2014 Florida Attorney General election
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2014 Florida Attorney General election took place on November 4, 2014, to elect the Florida Attorney General. Incumbent Republican Attorney General Pam Bondi ran for re-election to a second term in office[1] against Democrat George Sheldon and Libertarian Bill Wohlsifer.
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November 4, 2014
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  Bondi: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Sheldon: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% | |||||||||||||||||
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Republican primary
Democratic primary
Candidates
Declared
- George Sheldon, former Assistant U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services for Children and Families[2]
- Perry Thurston, Minority Leader of the Florida House of Representatives[3]
Declined
- Skip Campbell, former state senator and nominee for attorney general in 2006[4]
- Maria Sachs, state senator[5]
Endorsements
Individuals
- Pat Frank, Hillsborough County clerk of court[6]
- Vic Torres, state representative[7]
Organizations
- AFL–CIO[8]
- Florida Alliance for Retired Americans[8]
- Florida Nurses Association[9]
- Florida Young Democrats[10]
- International Union of Painters and Allied Trades[7]
- National Organization for Women[8]
- National Women's Political Caucus[11]
Newspapers
Individuals
- Rick Kriseman, Mayor of St. Petersburg[17]
- Kendrick Meek, former U.S. Representative and nominee for U.S. Senate in 2010[18]
- Darren Soto, state senator[6]
Newspapers
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | George Sheldon | 458,428 | 60.66 | |
| Democratic | Perry Thurston | 297,320 | 39.34 | |
| Total votes | 755,748 | 100 | ||
Libertarian nomination
Candidates
Declared
- Bill Wohlsifer, Attorney at Law[22]
General election
Campaign
Sheldon's constitutional eligibility to serve as attorney general was challenged in court. For the years 2011 to 2013, Sheldon established permanent non-Florida residency in order to receive an exemption from taking continuing legal education courses required to maintain his law license with the Florida Bar. Article IV, Section 5(b) of the Florida Constitution requires the candidates for attorney general maintain permanent residency in Florida for the seven years preceding election to office. The lawsuit named Sheldon and the Florida Secretary of State as defendants, and asked the court to remove Sheldon from the Democratic primary for attorney general.[23] Leon County Chief Judge Charles A. Francis ruled that Sheldon was eligible for the ballot, stating that though he might have worked out of state, he maintained his residence in Tallahassee and continued to live there whenever he returned.[24] The main lawyer involved in the case chose not to appeal the decision.[25]
After Sheldon won his party's primary on August 26, Bondi challenged him to a general debate before the election.[26] Sheldon stated that he would do so, but raised the possibility of multiple debates.[27] Wohlsifer also challenged Bondi and Sheldon to a debate before the election.[28] On September 9, Bondi's campaign sent out an email accepting an invitation to debate Sheldon in October, which he also accepted. While the Bondi campaign's email only mentioned Sheldon, Sheldon himself stated that he would welcome Wohlsifer's participation.[29] Later on, it was confirmed that the debate would take place on October 6 and all three candidates would participate. It was pre-recorded and then broadcast only in Tampa and Orlando TV markets.[30][31][32]
Candidates
- Pam Bondi (Republican)
- George Sheldon (Democratic)
- Bill Wohlsifer (Libertarian)
Endorsements
Organizations
- Associated Industries of Florida[33]
- Florida Chamber of Commerce[33]
- Florida Home Builders Association[33]
- Florida Medical Association[34]
- Florida Police Chiefs Association[33]
- Florida Professional Firefighters[33]
- Florida Association of State Troopers[35]
