The 2014 Florida gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 2014, to elect the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Florida.
The incumbent Republican, Rick Scott, ran for reelection. The Democratic nominee was former Governor Charlie Crist, who was Scott's direct predecessor. Crist was elected governor as a Republican in 2006 but did not run for re-election in 2010, instead opting to run for Senate as an independent. Libertarian nominee Adrian Wyllie and several candidates with no party affiliation also ran. Political pundits considered the race a toss-up. This was one of nine Republican-held governorships up for election in a state that Barack Obama won in the 2012 presidential election.
On Election Day, Scott defeated Crist, earning 48% of the vote. With a margin of 1%, this election was the closest race of the 2014 gubernatorial election cycle.
Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Rick Scott, incumbent governor
Eliminated in primary
- Yinka Adeshina, pharmacist
- Elizabeth Cuevas-Neunder, conservative activist and candidate for governor in 1998
Withdrew
Declined
- Jeff Atwater, chief financial officer of Florida (running for re-election)
- Pam Bondi, Florida attorney general (running for re-election)
- Bill McCollum, former Florida attorney general and candidate for governor in 2010
- Adam Putnam, Florida commissioner of agriculture (running for re-election)
- John E. Thrasher, state senator
- Will Weatherford, speaker of the Florida House of Representatives
- Allen West, former U.S. representative
Democratic primary
In April 2010, and while still in office as governor of Florida, Charlie Crist left the Republican Party to run for U.S. Senate as an independent. He was defeated in the general election by Republican nominee Marco Rubio. In December 2012, Crist joined the Democratic Party.
Candidates
Declared
- Charlie Crist, former Republican turned Independent governor and independent candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2010
- Nan Rich, former minority leader of the Florida Senate
Withdrew
- Farid Khavari, economist, author and Independent candidate for governor in 2010 (running as an independent)
Declined
- Bob Buckhorn, mayor of Tampa and former Tampa city councilman
- Manny Diaz, former mayor of Miami
- Buddy Dyer, mayor of Orlando, former minority leader of the Florida Senate and nominee for Florida attorney general in 2002
- Dan Gelber, former minority leader of the Florida House of Representatives, former state senator and nominee for Florida attorney general in 2010
- Pam Iorio, former mayor of Tampa, former Hillsborough County supervisor of elections and former Hillsborough County commissioner
- Bill Nelson, U.S. senator
- Jeremy Ring, state senator
- Alex Sink, former chief financial officer of Florida, nominee for governor in 2010 and nominee for Florida's 13th congressional district in 2014
- Rod Smith, former chairman of the Florida Democratic Party, former state senator and nominee for lieutenant governor in 2010
- Debbie Wasserman Schultz, U.S. representative and chair of the Democratic National Committee
Endorsements
Charlie Crist
Libertarian Party
Candidates
Declared
- Adrian Wyllie, activist, radio host and former chairman of the Libertarian Party of Florida
Withdrew
- John Wayne Smith, activist and perennial candidate
Declined
- Alexander George, former committeeman of the Libertarian Party of Florida and Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2012 (ran as an independent, then withdrew)
- Steve LaBianca, activist and businessman
- Roger Stone, political consultant, lobbyist and strategist
Independent candidates
Candidates
Declared
- Glenn Burkett, businessman and perennial candidate
- Farid Khavari, economist, author and independent candidate for governor in 2010
Withdrawn
- Alexander George, former committeeman of the Libertarian Party of Florida and Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2012
Disqualified
Write-in candidates
- Running mate: Bob Wirengard
- Running mate: Diane Smith
- Running mate: Georgianna G. Harris
- Running mate: Juanita Lockett
- Running mate: Jeffery Lunsford
- Charles Frederick Tolbert
- Running mate: Christine Timmon
General election
Candidates
The following candidates appeared on the ballot for the general election:
- Rick Scott (Republican), incumbent governor
- Running mate: Carlos Lopez-Cantera, incumbent lieutenant governor
- Charlie Crist (Democratic), former Republican-turned-independent governor and independent candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2010
- Running mate: Annette Taddeo-Goldstein, former chair of the Miami-Dade County Democratic Party and nominee for Florida's 18th congressional district in 2008
- Adrian Wyllie (Libertarian), activist, radio host and former chairman of the Libertarian Party of Florida
- Running mate: Greg Roe, insurance executive
- Glenn Burkett (Independent), businessman and perennial candidate
- Running mate: Jose Augusto Matos
- Farid Khavari (Independent), economist, author and independent candidate for governor in 2010
- Running mate: Lateresa A. Jones
Endorsements
Charlie Crist/Annette Taddeo-Goldstein
Elected officials
- Randolph Bracy, state representative
