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Florida Attorney General election, 2018 (August 28 Democratic primary)

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Florida Attorney General
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Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: June 22, 2018
Primary: August 28, 2018
General: November 6, 2018
Pre-election incumbent(s):
Pam Bondi (Republican)
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Voting in Florida
Ballotpedia analysis
Federal and state primary competitiveness
State executive elections in 2018
Impact of term limits in 2018
State government trifectas
State government triplexes
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2018
Florida
executive elections
Governor

Lieutenant governor
Attorney general
Chief Financial Officer
Agriculture commissioner

A Democratic Party primary election took place on August 28, 2018, in Florida to determine which candidate would run as the party's nominee in the state's November 6, 2018, attorney general election.

For more information about attorney general elections in 2018, click here.

SETTING THE STAGE
  • Heading into the election, the sitting attorney general was Pam Bondi (R), who was first elected in 2010 and was re-elected in 2014. Bondi was prevented by term limits from seeking a third term in 2018.
  • In 2018, Florida was a Republican trifecta. It had held this status since Gov. Rick Scott (R) took office in 2011. Florida was also a Republican triplex.
  • In presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, Florida was won by the Republican candidate in 2000, 2004, and 2016 and by the Democratic candidate in 2008 and 2012. The widest margin of victory was George W. Bush's 5 percent margin in 2004, while the narrowest was George W. Bush's 0.01 percent margin in 2000.


    • Candidates and election results

    Sean Shaw defeated Ryan Torrens in the Democratic primary for Attorney General of Florida on August 28, 2018.

    Democratic primary election
    Democratic primary for Attorney General of Florida

    Candidate
    %
    Votes
    ✔
    Image of Sean Shaw
    		Sean Shaw
     
    73.8
     
    		1,031,640
    Image of Ryan Torrens
    		Ryan Torrens
     
    26.2
     
    		367,053

    There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

    		Total votes: 1,398,693
    Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
    If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

    Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

    Endorsements

    Context of the 2018 election

    Past elections

    2014

    See also: Florida attorney general election, 2014

    George Sheldon defeated Perry Thurston by a 21.4 percent margin in the 2014 Democratic primary election.[4]

    Florida Attorney General, Democratic Primary, 2014
    Candidate Vote % Votes
    Green check mark transparent.pngGeorge Sheldon 60.7% 457,811
    Perry Thurston 39.3% 296,907
    Total Votes 754,718
    Election results via Florida Division of Elections.


    Voter information

    How the primary works

    A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Florida utilizes a closed primary process, in which the selection of a party's candidates in an election is limited to registered party members.[5][6]

    For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

    Poll times

    In Florida, all polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. local time. Florida is divided between the Eastern and Central time zones. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.[7]

    Registration requirements

    Check your voter registration status here.

    To vote in Florida, one must be at least 18 years of age, a citizen of the United States, and a legal resident of Florida and the county in which he or she intends to vote. Pre-registration is available beginning at 16 years of age.[8][9]

    Voters may retrieve registration applications at the following locations:[8]

    • Local elections offices
    • Public assistance agencies
    • Disability services agencies
    • Independent living centers
    • Military recruitment offices
    • Public libraries
    • Drivers license office
    • Tax collector's office
    • The office of any entity authorized by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to issue fishing, hunting, or trapping permits

    A registration form is also available online. The form can be printed and submitted via mail.[9]

    Click here to find your county Supervisor of Elections.

    Automatic registration

    Florida does not practice automatic voter registration.

    Online registration

    See also: Online voter registration

    Florida has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.

    Voters may also apply for or modify their voter registration status while renewing their driver's license through the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles’ online renewal system here.

    Same-day registration

    Florida does not allow same-day voter registration.

    Residency requirements

    To register to vote in Florida, you must be a resident of the state. State law does not specify a length of time for which you must have been a resident to be eligible.

    Verification of citizenship

    See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

    Florida does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual must attest that they are a U.S. citizen when registering to vote. According to the state's voter registration application, "it is a 3rd degree felony to submit false information." [10]

    All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment.[11] Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.

    Verifying your registration

    The page Voter Information Lookup, run by the Florida Department of State, allows residents to check their voter registration status online.

    Voter ID requirements

    Florida requires voters to present photo identification with a signature while voting.[12][13]

    The following list of accepted ID was current as of July 2024. Click here for the Florida Secretary of State's page on accepted ID to ensure you have the most current information.

