2006 United States Senate election in Florida explained

Election Name:	2006 United States Senate election in Florida
Country:	Florida
Type:	presidential
Ongoing:	no
Previous Election:	2000 United States Senate election in Florida
Previous Year:	2000
Next Election:	2012 United States Senate election in Florida
Next Year:	2012
Election Date:	November 7, 2006
Image1:	Bill Nelson.jpg
Nominee1:	Bill Nelson
Party1:	Democratic Party (United States)
Popular Vote1:	2,890,548
Percentage1:	60.30%
Nominee2:	Katherine Harris
Party2:	Republican Party (United States)
Popular Vote2:	1,826,127
Percentage2:	38.10%
Map Size:	300px
U.S. Senator
Before Election:	Bill Nelson
Before Party:	Democratic Party (United States)
After Election:	Bill Nelson
After Party:	Democratic Party (United States)

The 2006 United States Senate election in Florida was held November 7, 2006. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Bill Nelson won re-election to a second term.

Background

During the Terri Schiavo case in March 2005, a talking points memo on the controversy was written by Brian Darling, the legal counsel to Republican Senator Mel Martínez of Florida.^[1] The memo suggested the Schiavo case offered "a great political issue" that would appeal to the party's base (core supporters) and could be used against Senator Bill Nelson, a Democrat from Florida who was up for reelection in 2006, because he had refused to co-sponsor the bill which came to be known as the Palm Sunday Compromise.^[2] Bill Nelson was nevertheless reelected as Senator on November 7, 2006, with 60% of the vote.

Republican primary

Candidates

• LeRoy Collins Jr., retired naval officer and son of former Governor LeRoy Collins
• Katherine Harris, U.S. Representative and former Florida Secretary of State
• Will McBride, attorney
• Peter Monroe, businessman and former COO of the Federal Housing Administration^[3]

Endorsements

• The Bradenton Herald: McBride^[4]
• Florida (Jacksonville) Times-Union: Collins or Monroe^[5]
• Gainesville Sun: Collins^[6]
• Lakeland Ledger: Collins
• Miami Herald: Collins^[7]
• Naples Daily News: Collins
• Orlando Sentinel: McBride^[8]
• Palm Beach Post: Monroe
• Sarasota Herald-Tribune: no endorsement
• South Florida (Fort Lauderdale) Sun Sentinel: Monroe
• St. Petersburg Times: Collins
• Tampa Tribune: Collins

Polling

Poll Source	Date	LeRoy Collins Jr.	Katherine Harris	Will McBride	Peter Monroe
align=left	Strategic Vision^[9]	July 26, 2006	9%		45%	22%	7%
align=left	Mason-Dixon^[10]	July 26, 2006	8%		36%	11%	2%
align=left	Quinnipiac^[11]	July 27, 2006	6%		40%	21%	3%
align=left	Scroth Eldon & Associates^[12]	August 11, 2006	9%		28%	11%	5%
align=left	SurveyUSA^[13]	August 24, 2006	20%		43%	15%	7%
align=left	Strategic Vision^[14]	August 30, 2006	19%		38%	21%	5%
align=left	Quinnipiac^[15]	August 31, 2006	11%		38%	22%	3%
align=left	SurveyUSA^[16]	August 31, 2006	12%		45%	22%	5%
align=left	Mason-Dixon^[17]	September 2, 2006	17%		38%	21%	2%
align=left	Primary Results	September 5, 2006	15%		49%	30%	5%

Results

General election

Candidates

• Floyd Ray Frazier (Independent)
• Katherine Harris, former Florida Secretary of State and former U.S. Representative (Republican)
• Brian Moore, retired health care executive and former congressional candidate (Independent)
• Bill Nelson, incumbent U.S. Senator (Democratic)
• Belinda Noah (Independent)
• Roy Tanner (Independent)

Campaign

The organization Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), which monitors political corruption, complained to the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) in October 2006 that the Bacardi beverage company had illegally used corporate resources in support of a fundraising event for Nelson in 2005. CREW had previously filed a similar complaint concerning a Bacardi fundraising event for Republican Senator Mel Martinez, an event that raised as much as $60,000 for Martinez's campaign. The amended complaint alleged that, on both occasions, Bacardi violated the Federal Election Campaign Act and FEC regulations by soliciting contributions from a list of the corporation's vendors.^[18]

