The 2018 Florida Commissioner of Agriculture election occurred on November 6, 2018, to elect the
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture. Incumbent
Republican Commissioner of Agriculture
Adam Putnam
Adam Hughes Putnam (born July 31, 1974) is an American politician who served as the 11th Commissioner of Agriculture of Florida from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives for fi ...
was term-limited and could not seek a third consecutive term. Democrat
Nikki Fried narrowly defeated Republican
Matt Caldwell. Fried became the only statewide elected Democrat in Florida, as U.S. Senator
Bill Nelson, who had held Florida's Class I U.S. Senate seat since
2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...
, lost
reelection. As of 2023, this remains the last time that a Democrat has won a statewide election in Florida, and the only time since
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
.
Republican primary
Candidates
Declared
*
Matt Caldwell, state representative
*
Denise Grimsley
Denise Grimsley (born September 21, 1959) is a Republican member of the Florida State Senate, representing parts of Central and Southwest Florida since 2012. She has represented the 26th district, which includes Highlands, Okeechobee, Glades, ...
, state senator
* Mike McCalister, retired
United States Army colonel, Republican candidate for governor in
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
*
Baxter Troutman
Baxter Troutman is a Winter Haven, Florida Citrus Grower, businessman, and Republican politician who served as the representative for District 66 in the House of Representatives of the U.S. state of Florida. He was first elected to the Flori ...
, former state representative
Withdrawn
*Paul Paulson, businessman,
2015
File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
candidate for
Mayor of Orlando
The city of Orlando, Florida, was incorporated in 1875. The first mayor, William Jackson Brack, took office in 1875. The Orlando mayor is officially a nonpartisan election.
The current mayor is Buddy Dyer, who was first elected in a special e ...
Declined
*
Ben Albritton
Ben Albritton (born August 17, 1968) is a Republican Party (United States), Republican politician and a former member of the Florida House of Representatives, representing the 56th District, which includes DeSoto County, Florida, DeSoto County, H ...
, state representative
*
Halsey Beshears
Halsey W. Beshears (born November 27, 1971 in Winter Park, Florida) is a Republican politician from Florida. He served as the Secretary of the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) from January 2019 to January 2021. Pr ...
, state representative
*
Lisa Carlton
Lisa Carlton is a Republican politician from Florida. She served in the Florida Senate from 1998 to 2008, representing parts of Southwest Florida based around Sarasota. She served as the President Pro Tempore of the Florida Senate from 2006 to 20 ...
, former state senator
[
* Steve Crisafulli, former ]Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives
The speaker is the presiding member of the Florida House of Representatives. The Speaker and his staff provide direction and coordination to employees throughout the House and serve the members in carrying out their constitutional responsibilities ...
[
]
Endorsements
Polling
Results
Democratic primary
Candidates
Declared
*Jeff Porter, mayor of Homestead
*R. David Walker, president of the South Florida Audubon Society
Withdrawn
*Michael Christine, University of Miami School of Law student
*Daniel Sohn, Palm Beach County Soil and Water Conservation District aide
*Thomas Clayton White Jr., Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University chemistry professor
Declined
*Katie Edwards-Walpole
Katie A. Edwards-Walpole (born February 21, 1981) is a Democratic politician and a former member of the Florida House of Representatives, representing the 98th District, which includes parts of Davie, Plantation, and Sunrise in southern Broward ...
, state representative
* Patrick Murphy, former U.S. Congressman, Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in 2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
Endorsements
Results
General election
Polling
;With Grimsley
;With Troutman
Results
See also
* Florida Commissioner of Agriculture
References
External links
;Official campaign websites
Matt Caldwell (R) for Agriculture CommissionerNikki Fried (D) for Agriculture Commissioner
{{2018 United States elections
Commissioner of Agriculture
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture elections