Candidate Center

Our new candidate center is designed to help keep you up-to-date with the campaigns going on across the country. Click on your state of interest and you’ll find a list of candidates running for each federal office, a brief overview of the state, and specific information for campaigns of interest as it becomes available. In the near future, the candidate center will include polls that will be updated as new ones are released, and links to FEC data.

Florida

Presidential primary: Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Congressional filing deadline: May 2, 2008
Congressional primary: Tuesday, August 26, 2008

The great majority of coverage for Florida in 2008 will revolve around the presidential race because, as everyone knows, this race is immensely important to the Electoral College. In 2006, Florida bucked the trend of continued disappointment for Democrats, as they captured two House seats and nearly won a third. Republicans will target these freshman members, but the power of incumbency should help Democrats hold on to these seats. With all the attention that Florida is sure to get due to the presidential race, turnout will increase, so it will be up to Democrats to run effective turnout operations at all levels in order to be successful.

President (27 Electoral Votes)

The state of Florida represents the quintessential swing state in presidential politics. Whether or not you believe Al Gore won the state in 2000, the sheer competitiveness within the state was historical. The official count gave Florida to President Bush by fewer than 600 votes. In 2004, John Kerry spent a great amount of time and resources campaigning in Florida but lost the state by 5 percent, which could be attributed to the lackluster organization of the campaign as a whole. The state will once again be thrust into the limelight in the 2008 election. Florida is one of many states to move its primary up the line, and it now becomes intensely important in the primary round as well as in the general election. President Clinton won the state in 1996 but failed to do so in 1992. Florida is likely to be heavily targeted again in 2008, but Democrats are hoping to reduce its importance by discovering other possible targets, because they are at a natural disadvantage in this Southern state.

1st District - Jeff Miller (Rep)

Western Panhandle, Pensacola

Jeff Miller (Rep) - Incumbent
Joe Roberts (Dem) - Carpenter, Substitute Teacher, Vietnam War Veteran and 2006 Nominee

2nd District - Allen Boyd (Dem)

Central and eastern Panhandle, Tallahassee

Allen Boyd (Dem) - Incumbent
Mark Flowers (Rep)
Robert Ortiz (Rep)

3rd District - Corrine Brown (Dem)

North, parts of Jacksonville, Orlando and Gainesville

Corrine Brown (Dem) - Incumbent

4th District - Ander Crenshaw (Rep)

Northeast, part of eastern panhandle, Jacksonville

Ander Crenshaw (Rep) - Incumbent
Deborah Katz Pueschel

5th District - Ginny Brown-Waite (Rep)

Northern west coast and parts of Central Florida

Ginny Brown-Waite (Rep) - Incumbent
Jim King (Rep)

6th District - Cliff Stearns (Rep)

North central, part of Jacksonville, Gainsville

Cliff Stearns (Rep) - Incumbent
Dave Bruderly (Dem) - Environmental Engineer, Navy Veteran and frequent candidate

7th District - John Mica (Rep)

East-central coastline, Deltona

John Mica (Rep) - Incumbent
Louis Jack Tart (Constitution)

8th District - Ric Keller (Rep)

Central, part of Orlando

Ric Keller represents a tier-two target for Democrats. The district is still mainly Republican, but a challenge is expected.

Ric Keller (Rep) - Incumbent
Bob Hering (Rep) - Businessman, Iraq War Veteran and 2000 Candidate
Todd Long (Rep) - Attorney
Corbett Kroehler (Dem) - Environmental Activist
Mike Smith (Dem) - Attorney
Charlie Stuart (Dem) - Marketing Consultant and 2006 Nominee
Quoc Van (Dem) - Law School Student

9th District - Gus Bilirakis (Rep)

West Coast north and east of Tampa/St. Petersburg, Clearwater

Gus Bilirakis (Rep) - Incumbent
Bill Mitchell (Dem) - Attorney and Navy Veteran

10th District - C.W. Young (Rep)

West Coast, St. Petersburg

Republican incumbent Bill Young may retire before 2008, which could make this generally Republican district competitive. Democrats face an uphill battle in this district, but if Young retires, this could be a race to watch.

Bill Young (Rep) - Incumbent
Lars Hafner (Dem) - Former State Representative and Educator
Calvin Harris (Dem) - Pinellas County Commissioner and Former College Provost
Bill Heller (Dem) - State Representative, Former USF-St. Petersburg Dean and Korean War Veteran
Charlie Justice (Dem) - State Senator, Former State Representative and Educator
Rick Kriseman (Dem) - State Representative, Former St. Petersburg City Councilman and Attorney
Karl Nurse (Dem) - Businessman and Community Activist
Samm Simpson (Dem) - Cable TV Show Producer, Progressive Activist and 2006 Nominee
Peter Rudy Wallace (Dem) - Former State House Speaker and 1998 State Insurance Commissioner Nominee

11th District - Kathy Castor (Dem)

West Tampa

Kathy Castor (Dem) - Incumbent
Tim Fasano (Rep) - Taxi Driver

12th District - Adam Putnam (Rep)

Central, Lakeland

Adam Putnam (Rep) - Incumbent

13th District - Vern Buchanan (Rep)

Southwest coast, Sarasota, Bradenton

In what seemed like a flashback to the 2000 presidential race, the 13th District in Florida went through an exhaustive recount process following the 2006 election. Officially, Republican Vern Buchanan was named the winner, but questions about voting machine malfunctions linger. Despite what happened in 2006, Democrat Christine Jennings is running again in 2008. Given the controversy surrounding the race in 2006, this rematch represents a great opportunity for a Democratic pickup.

