By Basil Pursley & Caspian Rizzo
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has secured re-election by a landslide. DeSantis’ victory was declared with 88% of the votes in. DeSantis won with 59.5% of the votes (4,568,386) 1,510,885 ahead of Charlie Crist, leaving many Democrats disappointed.
During his victory speech, DeSantis proclaimed a victory over “woke ideology” and claimed that Florida is setting an example in leadership, unlike in Washington where he claimed leadership is “floundering.”
The Catalyst brings you post-midterm election results—with an emphasis that not all votes may be counted yet, and some races may still be inconclusive. Updates will be posted accordingly—follow @ncfcatalyst on Twitter for updates and corrections.
Senate Races
Alabama: Katie Britt (R)
Will Boyd (D): A perennial candidate, Boyd’s chances of winning were slim to none.
Katie Britt (R): The former Chief of Staff for the last person to hold her position, Britt overthrew the Trump nominee—Mo Brooks—and earned Trump’s support after primarying her opponent.
Arkansas: John Boozman (R)
John Boozman (R): After a tight primary, Boozman’s victory in Arkansas was all but assured as he approached his second term.
Natalie James (D): James, a real estate broker and long shot candidate is a veteran of the Arkansas General Assembly where she pushed for police accountability.
Connecticut: Richard Blumenthal (D)
Richard Blumenthal (D): Blumenthal is projected to coast into his third term.
Leora Levy (R): An upset Republican challenger wielding a Trump endorsement, Levy was a long shot for this seat.
Vermont: Peter Welch (D)
Peter Welch (D): A Vermont native with 40 years of political experience, Welch is a staunch ally of Bernie Sanders.
Gerald Malloy (R): A retired military officer who has never held office.
Florida Results
U.S. House
Florida has 28 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. So far, 20/28 are highly projected to have a Republican win, and 6/28 are projected to have a Democratic win. The remaining two are incredibly close.
House District 16 (which represents Sarasota) was won by incumbent Vern Buchanan (R) with 62.4% (187,406 votes), 4,837 ahead of Jan Schneider (D).
In the Orlando district, Maxwell Alejandro Frost (D)—a former March for Our Lives organizer—became the first member of Gen Z to hold a congressional seat.
U.S. Senate
Incumbent Marco Rubio (R) has re-won Florida’s seat in the U.S. Senate with 57.8% (4,366,252), 1,254,673 ahead of Val Demmings (D).
State Legislation
House
Republicans are expected to hold an overwhelming majority in the Florida house as well.
State House District 73 (representing Sarasota) was won by Fiona McFarland (R) with 51,434 votes at 56.4%.
Senate
28/40 of Florida Senate seats are projected to be held by Republicans.
State Senate District 22 (which represents Sarasota) was already decided by the primary election in August, as Joe Gruters (R) won the Republican primary and the Democratic Party did not put up a candidate.
Attorney General
Incumbent Ashley Moody (R) won with 60.7% (4,564,637) of votes, 1,608,521 ahead of Aramis Ayala (D).
Agriculture Commissioner
Replacing former Agricultural Commissioner Nikki Fried, Wilton Simpson (R) has won the position with 59.5% (4,441,277), beating Naomi Blemur (D).
Chief Financial Officer
With 59.6% of the votes, Jimmy Patronis (R) is expected to continue his role as Chief Financial Officer instead of Adam Hattersley (D).
Sarasota Results
City Commission At-Large (Pick 2)
- Jen Ahearn-Koch: 40.8% (11,651)
- Debbie Trice: 31.1% (8,870)
- Dan Lobeck: 28.1% (8,009)
County Commission
County Commissioner District 2
Mark Smith (R), a businessman, won with 18,966 votes (50.7%), only 541 over grassroots candidate Fredd “Glossie” Atkins (D).
County Commissioner District 4
Joe Neunder (R), a local chiropractor, won with 59.5% of the votes, over Daniel Kuether (D).
Charter Review Board
The following are the election results for the Review Board, which will propose amendments to the County Charter.
Charter Review Board District 1
Alexandra Coe: 60.8% (126,573)
Nancy M.H. Simpson: 39.2% (81,483)
Charter Review Board District 2
G. Matthew Brockway: 61.0% (127,861)
Jae Langston D. Williams: 39.0% (81,596)
Charter Review Board District 4 (Two Year Term)
Jack Miller: 60.5% (126,329)
Ray Porter: 39.5% (82,605)
Hospital Board (Northern Seat 2)
This board provides guidance for Sarasota Memorial Hospital.
Victor J. Rohe: 71.5% (133,241)
Jonathan Tubbs: 28.5% (53,213)