Mack Bernard

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Mack Bernard
Mack Bernard.jpeg
Member of the Florida Senate
from the 24th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
November 19, 2024
ProfessionLawyer, business executive

Mackenson "Mack" Bernard (born March 4, 1976) is a Haitian-born American politician who has served as a member of the Florida Senate since 2024. [1] He lives in Boynton Beach, Florida. Bernard moved to Florida in 1986.

Political career

He was first elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2009 as a Democrat in the 27th district. [2]

In 2012, Bernard ran for a seat in the 27th district of the Florida Senate, facing fellow Representative Jeff Clemens. Clemens won the endorsement of labor unions AFL-CIO and SEIU, while Bernard received the endorsement of the Florida Chamber of Commerce. [3] In the end, Clemens was able to narrowly defeat Bernard by only seventeen votes in the primary election. [4] Bernard held out hope, however, that Clemens's victory would be overturned and filed a lawsuit to have forty absentee ballots counted. A judge in Tallahassee ruled against Bernard but allowed nine provisional ballots to be counted, which would not have been enough to allow Bernard to emerge victorious. [5] In the general election, Clemens remained on the ballot as the Democratic nominee, and was elected unopposed.

In June 2024, Bernard was elected to the Florida Senate as he was the sole candidate to file in a special election to succeed Bobby Powell. The move was done as part of a "seat swap" while Powell runs for Bernard's seat on the Palm Beach County Commission. [6]

References

  1. ↑ "Representative Mack Bernard". myfloridahouse.gov. Florida House of Representatives. Retrieved July 17, 2012.
  2. ↑ "Mack Bernard Official Site" . Retrieved July 17, 2012.
  3. ↑ Derby, Kevin (July 31, 2012). "SD 27: Two Dem State Reps Battle for Open Florida Seat in Palm Beach County". Sunshine State News. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved May 28, 2013.
  4. ↑ Stapleton, Christine (August 18, 2012). "After recount, Clemens defeats Bernard by 17 votes in Florida Senate District 27". Palm Beach Post . Retrieved May 28, 2013.
  5. ↑ Calhoun, Ryan (September 17, 2012). "Provisional ballots to be counted in Mack Bernard, Jeff Clemens Senate race". WPTV-TV . Archived from the original on October 30, 2012. Retrieved May 28, 2013.
  6. ↑ "'So thankful': Mack Bernard coasts into Florida Senate seat unopposed". floridapolitics.com. June 11, 2024. Retrieved June 12, 2024.


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