Vern Buchanan (Rep) - Incumbent
Katherine Harris (Rep) - Former Congresswoman, Former Secretary of State, Former State Senate and 2006 US Senate Nominee
Tramm Hudson (Rep) - Banker, Former Sarasota County GOP Chair and 2006 Candidate
Christine Jennings (Dem) - Bank President, Community Activist and 2004/2006 Candidate
Mike LaFevers (Dem) - AIDS Activist and 2006 Candidate

14th District - Connie Mack (Rep)

Southwest coast, Ft. Myers, Naples

Connie Mack IV (Rep) - Incumbent
Lawrence William Byrnes (Dem)
Jeff George (Ind)
Burt Saunders (R/Ind) - State Senator

15th District - Dave Weldon (Rep)

East-central coast, Melbourne

Dave Weldon (Rep) - Incumbent
Steve Blythe (Dem) - Physician
Bob Bowman (Dem) - Retired Army Officer, Peace Activist and frequent candidate
Paul Rancatore (Dem) - Airline Pilot and USAF Reserve Officer

16th District - Tim Mahoney (Dem)

South central, parts of Martin and Palm Beach counties

This district was not originally targeted in 2006, but after the despicable scandal involving former Congressman Mark Foley surfaced, Democrat Tim Mahoney was able to win in a strong Republican district. Republicans will target this race in 2008, but given the power of incumbency there is ample reason to be optimistic about this race. Several Republicans, including Tom Rooney, son of Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney, are vying for the Republican nomination. Rooney is a candidate with great personal wealth who could give the GOP an advantage in this race.

Tim Mahoney (Dem) - Incumbent
Gayle Harrell (Rep) - State Representative and Former Teacher
Mike Mett (Rep) - Real Estate Developer
Tom Rooney (Rep) - Attorney, Army Veteran and Son of Pittsburgh Steelers Owner Dan Rooney
Rob Siedlecki (Rep) - Attorney and 2006 State Representative Nominee
Hal Valeche (Rep) - Palm Beach Gardens City Councilman and Vietnam War Veteran

17th District - Kendrick Meek (Dem)

Southeast, parts of Miami and Carol City

Kendrick Meek (Dem) - Incumbent

18th District - Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (Rep)

Southwest, part of Miami, The Keys

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (Rep) - Incumbent

19th District - Robert Wexler (Dem)

Southeast, Parts of Broward and Palm Beach counties

Robert Wexler (Dem) - Incumbent
Ben Graber (Dem) - Former State Representative, Former Broward County Commissioner, Physician and 1998 Candidate

20th District - Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Dem)

Southeast, part of Broward

Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Dem) - Incumbent

21st District - Lincoln Diaz-Balart (Rep)

Southeast, part of Miami-Dade and Broward counties

Lincoln Diaz-Balart (Rep) - Incumbent
Dean Santoro (Rep) - Technology Consultant and Ron Paul Campaign Activist
Frank Gonzalez (Dem) - Mortgage Broker, Former Flight Attendant and frequent candidate
Raul Martinez (Dem) - Former Hialeah Mayor

22nd District - Ron Klein (Dem)

Southeast coast, Fort Lauderdale, part of Palm Beach county

Freshman Democrat Ron Klein won the 2006 election in one of the most hotly contested campaigns of the cycle. Republicans Marc Flagg and Allen West are positioning to challenge Klein in 2008. Both of these prospective candidates come from military backgrounds, which is in line with the Republican strategy to emphasize security issues.

Ron Klein (Dem) - Incumbent
Robert Brodner (Rep) - Neurosurgeon and Former Palm Beach County Medical Society President
Marc Flagg (Rep) - Flight Engineer and Navy Veteran
Alan Schlesinger (Rep) - Former Connecticut State Representative and 2006 US Senate Nominee in CT
Clay Shaw (Rep) - Former incumbent (defeated in 2006)
Allen West (Rep) - Retired Army Officer and Iraq War Veteran
Piotr Blass

23rd District - Alcee Hastings (Dem)

Southeast, parts of St. Lucie, Broward, Martin, Hendry and Palm Beach counties

Alcee Hastings (Dem) - Incumbent
Ray Torres Sanchez (Dem) - Belle Glade Mayor and Funeral Home Owner
Marion Thorpe Jr (Rep) - Physician, Medical School Professor and GOP Activist

24th District - Tom Feeney (Rep)

East Central, parts of Volusia, Seminole and Orange counties

Tom Feeney (Rep) - Incumbent
Garv Bhola (Dem)
Clint Curtis (Dem) - Computer Programmer and 2006 Nominee

25th District - Mario Diaz-Balart (Rep)

Southern tip, Collier county, parts of Monroe and Miami-Dade counties

Mario Diaz-Balart (Rep) - Incumbent
Michael Calderin (Dem) - Computer Programmer and 2006 Nominee