This time it was Ohio, not Florida, that kept supporters and pundits awake throughout the night. In a closer race, Republican Mel Martinez won the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Sen. Bob Graham. His margin over Democrat Betty Castor was about 75,000 votes. All members of Florida’s congressional delegation, including Rep. Allen Boyd, successfully defended their seats.

Just when you thought the Republican Party could not take away any more seats from the Democrats, the GOP was able to capture three traditionally Democratic seats in the state House.

The seats of former Representatives Doug Wiles, D-St. Augustine, Suzanne Kosmas, D-New Smyrna Beach and Nan Rich, D-Sunrise, have always been fairly safe Democratic seats. However, when Reps. Wiles and Kosmas retired because of term limits and Rep. Rich left to successfully move to the Senate, their seats became prime battlegrounds between the parties.

Money, coupled with a strong “get out the vote” campaign, ultimately gave the Republicans the winning edge.

In just 12 years, the Florida House of Representatives has gone from a Democratic majority of 71-49 to an 84-36 Republican majority.

The Florida Senate will remain at 26 Republicans and 14 Democrats.
On a personal note

One of the great civic duties of any American is to vote for the candidate of his or her choice without intimidation or coercion. As election day approached, my wife, Eleanor, decided she would volunteer as a poll watcher for the Republican Party at a local precinct in Leon County. She volunteered because she was embarrassed by the 2000 election fiasco and wanted to help ensure that this year’s voting process would be fair and conducted in a legal manner.

The day before the election, she received a “legal notice” by the Democratic National Committee that said:

“We want to make sure that all poll watchers recognize the importance of their role in the process and understand the repercussions for abusing that role.
“You should be aware that, under Florida law, a poll watcher must explain in writing and under oath the basis of a challenge.

“Therefore, should a challenger make a knowingly false challenge, that person could be subject to criminal prosecution.

“Please be advised that the National Democratic Party and the Florida Democratic Party will insist on strict enforcement of the law. You have now been provided notice of the law, and thus, please govern yourself accordingly.”

This “legal notice” made her feel intimidated. After the initial shock, my wife, who never seems to be intimidated by anyone or anything (except for six-legged insects), was more determined than ever to do her civic duty.

It was a long 13-hour day for her. She witnessed political party supporters camping out too close to the polling place, poll workers failing to ask for proper ID, and demonstrators entering the polls with loud accusations of

voters’ rights being violated. Through it all, she was glad she was there to see the voting process firsthand – a process that was fair and open to all eligible voters.