Endorsements

In a rare move, all twenty-two of Florida's daily newspapers supported Nelson, while none supported Harris in the general election.^[19]

• Bradenton Herald: Bill Nelson^[20]
• Charlotte Sun-Herald: Bill Nelson
• Daytona Beach News-Journal: Bill Nelson^[21]
• Florida Times-Union: Bill Nelson^[22]
• Fort Myers News-Press: Bill Nelson^[23]
• Gainesville Sun: Bill Nelson^[24]
• Lakeland Ledger: Bill Nelson
• Miami Herald: Bill Nelson
• Naples Daily News: Bill Nelson^[25]
• Orlando Sentinel: Bill Nelson^[26]
• Palm Beach Post: Bill Nelson^[27]
• Pensacola News Journal: Bill Nelson^[28]
• Saint Petersburg Times: Bill Nelson^[29]
• Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Bill Nelson^[30]
• Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers: Bill Nelson^[31]
• South Florida Sun-Sentinel: Bill Nelson^[32]
• Tallahassee Democrat: Bill Nelson^[33]
• Tampa Tribune: Bill Nelson^[34]

Debates

• Complete video of debate, October 23, 2006
• Complete video of debate, November 1, 2006

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
align=left	The Cook Political Report^[35]		November 6, 2006
align=left	Sabato's Crystal Ball^[36]		November 6, 2006
align=left	Rothenberg Political Report^[37]		November 6, 2006
align=left	Real Clear Politics^[38]		November 6, 2006

Polling

Graphical summary

Poll Source Date Bill Nelson (D) Katherine Harris (R) align=left Strategic Vision (R)^[39] July 20, 2005 48% 40% align=left Strategic Vision (R)^[40] August 21, 2005 47% 38% align=left Quinnipiac^[41] August 31, 2005 57% 33% align=left Strategic Vision (R)^[42] September 22, 2005 48% 36% align=left Rasmussen^[43] November 14, 2005 53% 36% align=left Quinnipiac^[44] November 15, 2005 55% 31% align=left Strategic Vision (R)^[45] November 30, 2005 48% 32% align=left Rasmussen^[46] January 5, 2006 54% 31% align=left Rasmussen^[47] February 14, 2006 49% 40% align=left Strategic Vision (R)^[48] February 22, 2006 49% 34% align=left Quinnipiac^[49] February 24, 2006 53% 31% align=left University of North Florida^[50] March 15, 2006 48% 28% align=left Mason-Dixon^[51] March 29, 2006 51% 35% align=left Strategic Vision (R)^[52] March 30, 2006 56% 28% align=left Zogby/WSJ^[53] March 31, 2006 50% 37% align=left Rasmussen^[54] April 14, 2006 57% 27% align=left Quinnipiac^[55] April 20, 2006 56% 27% align=left Strategic Vision (R)^[56] April 26, 2006 56% 24% align=left Rasmussen^[57] May 22, 2006 60% 33% align=left Strategic Vision (R)^[58] May 25, 2006 56% 26% align=left Quinnipiac^[59] May 25, 2006 58% 25% align=left Zogby/WSJ^[60] June 21, 2006 51% 33% align=left Strategic Vision (R)^[61] June 28, 2006 61% 26% align=left Quinnipiac^[62] June 30, 2006 59% 26% align=left Zogby/WSJ July 24, 2006 55% 34% align=left Strategic Vision (R)^[63] July 26, 2006 60% 22% align=left Mason-Dixon July 26, 2006 57% 29% align=left Quinnipiac^[64] July 27, 2006 61% 24% align=left Rasmussen^[65] July 28, 2006 61% 33% align=left St. Petersburg Times^[66] August 11, 2006 60% 25% align=left Zogby/WSJ^[67] August 28, 2006 52% 32% align=left Strategic Vision (R)^[68] August 30, 2006 63% 20% align=left Rasmussen^[69] September 5, 2006 57% 34% align=left Zogby/WSJ September 11, 2006 51% 33% align=left SurveyUSA^[70] September 14, 2006 53% 38% align=left Mason-Dixon^[71] September 20–22, 2006 53% 35% align=left Strategic Vision (R)^[72] September 27, 2006 59% 31% align=left Rasmussen^[73] September 27, 2006 56% 33% align=left Rasmussen^[74] October 4, 2006 54% 37% align=left SurveyUSA^[75] October 10, 2006 55% 37% align=left Quinnipiac^[76] October 11, 2006 61% 33% align=left Mason-Dixon^[77] October 16–17, 2006 57% 31% align=left Strategic Vision (R)^[78] October 25, 2006 58% 35% align=left Quinnipiac^[79] October 25, 2006 64% 29% align=left St. Petersburg Times^[80] October 28, 2006 56% 30% align=left Strategic Vision (R)^[81] November 2, 2006 59% 33% align=left Mason-Dixon^[82] November 3, 2006 58% 34% align=left SurveyUSA^[83] November 5, 2006 59% 36%

