson (D) - Incumbent[4]

Withdrew:
Ricardo Rangel (D) - Former state rep.[15][16]

Endorsements

Susannah Randolph

  • Rep. Lois Frankel - "I am pleased to endorse Susannah. She has a long history of fighting for our working families, seniors, and women in Florida. She will be a great friend and ally in Congress."[17]
  • The National Education Association - "Susannah Randolph has been an incredible ally in the fight to protect public education. She believes in empowering educators in the classroom, strengthening our public school systems, and helping every student succeed."[18]
  • EMILY's List - "Susannah Randolph is a progressive champion for the hardworking families of Florida. Susannah has dedicated her career to defending women’s access to health care, protecting the environment, and strengthening Social Security. Her work as a community organizer and the district director for Florida’s Ninth District demonstrates Susannah’s commitment to serving Central Florida and the importance of having her voice in Congress. The EMILY’s List community is proud to support Susannah’s historic bid to be the first woman to represent her district and protect this Democratic seat."[19]
  • UNITE HERE labor union - "In a time when special interests and large corporations hold immense power, we need representation by someone who has consistently stood up for the people. That person is Susannah Randolph. For years Susannah has fought not only for us, but with us, side-by-side on the front lines. There is no better ally to bring the fight for fair wages and benefits to Washington than Susannah and we are proud to support her in her bid for Florida’s 9th Congressional District."[20]
  • The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) - "For years, Susannah Randolph has been a true champion. She has fought on the frontline alongside her neighbors, standing up for working people in the battles for women’s rights, environmental justice, a real living wage, health care for all, protecting our seniors and strengthening the middle class."[21]

Darren Soto

  • The International Association of Fire Fighters - "As fire fighters, we know what it means to be a problem solver, to be smart in a crisis. That's Darren Soto. Darren is a leader we can count on to fight for our fire fighters and paramedics and stand up for public safety. We're looking forward to seeing him in action in Congress and we're proud to support him."[23]
  • The following labor unions: the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT), the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), the International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Ironworkers, and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers.[24]
  • The Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA) - "Our members are committed to being part of the solution when it comes to growing the economy and delivering jobs – and Darren Soto will help us have a seat at the table. Darren has worked to protect Florida’s jobs and hard-working, middle-class families in the state legislature, and he’ll do the same in Congress."[25]

Media

Dena Grayson

"Meet Dr. Dena Grayson" - Grayson's first ad, released July 2016

Darren Soto

"Get Things Done" - Soto's first ad, released July 2016
"El Momento" - Spanish language ad released by Soto in July 2016
"Karen" - Soto's second ad, released August 2016


District history

2014

See also: Florida's 9th Congressional District elections, 2014

The 9th Congressional District of Florida held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Incumbent Alan Grayson (D) defeated Carol Platt (R) and Marko Milakovich (I) in the general election.

U.S. House, Florida District 9 General Election, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngAlan Grayson Incumbent 54% 93,850
     Republican Carol Platt 43.1% 74,963
     Independent Marko Milakovich 2.9% 5,060
     Write-in Leon Ray 0% 5
Total Votes 173,878
Source: Florida Division of Elections

2012

See also: Florida's 9th Congressional District elections, 2012

The 9th District of Florida held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 6, 2012. Democrat Alan Grayson won the election in the district.[26]

U.S. House, Florida District 9 General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngAlan Grayson 62.5% 164,891
     Republican Todd Long 37.5% 98,856
Total Votes 263,747
Source: Florida Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election"

See also

Footnotes

  1. Cook Political Report, "2016 House Race Ratings for July 11, 2016," accessed July 19, 2016
  2. Sabato's Crystal Ball, "2016 House," accessed July 18, 2016
  3. Rothenberg & Gonzales Political Report, "House Ratings," accessed July 19, 2016
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Florida Department of State, "Candidate Listing for 2016 General Election," accessed June 25, 2016
  5. National Conference of State Legislatures Website, "State Primary Election Types," accessed January 6, 2014
  6. Fair Vote, "Congressional and Presidential Primaries: Open, Closed, Semi-Closed, and 'Top Two,'" accessed January 6, 2014
  7. Ballotpedia research conducted December 26, 2013, through January 3, 2014, researching and analyzing various state websites and codes.
  8. Miami Herald, "Alan Grayson says he’s in Florida’s U.S. Senate race," July 9, 2015
  9. United States Census Bureau, "Counties by Congressional Districts," accessed June 8, 2016
  10. Orlando Sentinel, "Soto set to file for Grayson's seat; Randolph expected too," July 9, 2015
  11. Politico, "Alan Grayson’s district director bids to succeed him in Congress," July 12, 2015
  12. Dena Minning for Congress, "Home," accessed November 2, 2015
  13. Crabtree for Congress, "Home," accessed April 20, 2016
  14. Wayne Liebnitzky for U.S. Congress, "Home," accessed August 21, 2015
  15. The Orland Political Observer, "Rangel announces candidacy for the 9th Congressional district," July 9, 2015
  16. The Orlando Political Observer, "Ricardo Rangel jumps from 9th Congressional District race to State House 43 contest," May 13, 2016
  17. Orlando Sentinel, "Randolph lands Frankel endorsement," December 16, 2015
  18. Florida Politics, "Teachers’ union endorses Susannah Randolph in CD 9 race," May 9, 2016
  19. Emily's List, "EMILY’s List Endorses Susannah Randolph for Congress in Florida’s Ninth Congressional District," accessed June 5, 2016
  20. Florida Politics, "Disney/lodging union UNITE HERE endorses Susannah Randolph in CD 9," June 23, 2016
  21. The Orlando Political Observer, "SEIU Endorses Susannah Randolph in CD 9," July 13, 2016
  22. Orlando Sentinel, "P.R. congressman endorses Soto in CD-9," December 15, 2015
  23. Darren Soto for Congress, "Darren Soto Receives Fire Fighters’ Endorsement," January 6, 2016
  24. Florida Politics, "Darren Soto announces more labor union support in CD 9 race," January 15, 2016
  25. The Orlando Political Observer, "LIUNA endorses Darren Soto in CD 9," June 24, 2016
  26. Politico, "2012 Election Map, Florida," November 6, 2012

For information about public policy issues in the 2016 elections, see: Public policy in the 2016 elections!