- Fraternal Order of Police[36]
- National Federation of Independent Business[33]
- Florida Police Benevolent Association[37]
Newspapers
Individuals
- Bob Butterworth, former Florida Attorney General[40]
- Pat Frank, Hillsborough County clerk of court[6]
- Walt McNeil, Police Chief of Quincy and former Secretary of the Florida Department of Corrections[40]
- Vic Torres, state representative[7]
Organizations
- AFL–CIO[8]
- Florida Alliance for Retired Americans[8]
- Florida Nurses Association[9]
- Florida Young Democrats[10]
- International Union of Painters and Allied Trades[7]
- National Organization for Women[8]
- National Women's Political Caucus[11]
Newspapers
Individuals
- Gary Johnson, former Republican Governor of New Mexico and Libertarian nominee for President in 2012[48]
- Michael C. Minardi, NORML Legal Committee member[49]
- Roger Stone, author and political commentator[49]
- Burnie Thompson, radio talk show host[49]
Organizations
- Epilepsy Foundation[49]
- IJC Law Group[49]
Newspapers
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Pam Bondi (R) |
George Sheldon (D) |
Bill Wohlsifer (L) |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling[51] | November 1–2, 2014 | 1,198 | ± 2.8% | 46% | 37% | 5% | 11% |
| Saint Leo University[52] | October 16–19, 2014 | 500 | ± 4.9% | 47% | 39% | 6% | 8% |
| Public Policy Polling[53] | September 4–7, 2014 | 818 | ± 3.8% | 43% | 35% | 6% | 17% |
| Gravis Marketing[54] | June 20–23, 2014 | 1,232 | ± 3% | 43% | 35% | 5% | 16% |
| Public Policy Polling[55] | June 6–9, 2014 | 672 | ± 3.8% | 38% | 35% | — | 27% |
| Gravis Marketing[56] | April 23–25, 2014 | 907 | ± 3% | 45% | 36% | 7% | 12% |
| Gravis Marketing[57] | January 30–31, 2014 | 808 | ± 4% | 44% | 36% | 4% | 16% |
| Public Policy Polling[58] | January 16–21, 2014 | 591 | ± 4% | 37% | 34% | — | 29% |
| Gravis Marketing[59] | November 8–11, 2013 | 932 | ± 3% | 29% | 11% | — | 59% |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Pam Bondi (R) |
Perry Thurston (D) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gravis Marketing[54] | June 20–23, 2014 | 1,232 | ± 3% | 43% | 38% | 4% | 15% |
| Public Policy Polling[55] | June 6–9, 2014 | 672 | ± 3.8% | 40% | 33% | — | 28% |
| Gravis Marketing[56] | April 23–25, 2014 | 907 | ± 3% | 45% | 38% | 7% | 11% |
| Gravis Marketing[57] | January 30–31, 2014 | 808 | ± 4% | 45% | 36% | 6% | 12% |
| Public Policy Polling[58] | January 16–21, 2014 | 591 | ± 4% | 37% | 35% | — | 28% |
| Gravis Marketing[59] | November 8–11, 2013 | 932 | ± 3% | 30% | 14% | — | 57% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Pam Bondi (incumbent) | 3,222,524 | 55.09% | +0.32% | |
| Democratic | George Sheldon | 2,457,317 | 42.01% | +0.57% | |
| Libertarian | Bill Wohlsifer | 169,394 | 2.90% | N/A | |
| Majority | 765,207 | 13.08% | −0.25% | ||
| Turnout | 5,849,205 | ||||
| Republican hold | |||||
By congressional district
Bondi won 19 of 27 congressional districts, including two that elected Democrats.[61]
| District | Bondi | Sheldon | Representative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 71% | 26% | Jeff Miller |
| 2nd | 53% | 43% | Gwen Graham |
| 3rd | 65% | 32% | Ted Yoho |
| 4th | 68% | 28% | Ander Crenshaw |
| 5th | 36% | 62% | Corrine Brown |
| 6th | 64% | 33% | Ron DeSantis |
| 7th | 56% | 41% | John Mica |
| 8th | 62% | 34% | Bill Posey |
| 9th | 48% | 49% | Alan Grayson |
| 10th | 58% | 38% | Daniel Webster |
| 11th | 66% | 31% | Rich Nugent |
| 12th | 60% | 37% | Gus Bilirakis |
| 13th | 53% | 43% | Bill Young |
| 14th | 42% | 55% | Kathy Castor |
| 15th | 60% | 37% | Dennis Ross |
| 16th | 60% | 37% | Vern Buchanan |
| 17th | 65% | 32% | Tom Rooney |
| 18th | 57% | 40% | Patrick Murphy |
| 19th | 67% | 30% | Trey Radel |
| 20th | 20% | 78% | Alcee Hastings |
| 21st | 43% | 55% | Ted Deutch |
| 22nd | 47% | 50% | Lois Frankel |
| 23rd | 40% | 58% | Debbie Wasserman Schultz |
| 24th | 15% | 84% | Frederica Wilson |
| 25th | 61% | 37% | Mario Díaz-Balart |
| 26th | 52% | 45% | Carlos Curbelo |
| 27th | 52% | 46% | Ileana Ros-Lehtinen |