1990 Orange County, Florida Chairman election

1990 Orange County, Florida Chairman election

November 6, 1990 1994  →

Nominee Linda Chapin Tom Drage Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 80,844 72,860 Percentage 52.60% 47.40%

Chairman before election Position established Elected Chairman Linda Chapin Nonpartisan

The 1990 Orange County, Florida Chairman election took place on November 6, 1990, to elect the Chairman of Orange County, Florida. The 1990 election was the first election for the position after voters approved the Orange County Charter in 1986 and amended it in 1988 to establish a county-wide executive position. County Commissioner Linda Chapin won the Democratic nomination unopposed and faced Republican State Representative Tom Drage in the general election. Chapin narrowly defeated Drage, winning 53 percent of the vote to his 47 percent, becoming the first elected Chairman of the county.

In 1992, Orange County voters amended the County Charter to implement nonpartisan elections for Chairman and the County Commission. ^[1] As a result, this is the only election for Mayor or Chairman of Orange County to have taken place with partisan identifications on the ballot.

Democratic nomination

County Commissioner Linda Chapin was the only candidate to file for the Democratic nomination and won the primary unopposed. ^[2]

Republican primary

Candidates

• Tom Drage, State Representative ^[3]
• Tom Dorman, County Commissioner ^[4]

Declined

• Bill Barnes, Orange County School Board member ^[5]
• Jacob Stuart, President of the Greater Orlando Chamber of Commerce ^[2]

Results

Republican primary results (unofficial) ^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Tom Drage	15,041	56.05%
	Republican	Tom Dorman	11,795	43.95%
Total votes			26,836	100.00%

General election

Results

1990 Orange County, Florida Chairman general election (unofficial) ^[7]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Linda Chapin	80,844	52.60%
	Republican	Tom Drage	72,860	47.40%
Total votes			153,704	100.00%
	Democratic win (new seat)

References

1. Benedick, Robin (November 5, 1992). "Don't expect all of the changes to start immediately". Orlando Sentinel . p. B-4. Retrieved August 1, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
2. Oliver, Mike (July 21, 1990). "Candidates in, out of races at deadline". Orlando Sentinel . p. D-3. Retrieved August 1, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
3. Griffin, Michael (October 15, 1989). "Mayor's job stirs a lot of political lust". Orlando Sentinel . p. B-1. Retrieved August 1, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
4. Blumfield, Michael (March 26, 1989). "Politicians line up for run at mayor". Orlando Sentinel . p. B-1. Retrieved August 1, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
5. Van Gieson, John C.; Oliver, Mike (May 6, 1990). "Florida Watch: Hunt for the Chiles health leak". Orlando Sentinel . p. G-4. Retrieved August 1, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
6. Griffin, Michael (September 5, 1990). "Drage pulls out a surprising win over Dorman". Orlando Sentinel . Orlando, Florida. p. A1. Retrieved August 1, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
7. Oliver, Lance (November 7, 1990). "Casting their ballots for honesty in office". Orlando Sentinel . Orlando, Florida. p. A1. Retrieved August 1, 2025– via Newspapers.com.