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 County results
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The1854 United States House of Representatives election in Florida was held on Monday, October 2, 1854, to elect the singleUnited States Representative from the state ofFlorida, one from the state's singleat-large congressional district, to represent Florida in the34th Congress. The election coincided with the elections of other offices, including thesenatorial election and various state and local elections.[1]
The winning candidate would serve a two-year term in theUnited States House of Representatives from March 4, 1855, to March 4, 1857.
Despite Brown leaving office as a popular governor, the nationalWhig Party had all but collapsed by this election. Additionally, many Southerners who were formerly sympathetic to the Whigs now aligned fully with theDemocratic Party, due to the perception that the Whigs were willing to compromise withabolitionist Northerners. To take advantage of this, Maxwell actively campaigned inPensacola, a former Whig stronghold, as well as running up his margins in deeply conservativeNorth Central Florida, particularly inColumbia andJefferson counties, both of which had high enslaved populations.[2][3]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Augustus Maxwell (inc.) | 5,638 | 55.26% | +5.14% | |
| Whig | Thomas Brown | 4,564 | 44.74% | −3.64% | |
| Majority | 1,074 | 10.53% | −6.81% | ||
| Turnout | 10,202 | 100.00% | |||
| Democratichold | |||||
| County[5] | Augustus Maxwell Democratic | Thomas Brown Whig | Total votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | ||
| Alachua | 262 | 61.79% | 162 | 38.21% | 424 |
| Calhoun | 87 | 50.88% | 84 | 49.12% | 171 |
| Columbia | 529 | 61.37% | 333 | 38.63% | 862 |
| Duval | 406 | 49.39% | 416 | 50.61% | 822 |
| Escambia | 179 | 50.28% | 177 | 49.72% | 356 |
| Franklin | 132 | 52.38% | 120 | 47.62% | 252 |
| Gadsden | 388 | 47.37% | 431 | 52.63% | 819 |
| Hamilton | 133 | 49.44% | 136 | 50.56% | 269 |
| Hernando | 124 | 63.92% | 70 | 36.08% | 194 |
| Hillsborough | 223 | 65.20% | 119 | 34.80% | 342 |
| Holmes | 66 | 46.15% | 77 | 53.85% | 143 |
| Jackson | 357 | 46.30% | 414 | 53.70% | 771 |
| Jefferson | 364 | 74.90% | 122 | 25.10% | 486 |
| Leon | 424 | 55.86% | 335 | 44.14% | 759 |
| Levy | 59 | 55.14% | 48 | 44.86% | 107 |
| Madison | 437 | 55.60% | 349 | 44.40% | 786 |
| Marion | 256 | 56.64% | 196 | 43.36% | 452 |
| Monroe | 151 | 66.81% | 75 | 33.19% | 226 |
| Nassau | 60 | 46.15% | 70 | 53.85% | 130 |
| Orange | 18 | 22.50% | 62 | 77.50% | 80 |
| Putnam | 123 | 70.29% | 52 | 29.71% | 175 |
| Santa Rosa | 188 | 47.84% | 205 | 52.16% | 393 |
| St. Johns | 137 | 57.08% | 103 | 42.92% | 240 |
| St. Lucie | 12 | 100% | 0 | 0% | 12 |
| Sumter | 78 | 61.90% | 48 | 38.10% | 126 |
| Wakulla | 169 | 55.78% | 134 | 44.22% | 303 |
| Walton | 132 | 43.56% | 171 | 56.44% | 303 |
| Washington | 144 | 72.36% | 55 | 27.64% | 199 |
| Totals | 5,638 | 55.26% | 4,564 | 44.74% | 10,202 |
