The 2010 United States Senate election in Florida took place on November 2, 2010, concurrently with other elections to the United States Senate in other states, as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.
Incumbent Republican Senator Mel Martínez, who was elected in a very close race against Democrat Betty Castor with 49% of the vote in 2004, did not seek re-election to a second term,[1] and stated on August 7, 2009, that he would resign prior to the end of his term.[2] As his successor, the governor of Florida, Republican Charlie Crist, appointed his former chief of staff, George LeMieux. LeMieux, who replaced Martínez in the Senate on September 10, 2009, was a placeholder and did not seek re-election, as Crist aimed at the seat himself.
Crist publicly launched his campaign for the seat in mid-2009. When he declared his candidacy, he received many Republican endorsements, including the National Republican Senatorial Committee, Martínez, and 2008 Republican presidential nominee John McCain. However, his support of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 hurt his popularity among conservatives, and Tea Party candidate Marco Rubio, the former Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, surged in the polls. In April 2010, Crist dropped out of the Republican primary and ran as an Independent. The National Republican Senatorial Committee withdrew its endorsement of Crist and demanded a refund of its campaign funds that it provided for the Crist campaign.[3][4][5] Rubio went on to win the Republican primary against only token opposition.
U.S. Representative Kendrick Meek was the first Democrat to declare his intention to run and he defeated billionaire businessman Jeff Greene in his party's primary. Also on the ballot were Alexander Snitker of the Libertarian Party,[6] Bernie DeCastro of the Constitution Party, and five other independent candidates.
Polling initially showed Crist neck and neck with Rubio, but by the end of August Rubio opened up a solid and consistent lead. He was supported by Republican and some Independent voters whereas Democratic and other Independent voters were split between Crist and Meek. Rubio went on to win the election with 49% of the vote to Crist's 30% and Meek's 20%.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).
^Dana Bash and Ted Barrett (December 2, 2008). "Sen. Martinez won't seek reelection". CNN.com. Archived from the original on May 20, 2009. Retrieved December 2, 2008.
^"First on the CNN Ticker: Florida senator to resign seat". CNN. August 7, 2009. Archived from the original on December 28, 2009. Retrieved May 12, 2010.
^"If Crist leaves party, GOP donors vow to take cash back". Washington Times. April 29, 2010. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
^"Cornyn on Crist: I Want My Money Back - The Note". Blogs.abcnews.com. April 29, 2010. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
^"Marco Rubio on Charlie Crist Party Switch in Florida Senate Race - ABC News". Abcnews.go.com. February 18, 2010. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
^Logan, Lee (April 21, 2010). "Libertarian Alexander Snitker joins U.S. Senate race". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on May 25, 2014. Retrieved December 9, 2012.
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