Joe Saunders
Joe Saunders (Democratic Party) was a member of the Florida House of Representatives, representing District 49. He assumed office in 2012. He left office in 2014.
Saunders (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Florida House of Representatives to represent District 106. He lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Biography
Saunders earned his B.S. in political science, Women's Studies and Legal Studies from the University of Central Florida in 2005.[1]
Committee assignments
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Saunders served on the following committees:
| Florida committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Education |
Elections
2024
See also: Florida House of Representatives elections, 2024
General election
General election for Florida House of Representatives District 106
Incumbent Fabián Basabe defeated Joe Saunders and Mo Saunders Scott in the general election for Florida House of Representatives District 106 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Fabián Basabe (R) | 51.3 | 38,386 |
 | Joe Saunders (D) | 47.0 | 35,229 | |
| Mo Saunders Scott (No Party Affiliation) | 1.7 | 1,271 | ||
| Total votes: 74,886 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Joe Saunders advanced from the Democratic primary for Florida House of Representatives District 106.
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Florida House of Representatives District 106
Incumbent Fabián Basabe defeated Melinda Almonte in the Republican primary for Florida House of Representatives District 106 on August 20, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Fabián Basabe | 61.9 | 3,077 |
 | Melinda Almonte | 38.1 | 1,891 | |
| Total votes: 4,968 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Campaign finance
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Saunders in this election.
2014
Elections for the Florida House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on August 26, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was June 20, 2014. Incumbent Joe Saunders was unopposed in the Democratic primary, while Rene Plasencia defeated Ed Rodriguez in the Republican primary. Plasencia defeated Saunders in the general election.[2][3]
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
 Rene Plasencia |
77% | 4,036 |
| Ed Rodriguez | 23% | 1,203 |
| Total Votes | 5,239 | |
2012
Saunders won election in the 2012 election for Florida House of Representatives District 49. Saunders defeated Shayan Elahi in the Democratic primary on August 14, 2012, and defeated Marco Pena (R) in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[4][5]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Joe Saunders |
56% | 33,267 | |
| Republican | Marco Pena | 44% | 26,178 | |
| Total Votes | 59,445 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Joe Saunders |
65.1% | 3,431 |
| Shayan Elahi | 34.9% | 1,842 |
| Total Votes | 5,273 | |
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Joe Saunders did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
2014
Saunders' website highlighted the following campaign themes:[6]
Jobs & Economic Development
- Excerpt: "Joe believes that protecting and expanding the middle class is the only way to ensure economic recovery in Florida."
Public Education
- Excerpt: "Joe believes a quality and affordable public education system is essential to our recovery."
Fairness & Opportunity
- Excerpt: "In America if you work hard and play by the rules, you should find opportunity."
Affordable Healthcare
- Excerpt: "Joe understands that one of the greatest challenges working families have in Florida is the lack of access to affordable health care."
Public Safety
- Excerpt: " Joe believes that public safety is essential to a thriving society and is one of the primary functions of government."
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Florida scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2014
In 2014, the Florida State Legislature was in session from March 3 through May 5.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
- Legislators are scored on their stances on issues related to healthcare.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to public safety and law enforcement officials.
- Legislators are scored on their stances on marijuana.
- Legislators are scored on a group of bills that the organization supports or opposes.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
|---|
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In 2013, the Florida State Legislature was in session from March 5 through May 3.
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See also
2024 Elections
External links
|
Candidate Florida House of Representatives District 106 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Vote Joe Saunders Facebook Page, "Info," accessed October 23, 2012
- ↑ Florida Division of Elections, "2014 Florida Election Watch - Multi-County or District Offices," accessed September 3, 2014
- ↑ Florida Division of Elections, "Candidate Listing for 2014 General Election," accessed June 23, 2014
- ↑ Florida Secretary of State Elections Division, "Candidate List," accessed June 14, 2012
- ↑ Florida Department of State, "August 14, 2012 Primary Election; Democratic Primary Results," accessed June 10, 2014
- ↑ votejoesaunders.com, "Issues," accessed October 24, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Darren Soto (D) |
Florida House of Representatives District 49 2012–2014 |
Succeeded by Rene Plasencia (R) |
