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Aspecial election to determine the member of theUnited States House of Representatives forFlorida's 18th congressional district was held on August 29, 1989. RepublicanIleana Ros-Lehtinen defeated Democrat Gerald Richman in the runoff vote, 53.14% to 46.85%. Ros-Lehtinen replacedClaude Pepper, who died in office fromstomach cancer.
Changing demographics in Florida's 18th congressional district had seen the largely white district change into a 40%Cuban American district. The election campaign focused on this trend as the campaign was dominated by discussions of race after Republican National ChairmanLee Atwater declared that the district should become the "Cuban American seat". Democrat Gerald Richman ran a campaign with the slogan "This is an American seat" in response to Atwater's comments, and both Ros-Lehtinen and Richman appealed to their respective racial bases in the general. Ros-Lehtinen won a competitive campaign to flip the seat, and became the firstCuban American to serve in Congress.
United States CongressmanClaude Pepper died in office from stomach cancer on May 30, 1989, after serving in the House for over a quarter century, opening up a special election to fill his seat.[1][2] Pepper had previously served as a U.S. Senator from Florida as well and was seen as a lion of the U.S. Congress.[2] Pepper's reputation and length of service had insulated him from the racial splits that existed in his district, andThe New York Times noted that he had been able to bridge the gap inside of the district.[3] The district had moved from a largely white district into a 40%Cuban American district.[3] Florida GovernorBob Martinez announced the special election schedule the day after Pepper's burial.[4]
Early coverage on the Republican primary named State SenatorIleana Ros-Lehtinen as the favorite to win the Republican nomination.[5]Jeb Bush managed Ros-Lehtinen's campaign.[6] After Pepper's death,Republican National Committee chairmanLee Atwater declared that the seat should become a "Cuban American seat" and immediately caused controversy with the comment.[5] Challengers other than Ros-Lehtinen included: Carlos Perez, a business owner who had been highlighted inRonald Reagan'sState of the Union address; David Fleischer, an insurance broker who decided to run after Atwater's comments; and John Stembridge, a furniture store owner who claimed that Pepper "was like an adopted father to me and I felt like he was personally grooming me to take his place".[5]
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen won the primary with more than 80% of the vote, winning every precinct and avoiding a runoff.[2] "We're quite humbled and really flabbergasted," Ros-Lehtinen said at her surprise of winning the primary by such a wide margin.[2]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Ileana Ros-Lehtinen | 16,873 | 82.80 | |
| Republican | Carlos Perez | 2,251 | 11.05 | |
| Republican | David Fleischer | 691 | 3.39 | |
| Republican | John Stembridge | 563 | 2.76 | |
| Total votes | 20,578 | 100 | ||
The Democratic primary was much more chaotic than the Republican one.[8] AfterLee Atwater announced that the district should become a "Cuban American seat", early Democratic favoriteJack Gordon dropped out after two days, stating that he refused to run a campaign that would have to be about "stopping the Cubans".[5]Rosario Kennedy, aMiami City Commissioner, was handicapped as the initial favorite.[8][5] In a first-round upset, Gerald Richman, the former President of theFlorida Bar, beat Kennedy by 146 votes.[9] Both advanced to the runoff.[9]
The runoff campaign was dominated by controversial discussions of race.[9][8] Richman repeatedly said, "This is an American seat" in reaction to Atwater's comments.[9] Jo Ann Pepper, Marvin Dunn, and Sonny Wright, who split the African American neighborhoods in the district, all endorsed Kennedy.[8]The Miami Herald endorsed Kennedy and called Richman's campaign "naked, deliberate, bigotry".[8] Richman easily won the runoff over Kennedy, dominating in white and Jewish neighborhoods.[8] The results split starkly among racial lines and after Richman's win, Kennedy refused to endorse him.[9]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Gerald Richman | 5,794 | 27.98 | |
| Democratic | Rosario Kennedy | 5,635 | 27.21 | |
| Democratic | Jo Ann Pepper | 5,071 | 24.49 | |
| Democratic | Marvin Dunn | 1,713 | 8.27 | |
| Democratic | Sonny Wright | 1,516 | 7.32 | |
| Democratic | Bernard "Bernie" Anscher | 703 | 3.39 | |
| Democratic | John Paul Rosser | 280 | 1.35 | |
| Total votes | 21,868 | 100 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Gerald Richman | 14,411 | 60.97 | |
| Democratic | Rosario Kennedy | 9,226 | 39.03 | |
| Total votes | 23,640 | 100 | ||
The racial themes from both primaries continued throughout the general election.[11] Richman's campaign came under continued fire for his "This is an American seat" slogan, while Ros-Lehtinen's campaign was criticized for a Spanish language brochure which emphasized Richman's Jewish religion.[11][3] Richman spent more than $300,000 of his own money on his campaign.[11] Ros-Lehtinen called Richman and his campaign bigoted and refused to appear at any debates or events with him.[12] A poll byThe Miami Herald found that 28 out of every 29 Cuban American voters supported Ros-Lehtinen while 24 of every 25 Jewish voters supported Richman, regardless of normal political ideology and leanings.[3] National Republicans came to support Ros-Lehtinen, including PresidentGeorge H. W. Bush who hosted a fundraiser for her campaign and appeared jointly with her.[11]
Ros-Lehtinen won the seat with a six-point margin, 53 to 47 percent. Voter turnout matched strongly with ethnic lines.[11] According to exit polling, approximately 60 percent of the district's Hispanic voters turned out, while only 40 percent of the Anglos and 34 percent of the African Americans did so.[11] Ileana Ros-Lehtinen became the first Latina and the first Cuban American to serve in Congress after this victory.[11] After the election, theAnti-Defamation League called for a "healing process" for the communities of the district and described the election as a "dark moment".[13] Both campaigns were censured by the Fair Campaigns Practices Committee, a watchdog group, for the racially tinged campaigns they ran.[11]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Ileana Ros-Lehtinen | 49,638 | 53.14% | +53.14% | |
| Democratic | Gerald Richman | 43,759 | 46.85% | −53.14% | |
| Total votes | 93,397 | 100.0% | |||
| Majority | 5,874 | 6.29% | |||
| Republicangain fromDemocratic | Swing | 53.14% | |||
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