1974 United States Senate election in Florida
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%.
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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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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 exceptionally well for a third-party candidate. Grady may have split the conservative vote, allowing Stone to win. 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
Candidates
- Bob Brewster
- George Balmer, Republican U.S. Senate candidate in 1970
- Bill Gunter, U.S. Representative from Orlando
- David B. Higginbottom, lawyer and candidate for the Florida House of Representatives in 1954 and 1956
- Mallory Horne, President of the Florida Senate and former Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives
- Neal Justin, Florida Atlantic University professor
- Duaine E. Macon, real estate salesman
- Richard A. Pettigrew, Florida State Senator and former Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives
- Richard Stone, Secretary of State of Florida
- Glenn W. Turner, super salesman
- 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
Candidates
Results
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
Candidates
- 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, family physician (American Independent Party)
- Henry J. Matthews (Independent)
- Richard Stone, Secretary of State of Florida (Democratic)
Results
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 | ||||