The 2001 special election for Florida's 1st congressional district took place on October 16, 2001, to fill the vacancy caused by Representative Joe Scarborough's resignation. Florida's 1st congressional district was a staunchly conservative district stretching from

Panama City Beach Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...

to Pensacola in the

Florida Panhandle The Florida Panhandle (also West Florida and Northwest Florida) is the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Florida; it is a Salient (geography), salient roughly long and wide, lying between Alabama on the north and the west, Georgia (U. ...

State Representative A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...

Jeff Miller, the Republican nominee, easily defeated Steve Briese, a financial writer and the

Democratic Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

nominee.

Democratic primary

Candidates

*Steve Briese, financial writer, Army veteran *Chuck Lynch

Results

Republican primary

Candidates

* Jeff Miller, Florida State Representative *Michael C. Francisco, retired Air Force Colonel *Randy Knepper, former congressional aide to Representative Earl Hutto *Bob Condon, attorney, 2000 Republican candidate for Congress *Robert "Bob" Pappas, retired Marines Colonel *Ken Revell

Results

General election

Campaign

Political commentators widely expected that Miller, who had previously represented parts of the

1st District The Innere Stadt (; Central Bavarian: ''Innare Stod'') is the 1st municipal district of Vienna () located in the center of the Austrian capital. The Innere Stadt is the old town of Vienna. Until the city boundaries were expanded in 1850, the Inn ...

in the state legislature, would easily triumph over Briese and John G. Ralls, Jr., a podiatrist running as an independent candidate, given the district's strong conservative lean. Nevertheless, to promote his campaign, Briese walked 100 miles across the district. He campaigned on his service in the military, which he argued was particularly important in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks, which occurred a little more than a month before the election. Given the location of seven military installations in the district, including Pensacola Naval Air Station and

Eglin Air Force Base Eglin Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base in the western Florida Panhandle, located about southwest of Valparaiso in Okaloosa County. The host unit at Eglin is the 96th Test Wing (formerly the 96th Air Base Wing). The ...

, Briese emphasized both his experience in the military and his time working as a contractor on repair projects for some of the bases. Miller, meanwhile, emphasized his support for then-President George W. Bush, saying, "Our president needs a partner in the 1st Congressional District. I am ready to be that partner." However, all three candidates announced their support for then-President George W. Bush's leadership in the War on Terror. Ultimately, owing to the conservative nature of the district, Miller defeated Briese and Ralls in a landslide, and won his first term in Congress.

Results

References

{{2001 United States elections Florida 2001 13 Florida 2001 13 2001 13 Special Florida 13 Special United States House of Representatives 13 Special United States House of Representatives 2001 13