Gwen Margolis
Gwen Margolis (October 4, 1934 - June 9, 2020) was a Democratic member of the Florida State Senate, representing District 35 from 2010 to 2016. She died on June 9, 2020.[1]
Margolis was the first woman to serve as president of the Florida State Senate.[1] She did not seek re-election to the chamber in 2016.
Margolis served in the Florida House of Representatives from 1974 to 1980, and in the Florida State Senate from 1980 to 1993 and 2002 to 2008. Between her previous Senate terms, she was a Miami-Dade County Commissioner. She ran unsuccessfully for Miami-Dade County Property Appraiser in 2008.
Biography
Margolis attended Temple University. Her professional experience included working as a real-estate agent and investor.
Committee assignments
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Margolis served on the following committees:
| Florida committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Appropriations |
| • Banking and Insurance |
| • Finance and Tax |
| • Fiscal Policy |
| • Regulated Industries, Vice chair |
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Margolis served on the following committees:
| Florida committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Transportation, Vice chair |
| • Appropriations |
| • Banking and Insurance |
| • Commerce and Tourism |
| • Gaming |
| • Rules |
| • Legislative Budget Commission |
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Margolis served on the following committees:
| Florida committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Reapportionment, Vice chair |
| • Banking and Insurance |
| • Budget |
| • Communications, Energy, and Public Utilities |
| • Criminal Justice |
| • Governmental Oversight and Accountability |
| • Rules |
Campaign themes
2010
On her campaign website, Margolis stated, "I have long supported ethics legislation, government in the sunshine and the rights of women and the elderly and know that I can make a difference for the people of Florida and District 35."[2]
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2012
- See also: Florida State Senate elections, 2012
Margolis won re-election in the 2012 election for Florida State Senate District 35. Margolia ran unopposed in the Democratic primary on August 14, 2012 and defeated John Daniel Couriel (R) in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[3][4]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |  Gwen Margolis Incumbent |
61.7% | 103,109 | |
| Republican | John Daniel Couriel | 38.3% | 63,929 | |
| Total Votes | 167,038 | |||
2010
- See also: Florida State Senate elections, 2010
Margolis won election, defeating Corey Poitier (NPA) in the November 2 general election.[5]
| Florida State Senate, District 35 2010 General election results | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Gwen Margolis (D)
|
62,237 | 77.78% | ||
| Corey Poitier (NPA) | 17,780 | 22.22% | ||
Margolis defeated Kevin Burns in the August 24 primary by a margin of 11,619-6,257.
| Florida State Senate, District 35 - Democratic Primary (2010) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Gwen Margolis
|
11,619 | |||
| Kevin Burns | 6,257 | |||
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Florida scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2016
In 2016, the Florida State Legislature was in session from January 12 through March 11.
- Legislators are scored on their stances on economic issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on business issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to social issues.
- Legislators are scored on their stances on healthcare related issues.
- Legislators are scored on whether the organization believes they are making an effort to provide “a uniform, efficient, safe, secure, and high quality system of free public schools that allows students to obtain a high quality education.”
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills supported or opposed by the organization.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
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In 2015, the Florida State Legislature was in session from March 3 through May 1.
|
2014
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2014, the Florida State Legislature was in session from March 3 through May 5.
|
2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2013, the Florida State Legislature was in session from March 5 through May 3.
|
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Margolis was survived by her four children.[1]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for Gwen + Margolis + Florida + Senate
See also
- Florida State Senate
- Senate Committees
- Florida State Legislature
- Florida state legislative districts
External links
- Campaign website
- Profile from Open States
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Legislative Profile from Project Vote Smart
- Campaign Contributions: 2012, 2010
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Miami Herald, "Florida’s first woman Senate president, Gwen Margolis, dies at 85," June 9, 2020
- ↑ Gwen Margolis campaign website, "Vote for Senator Gwen Margolis," accessed November 2, 2010
- ↑ Florida Division of Elections, "Candidate List," accessed April 15, 2012
- ↑ Florida Department of Elections, "Official Primary Results," accessed December 18, 2014
- ↑ Florida Department of Elections, "November 2, 2010, Election Results," November 2, 2010
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Dan Gelber |
Florida Senate District 35 2010–2016 |
Succeeded by Oscar Braynon (D) |
