TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida voters will not only be casting a vote to decide who will be the nation’s next president, they’ll also be asked to elect state legislators who will represent them in the Florida House and Senate.
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[LIVE RACE RESULTS: Scroll to bottom of story to see all race returns starting at 7 p.m. on Nov. 3]
Currently, 40 senators -- 23 Republicans and 17 Democrats -- serve the people of Florida, according to FLSenate.gov. Half of those seats are up for grabs in the upcoming election, according to Ballotpedia.org.
[2020 VOTER GUIDE: Everything you need to know ahead of the presidential election | Voting by mail? Here’s how to track your ballot]
State senators are chosen by Florida voters to represent them and the district in which they live for two- or four-year terms, depending on the year they’re elected. Each member of the Senate must live in the district he or she represents and can serve no more than two four-year terms.
One of the hottest Senate races in Central Florida was between Republican Jason Brodeur and Democrat Patricia Sigman, who were both vying for the seat in District 9 until Sigman conceded Tuesday night. The district, which encompasses Seminole County and a portion of Volusia, had been circled by Democratic leaders as a seat they hoped to flip blue in their push to gain control of the Florida Senate.
Having lost after only securing 48% of the votes, Sigman released the following statement about her concession:
“These past eleven months have been some of the most rewarding of my life as I got to speak with the people of Central Florida about the issues that matter to them. While I wish we had been successful tonight, it does not change the immense value of the work we’ve done to advance a positive agenda that put the people first. Thank you to everyone who supported our campaign and know that I will always continue to fight on behalf of Floridians against the powerful in our state.”
Some of the earliest races to be called on Election Night included District 11, where Democrat Randolph Bracy was re-elected, defeating Republican Joshua Eli Adams with 65% of the votes; District 13, where Sen. Linda Stewart defeated Republican Josh Anderson with 61% of the votes; and District 17, where Republican Debbie Mayfield was re-elected with 61% of the votes.
[MORE: Senate District 9 race pivotal for balance of Florida Legislature]
Not sure which district is yours? Use the interactive map below to find out.
Haven’t voted yet?
Before casting your vote in the general election, it’s important to get familiar with the candidates whose names you can expect to see on your ballot and where they stand on the issues that matter most to you.
Below is a list of candidates in the running to represent Central Florida districts in the Florida Senate. Click on the hyperlinks, if available, to learn more about each candidate.
Here’s who’s running in your district:
State Senate District 5 -- Marion
- Jennifer Bradley (R)
State Senate District 7 -- Flagler
- Travis J. Hutson (R), incumbent
- Heather Hunter (D)
- Richard Dembinsky (WRI), no official campaign page could be found
State Senate District 9 -- Seminole, Volusia
- Jason Brodeur (R)
- Patricia Sigman (D)
- Jestine Iannotti (NPA), no official campaign page could be found
State Senate District 11 -- Orange
- Joshua Eli Adams (R)
- Randolph Bracy (D), incumbent
State Senate District 13 -- Orange
- Josh Anderson (R)
- Linda Stewart (D), incumbent
State Senate District 15 -- Orange, Osceola
- Victor M. Torres, Jr. (D), incumbent
- Mike James (NPA)
State Senate District 17 -- Brevard, Indian River
- Debbie Mayfield (R), incumbent
- Scot Fretwell (D)
- Phillip Snyder (NPA)
State Senate District 20 -- Polk
- Danny Burgess (R)
- Kathy Lewis (D)
Find more election results and news on the Results 2020 page.