Jolly narrowly defeats Sink for Florida congressional seat
March 12, 2014
Tampa Bay, Florida: David Jolly (R) narrowly defeated former Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink (D) in the special election for the 13th District yesterday.[1] Jolly won by approximately two percent of the total vote, or 3,417 votes, according to unofficial results.[1] Sink conceded an hour after polls closed.[2] The special election was held to fill the vacancy left by the death of Rep. C.W. Bill Young (R).[3]
Libertarian candidate Lucas Overby and write-in candidate Michael Levinson also filed and ran in the general special election.[4]
On October 9, 2013, Young announced that he would retire at the end of his term in 2014.[5] He cited several factors as to why he chose not to run for re-election, including his health and his desire to spend more time with his family.[5] On October 17, 2013, Young's family released a statement announcing that he was "gravely ill."[6] "U.S. Rep. C. W. Bill Young's condition turned for the worse over night and he is gravely ill. His doctors say his prognosis is guarded," the family said.[6] Young died on October 18, 2013, following complications resulting from a chronic injury.[7] At the time of his death, Young was the longest serving House Republican.[8][9]
Sink spent three times more than Jolly on television advertising.[2] However, as of February 2014, a total of seven outside groups spent more than six figures on television advertising.[10] An estimated $12.5 million was spent in the election, with less than one-third coming from the candidates' own campaigns.[11]
The special election was expected to cost just over $1 million-- $458,668 for the Republican primary and $604,021 for the general election.[12] The cost would have been higher had a Democratic primary been necessary.[12] Jolly will run for re-election for a full term in November.
| U.S. House, Florida District 13 General Special Election, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  David Jolly |
48.5% | 88,294 | |
| Democratic | Alex Sink | 46.6% | 84,877 | |
| Libertarian | Lucas Overby | 4.8% | 8,799 | |
| Total Votes | 181,970 | |||
| Source: Unoffocial Results via Associated Press | ||||
See also
|
- Florida's 13th congressional district special election, 2014
- Florida's 13th congressional district
- Florida elections, 2014
- United States House of Representatives
- Special elections to the 113th United States Congress (2013-2014)
- Florida's 13th congressional district elections, 2014
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Associated Press, "U.S. House - District 13 - General," accessed March 11, 2014
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Huffington Post, "Florida Special Election Results: David Jolly Wins House Seat In State's 13th District," accessed March 11, 2014
- ↑ Washington Post, "David Jolly wins GOP nomination in Florida special election," accessed January 14, 2014
- ↑ Florida Secretary of State Elections, "Candidate List," accessed March 9, 2014
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Tampa Bay Times, "U.S. Rep. C.W. Bill Young to retire, won't seek re-election in 2014," accessed October 9, 2013
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Washington Post, "Rep. Bill Young is ‘gravely ill’," accessed October 17, 2013
- ↑ CNN.com, "Rep. Bill Young, longest-serving GOP member in House, dies at age 82," accessed October 18, 2013
- ↑ Politico, "Bill Young, longest-serving House Republican, dies," accessed October 18, 2013
- ↑ Tampa Bay Times, "U.S. Rep. C.W. Bill Young's death leaves political void," accessed October 21, 2013
- ↑ Washington Post, "In Florida special election, $8 million in television ads," accessed February 27, 2014
- ↑ Huffington Post, "Outside Groups Dominate Spending In Florida Special Election," accessed March 9, 2014
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Cite error: Invalid
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