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 County results Mack: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% MacKay: 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Florida |
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The 1988 United States Senate election in Florida was held on November 8, 1988. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Lawton Chiles decided to retire instead of seeking a fourth term. Republican Connie Mack III won the open seat, becoming the first Republican to hold this seat since Reconstruction in 1875. [1]
Incumbent U.S. Senator Lawton Chiles announced in December 1987, that he would not seek reelection. [2]
Former Governor Reubin Askew announced his candidacy and was regarded as a likely nominee, but withdrew stating that he was tired of campaigning and did not like fundraising. [3]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Bill Gunter | 383,721 | 38.00% | |
| Democratic | Buddy MacKay | 263,946 | 26.14% | |
| Democratic | Dan Mica | 179,524 | 17.78% | |
| Democratic | Pat Frank | 119,277 | 11.81% | |
| Democratic | Claude Kirk | 51,387 | 5.09% | |
| Democratic | Fred Rader | 11,820 | 1.17% | |
| Total votes | 1,009,675 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Buddy MacKay | 369,266 | 52.00 | |
| Democratic | Bill Gunter | 340,918 | 48.00 | |
| Total votes | 710,184 | 100 | ||
In 1987, U.S. Representative Connie Mack III announced his campaign for the Republican nomination. Robert Merkle, a former U.S. Attorney, was Mack's only opposition in the Republican primary. [3]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Connie Mack | 405,296 | 61.78 | |
| Republican | Robert Merkle | 250,730 | 38.22 | |
| Total votes | 656,026 | 100 | ||
This senate election was heavily targeted by both parties. U.S. Representative Mack announced his candidacy back in October 1987. [7] President Ronald Reagan endorsed Mack in June 1988 [8] to allow Mack to focus on the general election, as he easily won the September 6 Republican primary against U.S. Attorney Robert Merkle. [9] In May 1988, MacKay announced he would run for the open seat, [10] and defeated Insurance Commissioner Bill Gunter in a close October 4 runoff primary election. [11]
The general election became very nasty. MacKay tried to portray the Republican as "extremist." [12] Mack attacked his opponent in television ads by connecting him to unpopular Massachusetts Governor and presidential candidate Michael Dukakis. [13] Mack had help from vice presidential candidate Dan Quayle. [14] He also ran ten-second television advertisements that said "Hey Buddy, you're a liberal," a charge MacKay could never escape. [15] The election was so close there was a recount until MacKay conceded eight days after election day. [16]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Connie Mack III | 2,051,071 | 50.42% | +12.15% | |
| Democratic | Buddy MacKay | 2,016,553 | 49.57% | -12.15% | |
| Write-in | 585 | 0.01% | |||
| Majority | 34,518 | 0.85% | -22.61% | ||
| Turnout | 4,068,209 | ||||
| Republican gain from Democratic | |||||
Kenneth Hood "Buddy" MacKay Jr. is an American politician and diplomat who served as the 42nd governor of Florida from December 12, 1998, to January 5, 1999, upon the death of Lawton Chiles. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 14th lieutenant governor of Florida from 1991 to 1998. During his career, he also served as a state legislator and as a United States representative and special envoy.
The 1988 United States Senate elections were elections for the United States Senate. Held on November 8, the 33 seats of Class 1 were contested in regular elections. In spite of the Republican victory by George H. W. Bush in the presidential election, the Democrats gained a net of one seat in the Senate. Seven seats changed parties, with four incumbents being defeated. The Democratic majority in the Senate increased by one to 55–to–45.
William Dawson Gunter Jr. was an American politician from the state of Florida.
The 1990 Florida gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 1990. Incumbent Republican Governor Bob Martinez ran for a second term in office, but was defeated by Democratic challenger Lawton Chiles, a former U.S. Senator.
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The 1988 United States presidential election in North Carolina took place on November 8, 1988, and was part of the 1988 United States presidential election. Voters chose 13 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.
The 1978 United States Senate election in Mississippi was held on November 5, 1978. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator James Eastland decided to retire.
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The 1988 United States Senate election in Mississippi was held on November 8, 1988. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator John C. Stennis decided to retire instead of seeking a seventh full term. Republican Trent Lott won the open seat, becoming the first of his party to win this seat since 1874.
The 1988 United States election in Tennessee was held on November 8, 1988. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Jim Sasser won re-election to a third term, defeating feating Republican nominee Bill Anderson with 65.1% of the vote.
The 1988 United States Senate election in Virginia was held on November 8, 1988. Democratic former governor Chuck Robb succeeded Republican Senator Paul Trible, who opted not to run for re-election. As of 2024, this is the last time a Democratic Senatorial candidate won every county and independent city in Virginia.
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The 1988 United States presidential election in Arkansas took place on November 8, 1988. All fifty states and the District of Columbia, were part of the 1988 United States presidential election. State voters chose six electors to the Electoral College, which selected the president and vice president.
The 1988 United States presidential election in Georgia took place on November 8, 1988. All 50 states and the District of Columbia, were part of the 1988 United States presidential election. Georgia voters chose 12 electors to the Electoral College, which selected the president and vice president. Georgia was won by incumbent Vice President George H. W. Bush of Texas, who was running against Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis. Bush ran with Indiana Senator Dan Quayle as Vice President, and Dukakis ran with Texas Senator Lloyd Bentsen.
The 1988 United States presidential election in Mississippi took place on November 8, 1988. All fifty states and the District of Columbia, were part of the 1988 United States presidential election. Mississippi voters chose seven electors to the Electoral College, which selected the president and vice president.
The 1988 United States presidential election in South Carolina took place on November 8, 1988. All 50 states and the District of Columbia, were part of the 1988 United States presidential election. South Carolina voters chose eight electors to the Electoral College, which selected the president and vice president.
The 1988 United States presidential election in Tennessee took place on November 8, 1988. All 50 states and the District of Columbia were part of the 1988 United States presidential election. Tennessee voters chose 11 electors to the Electoral College, which selected the president and vice president. Tennessee was won by incumbent United States Vice President George H. W. Bush of Texas, who was running against Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis. Bush ran with Indiana Senator Dan Quayle as Vice President, and Dukakis ran with Texas Senator Lloyd Bentsen.
The 1988 United States presidential election in Texas took place on November 8, 1988. All fifty states and the District of Columbia, were part of the 1988 United States presidential election. Texas voters chose 29 electors to the Electoral College, which selected the president and vice president.
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