    • Florida driver’s license
    • Florida identification card issued by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles
    • United States passport
    • Debit or credit card
    • Military identification
    • Student identification
    • Retirement center identification
    • Neighborhood association identification
    • Public assistance identification
    • Veteran health identification card issued by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs
    • License to carry a concealed weapon or firearm issued pursuant to s. 790.06
    • Employee identification card issued by any branch, department, agency, or entity of the federal government, the state, a county, or a municipality

    A voter who presents an ID without a signature must show a second form of identification that includes the voter’s signature.

    Early voting

    Florida permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.

    Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee/mail-in ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.

    Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia permit no-excuse early voting.

    Absentee voting

    All voters are eligible to vote by mail in Florida. There are no special eligibility requirements for voting by mail.[14]

    To vote by mail, an application must be received by 5:00 p.m. on the 12th day before the election. Election officials must mail the ballot out within 2 business days after a request, but no later than the 10th day before election day.[14]

    A returned ballot must then be received by election officials by 7:00 p.m. on Election Day.[14]


    State overview

    Partisan control

    This section details the partisan control of federal and state positions in Florida heading into the 2018 elections.

    Congressional delegation

    State executives

    State legislature

    Trifecta status

    2018 elections

    See also: Florida elections, 2018

    Florida held elections for the following positions in 2018:

    Demographics

    Demographic data for Florida
     FloridaU.S.
    Total population:20,244,914316,515,021
    Land area (sq mi):53,6253,531,905
    Race and ethnicity**
    White:76%73.6%
    Black/African American:16.1%12.6%
    Asian:2.6%5.1%
    Native American:0.3%0.8%
    Pacific Islander:0.1%0.2%
    Two or more:2.4%3%
    Hispanic/Latino:23.7%17.1%
    Education
    High school graduation rate:86.9%86.7%
    College graduation rate:27.3%29.8%
    Income
    Median household income:$47,507$53,889
    Persons below poverty level:19.8%11.3%
    Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
    Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Florida.
    **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

    As of July 2017, Florida's three largest cities were Jacksonville (pop. est. 860,000), Miami (pop. est. 430,000), and Tampa (pop. est. 360,000).[15][16]

    State election history

    This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in Florida from 2000 to 2016. All data comes from the Florida Department of State.

    Historical elections

    Presidential elections

    This chart shows the results of the presidential election in Florida every year from 2000 to 2016.

    Election results (President of the United States), Florida 2000-2016
    Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
    2016 Republican Party Donald Trump 49.0% Democratic Party Hillary Clinton 47.8% 1.2%
    2012 Democratic Party Barack Obama 50.0% Republican Party Mitt Romney 49.1% 0.9%
    2008 Democratic Party Barack Obama 51.0% Republican Party John McCain 48.2% 2.8%
    2004 Republican Party George W. Bush 52.10% Democratic Party John Kerry 47.09% 5.01%
    2000 Republican Party George W. Bush 48.847% Democratic Party Al Gore 48.838% 0.009%

    U.S. Senate elections, 2000-2016

    This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in Florida from 2000 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.

    Election results (U.S. Senator), Florida 2000-2016
    Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
    2016 Republican Party Marco Rubio 52.0% Democratic Party Patrick Murphy 44.3% 7.7%
    2012 Democratic Party Bill Nelson 55.2% Republican Party Connie Mack 42.2% 13.0%
    2010 Republican Party Marco Rubio 48.9% Independent Charlie Crist 29.7% 19.2%
    2006 Democratic Party Bill Nelson 60.3% Republican Party Katherine Harris 38.1% 22.2%
    2004 Republican Party Mel Martinez 49.4% Democratic Party Betty Castor 48.3% 1.1%
    2000 Democratic Party Bill Nelson 51.0% Republican Party Bill McCollum 46.2% 4.8%

    Gubernatorial elections, 2000-2016

    This chart shows the results of the four gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2016. Gubernatorial elections are held every four years in Florida.

    Election results (Governor/Lt. Governor), Florida 2000-2016
    Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
    2014 Republican Party Rick Scott/Carlos Lopez-Cantera 48.1% Democratic Party Charlie Crist/Annette Taddeo-Goldstein 47.1% 1%
    2010 Republican Party Rick Scott/Jennifer Carroll 48.9% Democratic Party Alex Sink/Rod Smith 47.7% 1.2%
    2006 Republican Party Charlie Crist/Jeff Kottkamp 52.2% Democratic Party Jim Davis/Daryl Jones 45.1% 7.1%
    2002 Republican Party Jeb Bush/Frank Brogan 56.0% Democratic Party Bill McBride/Tom Rossin 43.2% 12.8%

    Congressional delegation, 2000-2016

    This chart shows the number of Democrats and Republicans who were elected to represent Florida in the U.S. House from 2000 to 2016. Elections for U.S. House seats are held every two years.

