Keith Stegath
Keith Stegath was a write-in candidate for Governor of Florida in the 2014 elections.[1] He qualified for the election in June but was later removed from the ballot.[2]
Biography
Stegath grew up in Michigan and after graduating from high school in 1975, he earned his machinists certificate in 1976 and his A.S. in automotive technology in 1978 from Ferris State College. He continued to study technology, earning an A.A. in pre-engineering from Santa Fe College in 2002. He went on to earn his B.S. in electrical engineering in 2005 and his M.S. in mechanical engineering in 2007 from the University of Florida.[3]
Professionally, Stegath has worked in the automotive, electrical and engineering industries since 1978. At the time of his candidacy, Stegath was working for Advanced Electric Vehicles designing and building electric and hybrid automobiles.[3]
Elections
2014
- See also: Florida gubernatorial election, 2014
Stegath ran for Governor of Florida as a write-in candidate. He was removed from the ballot prior to the general election.[4] The general election took place on November 4, 2014.
Race background
Republican incumbent Rick Scott was re-elected to a second term as governor in 2014. Sources such as Governing, Larry Sabato's Crystal Ball, The Cook Political Report, The Washington Post, and Daily Kos had rated Scott among the most vulnerable governors of the electoral cycle.[5][6][7][8][9] Polls projected a close contest between Scott and former Republican Governor Charlie Crist, who became a Democrat before mounting his comeback bid against Scott.[10]
Education debate
Charlie Crist and Rick Scott debated education funding as the primary election transitioned into a general election. Prior to the Republican primary, Scott announced that he would boost per-pupil spending to record levels if re-elected in November. The governor's office published a statement promising an increase in per-pupil funding to $7,132 per student for the 2016 fiscal year, which would surpass the $7,126 per student rate passed during Crist's first year as governor in 2007. He cited improving job figures in his office's outlook on public education financing.[11]
Crist toured the state in a school bus in August in order to highlight cuts in public education since Scott won election. He noted that the governor facilitated $1.3 billion in education cuts during the 2012 fiscal year.[11] Crist stated on his campaign website that he would push public schools and their partners to reach the top 10 percent of schools globally as measured by reading, math, and science scores by 2020.[12]
Primary races
In June 2013, former Florida Sen. Nan Rich became the first Democratic candidate in the race. She was later joined by former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, who had recently switched from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party. Crist's candidacy posed a challenge to Scott's re-election campaign, according to match-up and approval polls dating back as far as May 2012.[13][14][15]
Crist's first party switch occurred in 2010, when, after losing the Republican primary for U.S. Senate to Marco Rubio, he changed his registration to independent as an alternative route to reaching the general election ballot. In the fall of 2013, Crist became a Democrat.[16]
By October 2013, there were over 20 potential candidates actively petitioning for a place on the primary and general election ballots.[17] When the filing window closed on June 20, 2014, the number had dropped to 18 qualified gubernatorial candidates. The Republican field settled to three, including Scott, while the Democratic field remained a head-to-head battle between Crist and Rich. Unopposed Libertarian nominee Adrian Wyllie earned a spot in the general election, along with nine write-ins and three candidates with no stated party preference.[18]
Under Article IV of the Florida Constitution, gubernatorial nominees are required to select running mates after the primary, though they are permitted to do so in advance. Customs for selecting running mates vary across Florida's main political parties. For example, Crist broke with party tradition when he announced Annette Taddeo-Goldstein as his lieutenant governor pick prior to the primary.[19]
In January, Scott appointed Carlos Lopez-Cantera as Florida's new lieutenant governor, ending an extended vacancy in the office that began with former-Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll's March 2013 resignation amid a public relations issue. Lopez-Cantera would also be Scott's new running mate for the 2014 election.
Scott and Crist secured their respective parties' nominations in the August 26 primary election.[20]
Scott and Cantera-Lopez were elected governor and lieutenant governor on a joint ticket in the general election on November 4, 2014.
Campaign finance summary
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Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Stegath and his wife, Sheilah, live in Gainesville, Florida.[21]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for Keith + Stegath + Governor + Florida
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Florida Division of Elections, "Candidate Listing for 2014 General Election," June 20, 2014
- ↑ Florida Division of Elections, "Candidate Tracking System 2014 General Election, Governor: Keith Stegath," accessed September 12, 2014
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Information submitted through Ballotpedia's biographical submission form on June 21, 2014
- ↑ Florida Division of Elections, "Candidate Listing for the 2014 General Election, Governor, Withdrawn/Did Not Qualify," accessed September 12, 2014
- ↑ University of Virginia Center for Politics: Larry Sabato's Crystal Ball, "2013-2014 Gubernatorial Races," April 29, 2013
- ↑ The Washington Post, "The Fix's top gubernatorial races," September 27, 2013
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections gubernatorial race ratings: Initial ratings for 2013-14," October 6, 2013
- ↑ Governing, "2014 Governors Races," September 10, 2014
- ↑ The Cook Political Report, "Governors Race Ratings 2014," September 15, 2014
- ↑ The New York Times, "2014 Florida Election Results," accessed November 5, 2014
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Education Week, "School Spending Under Spotlight in Florida Gubernatorial Race," August 25, 2014
- ↑ Charlie Crist for Governor, "Education," accessed October 13, 2014
- ↑ The Sun Sentinel, "Charlie Christ Announces Candidacy For Florida's Governor, As A Democrat," November 4, 2013
- ↑ Politico, "Ex-GOP Fla. Gov. Charlie Crist to run for job as Democrat," November 1, 2013
- ↑ The Daily Caller, "Charlie Crist briefly visits with Democratic Governors Association," January 9, 2013
- ↑ The Hill, "Charlie Crist joins Democratic party ahead of gubernatorial election," December 8, 2012
- ↑ Florida Division of Elections, "Candidate Listing for 2014 General Election - Governor," accessed October 7, 2013
- ↑ Florida Division of Elections, "Candidate Listing for 2014 General Election - Governor," accessed July 22, 2014
- ↑ Nan Rich for Governor 2014 Official campaign website, "Press release: Statement from Senator Nan Rich regarding Charlie Crist’s selection of a potential running mate," July 17, 2014 (dead link)
- ↑ My Florida - Election Watch, "2014 Primary, Unofficial Election Night Results," accessed August 26, 2014
- ↑ Keith Stegath - Candidate for Florida's Next Governor, "Biography," accessed July 14, 2014
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