Results

As expected, Nelson was easily reelected. He won with 60.3% of the vote winning by 1,064,421 votes or 22.2%, and carried 57 of Florida's 67 counties. Nelson was projected the winner right when the polls closed at 7 P.M. EST.

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

• Gilchrist (Largest city: Trenton)
• Sumter (Largest city: The Villages)
• Bradford (Largest city: Starke)
• Charlotte (Largest city: Charlotte)
• Columbia (Largest city: Lake City)
• DeSoto (Largest city: Arcadia)
• Escambia (Largest city: Pensacola)
• Hardee (Largest city: Wachula)
• Highlands (Largest city: Sebring)
• Indian River (Largest city: Sebastian)
• Lake (Largest city: Clermont)
• Lee (Largest city: Cape Coral)
• Suwannee (Largest city: Live Oak)
• Duval (largest municipality: Jacksonville)
• Seminole (largest municipality: Sanford)
• Hendry (Largest city: Clewiston)
• Marion (Largest city: Ocala)

See also

• 2006 United States Senate elections
• 2006 Florida gubernatorial election
• 2006 Florida state elections
• 2006 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida

External links

Debates

• Debate, October 23, 2006

Campaign Websites (Archived)

• Bill Nelson for Senate
• Katherine Harris for Senate
• Leroy Collins for Senate
• Peter Monroe for Senate
• Ray Frazier for Senate
• Brian Moore for Senate
• Belinda Noah for Senate
• Roy Tanner for Senate
• Lawrence Scott for Senate

