# 1968 United States Senate election in Florida

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Government :
vte :
The 1968 Florida United States Senate election was marked by the election of the first Republican to the United States Senate from Florida since Reconstruction.
Democratic three-term incumbent George Smathers decided to not seek re-election. Popular former two-term Governor LeRoy Collins won the Democratic nomination by defeating State Attorney General Earl Faircloth, while Congressman Edward J. Gurney became the Republican candidate.
Gurney was much less well-known than Collins, but he won by a margin of over 11%. It is possible that Richard Nixon's victory in the presidential race (including winning Florida) helped Gurney defeat Collins. Gurney was the first Republican elected to the Senate from Florida since 1872.

## Primaries
### Democratic

20.9% of the voting age population participated in the Democratic primary.

### Republican

5.1% of the voting age population participated in the Republican primary.

## Results

Florida United States Senate election, 1968 :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | Edward J. Gurney | 1,131,499 | 55.90% |
| Democratic | LeRoy Collins | 892,637 | 44.10% |
| Republican gain from Democratic | Republican gain from Democratic | Republican gain from Democratic | Republican gain from Democratic |