A special election to determine the member of the United States House of Representatives for Florida's 18th congressional district was held on August 29, 1989. Republican Ileana Ros-Lehtinen defeated Democrat Gerald Richman in the runoff vote, 53.14% to 46.85%. Ros-Lehtinen replaced Claude Pepper, who died in office from stomach cancer.
Changing demographics in Florida's 18th congressional district had moved the largely white district into a 40% Cuban American district. The election campaign followed this trend as the campaign was dominated by discussions of race after Republican National Chairman Lee Atwater declared that the district should become the "Cuban American seat". Democrat Gerald Richman ran a campaign with the slogan "This is an American seat" in response to Atwater's comments, and both Ros-Lehtinen and Richman appealed to their respective racial bases in the general. Ros-Lehtinen won a competitive campaign to flip the seat, and became the first Cuban American to serve in Congress.
Background
United States Congressman Claude Pepper died in office from stomach cancer on May 30, 1989 after serving in the House for over a quarter century, opening up a special election to fill his seat. Pepper had previously served as a U.S. Senator from Florida as well and was seen as a lion of the U.S. Congress. Pepper's reputation and length of service had insulated him from the racial splits that existed in his district, and The New York Times noted that he had been able to bridge the gap inside of the district. The district had moved from a largely white district into a 40% Cuban American district. Florida Governor Bob Martinez announced the special election schedule the day after Pepper's burial.
Republican primary
Candidates
Declared
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, State Senator
Carlos Perez, businessman and Republican Party activist
John Stembridge, former Mayor of North Miami
David M. Fleischer, insurance broker and former plumber
Summary
Early coverage on the Republican primary named State Senator Ileana Ros-Lehtinen as the favorite to win the Republican nomination. Jeb Bush managed Ros-Lehtinen's campaign. After Pepper's death, Republican National Committee chairman Lee Atwater declared that the seat should become a "Cuban American seat" and immediately caused controversy with the comment. Challengers other than Ros-Lehtinen included: Carlos Perez, a business owner who had been highlighted in Ronald Reagan's State of the Union address; David Fleischer, an insurance broker who decided to run after Atwater's comments; and John Stembridge, a furniture store owner who claimed that Pepper "was like an adopted father to me and I felt like he was personally grooming me to take his place".
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen won the primary with more than 80% of the vote, winning every precinct and avoiding a runoff. "We're quite humbled and really flabbergasted," Ros-Lehtinen said at her surprise of winning the primary by such a wide margin.
Democratic primary
Declared
Rosario Kennedy, Miami City Commissioner
Gerald Richman, Former President of the Florida Bar
Jo Ann Pepper, Niece of Claude Pepper and federal probation officer
Jeff Allen, Law school graduate
Bernard Anscher, Retired industrialist and philanthropist
Marvin Dunn, Psychologist and unsuccessful candidate for Mayor of Miami
Sonny Wright
Withdrew
Jack Gordon, State Senator
Raul Masvidal, banker and unsuccessful mayoral candidate
Summary
The Democratic primary was much more chaotic than the Republican one. After Lee Atwater announced that the district should become a "Cuban American seat", early Democratic favorite Jack Gordon dropped out after two days, stating that he refused to run a campaign that would have to be about "stopping the Cubans". Rosario Kennedy, a Miami City Commissioner, was handicapped as the initial favorite. In a first-round upset, Gerald Richman, the former President of the Florida Bar, beat Kennedy by 146 votes. Both advanced to the runoff.
The runoff campaign was dominated by controversial discussions of race. Richman repeatedly said, "This is an American seat" in reaction to Atwater's comments. Jo Ann Pepper, Marvin Dunn, and Sonny Wright, who split the African American neighborhoods in the district, all endorsed Kennedy. The Miami Herald endorsed Kennedy and called Richman's campaign "naked, deliberate, bigotry". Richman easily won the runoff over Kennedy, dominating in white and Jewish neighborhoods. The results split starkly among racial lines and after Richman's win, Kennedy refused to endorse him.