- Bob Butterworth, former Florida attorney general
- Kathy Castor, U.S. representative from Florida
- Bill Clinton, former president of the United States
- Joy Cooper, mayor of Hallandale Beach
- Dwight Dudley, state representative
- Katie Edwards, state representative
- Mike Fasano, Pasco County Tax Collector
- Alejandro García Padilla, governor of Puerto Rico
- Dan Gelber, former state senator and nominee for attorney general in 2010
- Eric Jones, mayor of West Park
- Jeri Muoio, mayor of West Palm Beach
- Martin O'Malley, governor of Maryland
- Nan Rich, former state senator and candidate for governor in 2014
- Jack Seiler, mayor of Fort Lauderdale
- Darren Soto, state senator
Organizations
- American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
- Equality Florida
- Florida AFL–CIO
- Florida Education Association
- Florida Pipe Trades Council
- Human Rights Campaign
- Planned Parenthood
- Florida Police Benevolent Association
Newspapers
- La Gaceta
- The Miami Herald
- Orlando Sentinel
- The Palm Beach Post
- Sun-Sentinel
- Tallahassee Democrat
- Tampa Bay Times
Rick Scott/Carlos Lopez-Cantera
Elected officials
- Aaron Bean, state senator
- Jeb Bush, former governor of Florida
- Chris Christie, governor of New Jersey
- Rick Perry, governor of Texas
- Neil Combee, state representative
- Maurice Ferré. former Democratic mayor of Miami
- Heather Fitzenhagen, state representative
- Luis Fortuño, former governor of Puerto Rico
- Andy Gardiner, state senator
- Rudy Giuliani, former mayor of New York City
- Carlos Hernandez, mayor of Hialeah
- John Legg, state senator
- Roberto Martell, mayor of Medley
- Bill McCollum, former attorney general of Florida and candidate for governor in 2010
- Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, U.S. representative from Florida
- Dennis A. Ross, U.S. representative from Florida
- Marco Rubio, U.S. senator from Florida
- Kelli Stargel, state senator
- John E. Thrasher, state senator
- Ritch Workman, state representative
Other individuals
- Jack Nicklaus, professional golfer
Organizations
- Associated Builders and Contractors of Florida
- Florida Forestry Association
- Florida Medical Association
- Florida Police Chiefs Association
- Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association
- Florida Retail Federation
- JAXChamber
- Log Cabin Republicans
- National Federation of Independent Business
- NRA Political Victory Fund
Newspapers
- The Bradenton Herald
- The Florida Times-Union
- Naples Daily News
- El Nuevo Herald
- Tampa Tribune
Adrian Wyllie/Greg Roe
Elected officials
- Gary Johnson, former governor of New Mexico
Organizations
- Boomers Against Elder Abuse
Other individuals
- Francisco Rodriguez, candidate for House District 83
Campaign
As of early June 2014, Scott had spent almost $13 million since March on television advertisements attacking Charlie Crist, who then appeared the likely Democratic nominee. Although the ads resulted in a tightening of the race, this came about by decreasing Crist's favorability ratings. By contrast, Scott's favorability ratings did not increase. By late September, Scott's television ad spending had exceeded $35 million, and in mid-October it reached $56.5 million, compared to $26.5 million by Crist. On October 22 it was reported that Scott's total spending had exceeded $83 million and he announced that, having previously said he would not do so, he would be investing his own money into the campaign, speculated to be as much as $22 million.
Crist hoped to draw strong support from Florida's more than 1.6 million registered black voters, an effort that was challenging with regards to his previous political career as a Republican. A poll conducted in September 2014 by Quinnipiac University revealed his support among black voters was at 72 percent against Scott, which was below the 90 percent analysts believed he needed to win.
Scott and Crist met in a debate on October 15, held by the Florida Press Association at Broward College. The debate required candidates to receive at least 15% support in major polls to be included. This was allegedly increased from 10% after Wyllie met the initial criteria, but the Miami Herald reported that the threshold had been 15% since 2013. The decision has been criticized as "suppressing choice" and the Wyllie campaign has filed a lawsuit to be included in the debate. U.S. District Judge James I. Cohn dismissed the lawsuit. At this debate, Scott refused to take the stage for seven minutes because Crist had a small electric fan under his lectern. The incident was dubbed "fangate" by media sources such as Politico.
Results
Scott defeated Crist by a slim margin, garnering 48% percent of the vote to the former's 47%.
With the loss, Crist became the first candidate in Florida history to lose statewide elections as a Democrat, as a Republican, and as an independent.
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
- Franklin (largest city: Eastpoint)
- Liberty (largest city: Bristol)
- Madison (largest city: Madison)
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
- Monroe (largest city: Key West)
By congressional district
Scott won 16 of 27 congressional districts, including two held by Democrats, with the remaining 11 going to Crist, including three held by Republicans.