1974 United States Senate election in Florida
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 County results Stone: 30–40% 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% Eckerd: 30–40% 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% Grady: 40–50% | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Florida |
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 Government |
The 1974 United States Senate election in Florida was held on November 5, 1974. Incumbent Senator Edward Gurney, a Republican, declined to seek a second term after being indicted for taking bribes in return for his influence with the Federal Housing Administration. The primary for the Republican nomination pitted Eckerd drug store owner Jack Eckerd against Florida Public Service Commissioner Paula Hawkins. Eckerd won handily, receiving approximately 67.5% of the vote. The Democratic primary, however, was a crowded field with eleven candidates vying for the nomination. Because no candidate received a majority of the votes, U.S. Representative Bill Gunter and Secretary of State of Florida Richard Stone advanced to a run-off election. Stone won by a small margin of 1.68%.
Thus, Eckerd and Stone faced off in the general election. John Grady, a family physician and member of George Wallace's American Independent Party, performed very well for a third-party candidate. On election day, Stone received 43.38% of the vote, Eckerd garnered 40.91% of the vote, and Grady acquired 15.7% of the vote. Stone served only one term in the Senate and would be defeated by Gunter in the Democratic primary in 1980.
Democratic primary
[edit]The Democratic primary consisted of a large field of 11 candidates.[1] 13.6% of the voting age population participated in the Democratic primary.[2]
Candidates
[edit]- Bob Brewster
- George Balmer, body shop owner and Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in 1970
- Bill Gunter, incumbent U.S. Representative from Orlando
- David B. Higginbottom, lawyer and candidate for the Florida House of Representatives in 1954 and 1956
- Mallory Horne, incumbent President of the Florida Senate
- Neal Justin, professor at Florida Atlantic University and former member of the Arizona House of Representatives[3]
- Duaine E. Macon, real estate salesman
- Richard A. Pettigrew, former Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives
- Richard Stone, incumbent Secretary of State of Florida
- Glenn W. Turner, owner of multi-level marketing companies
- Burton Young, President of the Florida Bar
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Richard Stone | 236,185 | 29.80% | |
| Democratic | Bill Gunter | 157,301 | 19.85% | |
| Democratic | Richard A. Pettigrew | 146,728 | 18.51% | |
| Democratic | Mallory Horne | 90,684 | 11.44% | |
| Democratic | Glenn W. Turner | 51,326 | 6.48% | |
| Democratic | George Balmer | 24,408 | 3.08% | |
| Democratic | Burton Young | 23,199 | 2.93% | |
| Democratic | Bob Brewster | 19,913 | 2.51% | |
| Democratic | David B. Higginbottom | 17,401 | 1.64% | |
| Democratic | Duaine E. Macon | 14,961 | 1.89% | |
| Total votes | 782,106 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Richard Stone | 321,683 | 50.84% | |
| Democratic | Bill Gunter | 311,044 | 49.16% | |
| Total votes | 632,727 | 100.00% | ||
Republican primary
[edit]The Republican primary was a smaller affair than its Democratic counterpart with two candidates.[1] 4.7% of the voting age population participated in the Republican primary.[2]
Candidates
[edit]- Jack Eckerd, founder of Eckerd Corporation and 1966 gubernatorial candidate
- Paula Hawkins, Florida Public Service Commissioner
Results
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jack Eckerd | 186,897 | 67.49% | |
| Republican | Paula Hawkins | 90,049 | 32.52% | |
| Total votes | 276,946 | 100.00% | ||
General election
[edit]Candidates
[edit]- Timothy L. "Tim" Adams (Independent)
- Hortense L. Arvan (Independent)
- Jack Eckerd, founder of Eckerd Corporation and 1966 gubernatorial candidate (Republican)
- Jim Fair, Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections (Independent)
- John Grady, Mayor of Belle Glade and family physician (American Independent Party)[4]
- Henry J. Matthews (Independent)
- Richard Stone, Secretary of State of Florida (Democratic)
Results
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Richard Stone | 781,031 | 43.38% | |
| Republican | Jack Eckerd | 736,674 | 40.91% | |
| American Independent | John Grady | 282,659 | 15.70% | |
| Independent | Jim Fair | 117 | 0.01% | |
| Independent | Henry J. Matthew | 35 | 0.00% | |
| Independent | Hortense L. Arvan | 13 | 0.00% | |
| Independent | Timothy L. "Tim" Adams | 10 | 0.00% | |
| Majority | 44,357 | 3.32% | ||
| Turnout | 1,800,539 | |||
| Democratic gain from Republican | ||||
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "Two Republicans, 11 Democrats in Senate Race". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. September 1, 1973. Retrieved March 11, 2024 – via Google Newspapers.
- ^ a b Steed, Moreland & Baker 1980, p. 26.
- ^ Crowley, Brian (September 9, 1974). "Justin Storms Cafeteria". Beachcomber. Palm Beach Junior College. Retrieved March 15, 2024 – via Internet Archive.
An "Independent" Democrat, on leave from Florida Atlantic University, Justin has had previous governmental experience as a member of the Arizona state Legislature.
- ^ Staff Report (November 7, 1974). "Askew: Florida Voters 'Never Had It So Good'". Panama City News-Herald. Retrieved March 11, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
But it was Dr. John Grady, a 50-year-old physician and three-time mayor of the sugar belt town of Belle Glade, who played the role of political spoiler in Florida.
Works cited
[edit]- Steed, Robert; Moreland, Laurence; Baker, Tod, eds. (1980). Party Politics in the South. Praeger Publishers. ISBN 0030565863.