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 County results Gurney: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Collins: 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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The1968 Florida United States Senate election was marked by the election of the firstRepublican to theUnited States Senate fromFlorida sinceReconstruction.
Democratic three-termincumbentGeorge Smathers decided to not seek re-election. Popular former two-termGovernorLeRoy Collins won the Democratic nomination by defeating State Attorney GeneralEarl Faircloth, whileCongressmanEdward J. Gurney became the Republican candidate.
Gurney was much less well-known than Collins, but he won by a margin of over 11%. It is possible thatRichard Nixon's victory in the presidential race (including winning Florida) helped Gurney defeat Collins. Gurney was the first Republican elected to the Senate from Florida since 1872.
20.9% of the voting age population participated in the Democratic primary.[1]
5.1% of the voting age population participated in the Republican primary.[1]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Edward J. Gurney | 1,131,499 | 55.90% | |
| Democratic | LeRoy Collins | 892,637 | 44.10% | |
| Republicangain fromDemocratic | ||||
