Florida's 2nd congressional district election, 2010
| Florida's 2nd congressional district | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| Current Representative | Steve Southerland (R–Panama City) | |
| Area | 11,141 mi2 | |
| Distribution | 62.1% urban, 37.9% rural | |
| Population (2000) | 639,295 | |
| Median income | $34,718 | |
| Ethnicity | 71.5% White, 22.1% Black, 1.2% Asian, 3.0% Hispanic, 0.5% Native American, 0.1% other | |
| Cook PVI | R+6 | |
Florida's 2nd congressional district is located in the Florida panhandle and contains its capital, Tallahassee. The U.S. Representative is Democrat and six-term incumbent Allen Boyd.
In 2008, Allen Boyd was re-elected with 61.88% of the vote[1] in a district that voted 54%-45% in favor of John McCain. Florida's 2nd congressional district is the most Republican district in Florida according to the Cook PVI rating to be represented by a Democrat.
This year, Allen Boyd faced a very tough primary challenge from the state Senate Minority Leader, Al Lawson. Boyd was narrowly elected with a margin of 3% (51.5%-48.5%).[2] The Republican party nominated Steve Southerland
Primary
| Democratic Primary | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Allen Boyd | 42,434 | 51.5 | |
| Democratic | Al Lawson | 40,011 | 48.5 | |
| Total votes | 82,445 | 100 | ||
| Republican Primary | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Republican | Steve Southerland | 28,325 | 46.9 | |
| Republican | Scholl | 14,489 | 24 | |
| Republican | McNeil | 6,438 | 10.7 | |
| Republican | Hendry | 6,155 | 10.2 | |
| Republican | Olschner | 4,957 | 8.2 | |
| Total votes | 60,364 | 100 | ||
Polling
| Poll Source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of Error |
Steve Southerland (R) | Allen Boyd (D) | Dianne Berryhill (NPA) | Paul McKain (NPA) | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penn Schoen Berland | October 16–19, 2010 | 399 LV | ±4.9% | 50% | 38% | -- | -- | 9% |
| Sunshine State News | October 14–17, 2010 | 830 LV | ±3.4% | 50% | 38% | 3% | 2% | 6% |
| National Research | September 29–30, 2010 | 300 LV | -- | 46% | 30% | -- | -- | 24% |
General Election
Boyd and Southerland will go on to the general election and face Dianne Berryhill, Paul McKain, and Ray Netherwood.
| General Election Results | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Republican | Steve Southerland | 136,106 | 53.64 | |
| Democratic | Allen Boyd | 104,823 | 41.31 | |
| Independent | Paul C. McKain | 7,119 | 2.81 | |
| Independent | Dianne Berryhill | 5,693 | 2.24 | |
| No party | Ray Netherwood (write-in) | 0 | 0% | |
| Total votes | 253,741 | 100 | ||
References | ||||