    Congressional delegation, Florida 2000-2016
    Year Republicans Republicans (%) Democrats Democrats (%) Balance of power
    2016 Republican Party 17 62.9% Democratic Party 10 37.0% R+7
    2014 Republican Party 17 62.9% Democratic Party 10 37.0% R+7
    2012 Republican Party 17 62.9% Democratic Party 10 37.0% R+7
    2010 Republican Party 19 76.0% Democratic Party 6 24.0% R+13
    2008 Republican Party 15 60.0% Democratic Party 10 40.0% R+5
    2006 Republican Party 16 64.0% Democratic Party 9 36.0% R+7
    2004 Republican Party 18 66.7% Democratic Party 7 33.3% R+11
    2002 Republican Party 17 66.7% Democratic Party 8 33.3% R+9
    2000 Republican Party 15 57.9% Democratic Party 8 42.1% R+7

    Trifectas, 1992-2017

    A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office.

    Florida Party Control: 1992-2024
    One year of a Democratic trifecta  •  Twenty-six years of Republican trifectas
    Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

    Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
    Governor D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R I R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
    Senate D S S R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
    House D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R


    Pivot Counties

    See also: Pivot Counties by state

    Four of 67 Florida counties—6 percent—are Pivot Counties. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

    Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008
    County Trump margin of victory in 2016 Obama margin of victory in 2012 Obama margin of victory in 2008
    Jefferson County, Florida 5.06% 1.75% 3.66%
    Monroe County, Florida 6.82% 0.44% 4.90%
    Pinellas County, Florida 1.11% 5.65% 8.25%
    St. Lucie County, Florida 2.40% 7.86% 12.12%

    In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump (R) won Florida with 49 percent of the vote. Hillary Clinton (D) received 47.8 percent. Florida was considered a key battleground state in the 2016 general election. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, Florida voted Democratic 56.67 percent of the time and Republican 43.33 percent of the time. Florida went to the Republicans in 2000, 2004, and 2016, and it went to the Democrats in 2008 and 2012.

    Presidential results by legislative district

    The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Florida. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[17][18]

    In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 55 out of 120 state House districts in Florida with an average margin of victory of 29.1 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 54 out of 120 state House districts in Florida with an average margin of victory of 30.3 points. Clinton won 14 districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections.
    In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 65 out of 120 state House districts in Florida with an average margin of victory of 17.7 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 66 out of 120 state House districts in Florida with an average margin of victory of 21.1 points. Trump won two districts controlled by Democrats heading into the 2018 elections.


    See also

    Florida government:

    Elections:

    Ballotpedia exclusives:

    External links

    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. ↑ Tampa Bay Times, "Sean Shaw gets endorsement of Bob Graham in attorney general race," accessed July 6, 2018
    4. ↑ Florida Department of State, "Election Results - 2014 Primary," accessed September 29, 2017
    5. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Primary Election Types," accessed July 23, 2024
    6. ↑ Florida Division of Elections, "Closed Primary Election," accessed July 23, 2024
    7. ↑ Florida Secretary of State, "FAQ - Voting," accessed July 23, 2024
    8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Florida Division of Elections, "National Voter Registration Act (NVRA)," accessed July 23, 2024
    9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Florida Division of Elections, "Register to Vote or Update your Information," accessed July 23, 2024
    10. ↑ Florida Department of State, "Florida Voter Registration Application Instructions and Form," accessed November 1, 2024
    11. ↑ Under federal law, the national mail voter registration application (a version of which is in use in all states with voter registration systems) requires applicants to indicate that they are U.S. citizens in order to complete an application to vote in state or federal elections, but does not require voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the application "may require only the minimum amount of information necessary to prevent duplicate voter registrations and permit State officials both to determine the eligibility of the applicant to vote and to administer the voting process."
    12. ↑ Florida Division of Elections, "Election Day Voting," accessed July 22, 2024
    13. ↑ Florida Division of Elections, "Florida History: Voter ID at the Polls," accessed July 22, 2024
    14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Florida Division of Elections, "Vote-by-Mail," accessed July 23, 2024
    15. ↑ United States Census Bureau, "QuickFacts - Florida," accessed May 9, 2018
    16. ↑ Florida Demographics, "Florida Cities by Population," accessed May 9, 2018
    17. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
    18. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
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