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Florida state legislative special elections, 2018

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Four special elections were called in 2018 to fill vacant seats in the Florida State Legislature. Click here to read more about the special elections.

The state House election in District 72 garnered significant national attention. Democratic candidate Margaret Good won the special election on February 13, 2018, by defeating Republican James Buchanan and Libertarian Alison Foxall. For more on the District 72 special election, click here.

Senate special elections called:

House special elections called:

How vacancies are filled in Florida

See also: How vacancies are filled in state legislatures


If there is a vacancy in the Florida State Legislature, a special election must be called to fill the vacant seat.[3] The governor is responsible for calling the election and must consult with the secretary of state to set the election dates and nominating deadlines.[4] The person elected to fill the seat serves for the remainder of the unexpired term.[5]

DocumentIcon.jpg See sources: Florida Stat. § 100.101


About the legislature

The Florida Constitution mandates a bicameral state legislature with an upper house, the Florida State Senate, and a lower house, the Florida House of Representatives. The boxes below show the partisan composition of both chambers directly before and after the November 2016 general election. For the most up-to-date numbers on partisan composition in this legislature, see here (Senate) and here (House).

Florida State Senate
Party As of November 7, 2016 After November 8, 2016
     Democratic Party 14 15
     Republican Party 26 25
Total 40 40


Florida House of Representatives
Party As of November 7, 2016 After November 8, 2016
     Democratic Party 38 41
     Republican Party 81 79
     Vacancy 1 0
Total 120 120

Special elections


Click [show] to the right of the district name for more information:

February 13, 2018

April 10, 2018

May 1, 2018

Special elections throughout the country

See also: State legislative special elections, 2018

In 2018, 99 state legislative special elections were held in 26 states. Between 2011 and 2017, an average of 74 special elections took place each year.

Breakdown of 2018 special elections

In 2018, special elections for state legislative positions were held for the following reasons:

  • 58 due to appointment, election, or the seeking of election to another position
  • 16 due to a retirement
  • 10 due to a resignation related to criminal charges
  • 7 due to a resignation related to allegations of sexual misconduct
  • 5 due to the death of the incumbent
  • 2 due to a resignation to take a private sector job
  • 1 due to an election being rerun

Impact of special elections on partisan composition

The partisan breakdown for the special elections was as follows:

The table below details how many seats changed parties as the result of a special election in 2018. The number on the left reflects how many vacant seats were originally held by each party, while the number on the right shows how many vacant seats each party won in the special elections. In elections between 2011 and 2016, either the Democratic Party or Republican Party saw an average net gain of three seats across the country. In 2017, Democrats had a net gain of 11 seats.

Note: This table reflects information for elections that were held and not the total number of vacant seats.

Partisan Change from Special Elections (2018)
Party As of Special Election After Special Election
     Democratic Party 42 50
     Republican Party 57 49
     Independent 0 0
Total 99 99


Democrats gained 11 seats in 2017 special elections and eight seats in 2018 special elections. The table below details the results of special elections held in 2017 and 2018 cumulatively.

Partisan Change from Special Elections (2017-2018)
Party As of Special Election After Special Election
     Democratic Party 87 106
     Republican Party 110 91
     Independent 0 0
Total 197 197

Flipped seats

In 2018, 16 seats flipped as a result of state legislative special elections. Twelve seats flipped from Republican control to Democratic control. Four seats flipped from Democratic control to Republican control.

In New York, a Democratic candidate running on the Republican ticket won election to Assembly District 142 on April 24. The previous incumbent in that district was a Democrat. Due to the winning candidate's party affiliation, Assembly District 142 was not added to the list of flipped seats in 2018.

Seats flipped from R to D

Seats flipped from D to R


See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Counties could add additional early voting days from October 22 through October 26 and/or November 4.
  2. ↑ Counties could add additional early voting days from October 22 through October 26 and/or November 4.
  3. ↑ Florida Legislature, "2023 Florida Statutes," accessed January 23, 2024 (Statute 100.101(2), Florida Election Code)
  4. ↑ Florida Legislature, "2023 Florida Statutes," accessed January 23, 2024 (Statute 100.141 (1) (2), Florida Election Code)
  5. ↑ Florida Legislature, "2023 Florida Statutes," accessed January 23, 2024 (Statute 100.111 (1) (a-c), Florida Election Code)
  6. ↑ Bradenton Herald, "Dates set for House District 72 special election," September 1, 2017
  7. ↑ Florida Election Watch, "Unofficial Election Results," accessed February 13, 2018
  8. ↑ Herald-Tribune, "Governor sets date for District 72 special election," September 1, 2017
  9. ↑ Your Observer, "Good wins House District 72 Democratic primary," December 5, 2017
  10. ↑ Saint Peters Blog, "Four candidates qualify for HD 72 special election," September 29, 2017
  11. ↑ Herald-Tribune, "Sarasota state House race has national implications," Updated February 4, 2018
  12. ↑ Herald-Tribune, "Joe Biden endorses Margaret Good in Sarasota state House race," February 5, 2018
  13. ↑ Herald-Tribune, "Corey Lewandowski rallies GOP base in closing stretch of Sarasota state House race," February 11, 2018
  14. ↑ Florida Politics, "James Buchanan adds Marco Rubio endorsement," September 28, 2017
  15. ↑ Sunshine State News, "James Buchanan Reels in Endorsements from Galvano, Boyd, Sarasota Sheriff," September 22, 2017
  16. ↑ Herald-Tribune, "Sarasota state House candidates get help from prominent party members," February 7, 2018
  17. ↑ Florida Department of State, "Special Elections," accessed November 9, 2017
  18. ↑ Florida Politics, "Florida Democrats want injunction to move forward special election dates," November 22, 2017
  19. ↑ Florida Department of State, "Candidate Listing for 2018 Special Election - Senate 31," accessed December 7, 2017
  20. ↑ Florida Politics, "Democrat Lori Berman easily takes SD 31 special election primary," January 30, 2018
  21. ↑ Florida Department of State, "Special Elections," accessed December 28, 2017
  22. ↑ Florida Politics, "Personnel note: Neil Combee tapped for USDA job," November 4, 2017
  23. ↑ Florida Department of State, "Candidate Listing for 2018 Special Election - House 39," accessed December 27, 2017
  24. ↑ Florida Division of Elections, "Special Primary Election Results," February 20, 2018
  25. ↑ Florida Department of State, "Special Elections," accessed November 10, 2017
  26. ↑ Florida Politics, "Florida Democrats want injunction to move forward special election dates," November 22, 2017
  27. ↑ Florida Department of State, "Candidate Listing for 2018 Special Election - House 114," accessed December 28, 2017
  28. ↑ Florida Division of Elections, "Special Primary Election Results," February 20, 2018
  29. ↑ The general election was cancelled after Wayne McMahen (R) was the only candidate to file for election.
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