Special Florida House Election Goes To Sarasota Democrat

SARASOTA, FL - The first special election of 2018 has gone to a Democrat. Margaret Good defeated Republican James Buchanan and Libertarian Alison Foxall in Tuesday’s special election for the vacated Florida House of Representatives, District 72 seat.

Good, a Sarasota lawyer, received 52 percent of the vote in unofficial returns. Buchanan, who is the son of U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan of Longboat Key, received 44 percent. Foxall got 3 percent.

The seat had been held by Republican Alex Miller of Sarasota, who resigned last summer. The seat had been considered an easy GOP win in recent years, but Good pulled the upset, winning a race that wasn't close in the end.

Former Vice President Joe Biden endorsed Good. Buchanan had the backing of former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski. Gov. Rick Scott also supported Buchanan.

“This win shows us that Floridians are rejecting the same tired rhetoric we saw with Donald Trump’s campaign, which was the same rhetoric Buchanan used to try and win,” the Florida Democratic Party said in a statement Tuesday night. “This is a referendum on Trump and the GOP.”

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