Notes and References

1. Web site: April 6, 2005 . Senator's office produced Schiavo memo . Associated Press . NBC News.
2. News: April 4, 2005 . The Seattle Times: Nation & World: GOP memo says issue offers political rewards . The Washington Post . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20070127110336/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002213728_memo20.html . January 27, 2007 . The Seattle Times.
3. https://web.archive.org/web/20060324224610/http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_politics/florida_senate_race/index.html
4. Web site: Archived copy . August 30, 2006 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110607052613/http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/news/opinion/15363709.htm . June 7, 2011 . dead .
5. http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/082706/opi_opinion.shtml U.S. SENATE: It's a toss up | Jacksonville.com
6. http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/nation/epaper/2006/08/25/a9a_endorse_0825.html
7. http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/opinion/15308276.htm 404 | MiamiHerald.com
8. http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/orl-ed27106aug27,0,534520.story Topic Galleries - OrlandoSentinel.com
9. https://web.archive.org/web/20060806043947/http://www.strategicvision.biz/political/florida_poll_072606.htm Strategic Vision
10. https://web.archive.org/web/20060207093809/http://www.mason-dixon.com/news_text.cfm?news_id=237 Mason-Dixon
11. https://web.archive.org/web/20060831013915/http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x19257.xml Quinnipiac
12. http://www.sptimes.com/2006/08/11/State/Poll__Harris_leads_GO.shtml Scroth Eldon & Associates
13. http://www.surveyusa.com/client/PollReportEmail.aspx?g=85912e2c-e998-446a-bd30-3bd9bfc9bbd4 SurveyUSA
14. https://web.archive.org/web/20060903182008/http://strategicvision.biz/political/florida_poll_083006.htm Strategic Vision
15. https://web.archive.org/web/20060901073627/http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x12942.xml?ReleaseID=957 Quinnipiac
16. http://www.surveyusa.com/client/PollReportEmail.aspx?g=e128abeb-1bb7-4434-8f52-c9594007b661 SurveyUSA
17. http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/orl-poll0206sep02,0,641663.story?coll=orl-home-headlines Mason-Dixon
18. Web site: CREW FILES AMENDED FEC COMPLAINT AGAINST BACARDI USA AND MARTINEZ FOR SENATE . Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington . August 7, 2018 . August 8, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180808073128/https://www.citizensforethics.org/legal-filing/crew-files-amended-fec-complaint-against-bacardi-usa-and-martinez-for-senat/ . dead .
19. http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/103106/met_5911837.shtml Harris, Nelson tout testimonials
20. Web site: Bill Nelson For Senate . July 13, 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20061213204756/http://www.nelsonforsenate.com/newsroom/releases/?id=12 . December 13, 2006 . dead .
21. Web site: Bill Nelson For Senate . October 16, 2006 . https://web.archive.org/web/20061018190233/http://www.nelsonforsenate.com/newsroom/mediaclips/?id=32 . October 18, 2006 . dead .
22. http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/102906/opi_5662326.shtml U.S. SENATE: Nelson the best choice | Jacksonville.com
23. https://web.archive.org/web/20121023192504/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/news_press/access/1754464311.html?dids=1754464311:1754464311&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Oct+29,+2006&author=&pub=The+News+Press&edition=&startpage=B.11&desc=The+News-Press+Endorsement+Recap The News Press Endorsement Recap
24. Web site: Bill Nelson For Senate . October 16, 2006 . https://web.archive.org/web/20061018180425/http://www.nelsonforsenate.com/newsroom/mediaclips/?id=37 . October 18, 2006 . dead .
25. Web site: Bill Nelson For Senate . October 20, 2006 . https://web.archive.org/web/20061018181747/http://www.nelsonforsenate.com/newsroom/mediaclips/?id=39 . October 18, 2006 . dead .
26. Web site: Bill Nelson For Senate . November 1, 2006 . https://web.archive.org/web/20061101202756/http://www.nelsonforsenate.com/newsroom/mediaclips/?id=49 . November 1, 2006 . dead .
27. Web site: Bill Nelson For Senate . October 11, 2006 . https://web.archive.org/web/20061011191823/http://www.nelsonforsenate.com/newsroom/mediaclips/?id=30 . October 11, 2006 . dead .
28. Web site: Bill Nelson For Senate . November 1, 2006 . https://web.archive.org/web/20061101202728/http://www.nelsonforsenate.com/newsroom/mediaclips/?id=47 . November 1, 2006 . dead .
29. http://www.sptimes.com/2006/10/15/Opinion/Nelson_for_US_Senate.shtml Nelson for U.S. Senate
30. Web site: Bill Nelson For Senate . October 16, 2006 . https://web.archive.org/web/20061018190030/http://www.nelsonforsenate.com/newsroom/mediaclips/?id=34 . October 18, 2006 . dead .
31. Web site: Bill Nelson For Senate . October 16, 2006 . https://web.archive.org/web/20061018185626/http://www.nelsonforsenate.com/newsroom/mediaclips/?id=33 . October 18, 2006 . dead .
32. Web site: Bill Nelson For Senate . October 20, 2006 . https://web.archive.org/web/20061018180550/http://www.nelsonforsenate.com/newsroom/mediaclips/?id=38 . October 18, 2006 . dead .
33. http://www.tallahassee.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article Tallahassee Democrat - www.tallahassee.com - Tallahassee, FL
34. Web site: Bill Nelson For Senate . October 16, 2006 . https://web.archive.org/web/20061018184708/http://www.nelsonforsenate.com/newsroom/mediaclips/?id=35 . October 18, 2006 . dead .
35. Web site: 2006 Senate Race Ratings for November 6, 2006 . The Cook Political Report . https://web.archive.org/web/20080605093937/https://cookpolitical.com/races/report_pdfs/2006_sen_ratings_nov6.pdf . September 30, 2021. June 5, 2008 .
36. Web site: Election Eve 2006: THE FINAL PREDICTIONS . Sabato's Crystal Ball . November 6, 2006 . June 25, 2021.
37. Web site: 2006 Senate Ratings . Senate Ratings . The Rothenberg Political Report . June 25, 2021.
38. Web site: Election 2006 . Real Clear Politics . June 25, 2021.
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50. https://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060316/ap_on_go_co/senate_harris University of North Florida
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