Gayle Harrell (born July 21, 1943) is a member of the
Florida State Senate. A
Republican, she is a former member of the
Florida House of Representatives
The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida Senate being the upper house. Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution of Florida, adopted ...
, representing the 83rd District, which includes
Port St. Lucie and
Stuart
Stuart may refer to:
Names
* Stuart (name), a given name and surname (and list of people with the name) Automobile
*Stuart (automobile)
Places
Australia Generally
*Stuart Highway, connecting South Australia and the Northern Territory
Northe ...
in northern
Martin County and southern
St. Lucie County
St. Lucie County ( es, Condado de Santa Lucía, link=) is a county in the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 329,226. The county's seat is Fort Pierce. St. Lucie County is included in the Port St. Lucie, FL Metro ...
, from 2012 to 2018. Harrell previously represented the 81st District from 2000 to 2008 and again from 2010 to 2012.
History
Harrell was born in
Nashville, Tennessee. She moved to the state of
Florida, where she attended the
University of Florida. She graduated in 1964 with a
bachelor's degree in
Spanish, and again in 1971, with a
master's degree in
Latin American studies and history. After graduation, she worked as a technology consultant on health information.
Florida House of Representatives
In 2000, incumbent
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 ...
Ken Pruitt successfully ran for a seat in the
Florida Senate rather than seek re-election, which created an open seat in the 81st District, which included parts of
Martin County and
St. Lucie County
St. Lucie County ( es, Condado de Santa Lucía, link=) is a county in the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 329,226. The county's seat is Fort Pierce. St. Lucie County is included in the Port St. Lucie, FL Metro ...
. Harrell ran to succeed Pruitt and defeated Genny Jackson in the
Republican primary with 68% of the vote, advancing to the general election, where she faced Walter Sawyer, the
Democratic nominee, whom she was able to defeat easily, winning 59% of the vote to his 41%. She ran for re-election in 2002 and faced only
Libertarian
Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's e ...
candidate John Roszman. Harrell defeated Roszman overwhelmingly, scoring 76% of the vote to his 24%. She was challenged in the
Republican primary in 2004 by Charles Winn, but she turned back the challenge easily, winning renomination with 75% of the vote. In the general election, she won nearly 100% of the vote, only facing opposition from write-in candidate Robert Lilley. She met a serious challenge to her re-election in 2006, when Bill Ramos, a mortgage broker, and the
Democratic nominee, campaigned on "eliminating unfunded mandates from the state to the local level." During the campaign, Ramos was endorsed over Harrell by ''
The Palm Beach Post'', which criticized Harrell for "too obediently" voting the party line and for having "so little clout in Tallahassee that she can't protect her well-intentioned legislation from harmful amendments." Ultimately, however, the conservative nature of the district proved too much for Ramos to overcome. Harrell won re-election over him, scoring 54% of the vote to her opponent's 46%.
2008 congressional campaign
Unable to seek re-election in the legislature due to term limits, Harrell instead decided to run against
Democratic United States Congressman Tim Mahoney
Timothy Edward Mahoney (born August 16, 1956) is an American politician and businessman who served as the U.S. representative for from 2007 to 2009. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected in November 2006 after his opponent, six-te ...
in the
16th congressional district, running against
Tom Rooney and Hal Valeche. During the campaign, former
2008 Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee
Michael Dale Huckabee (born August 24, 1955) is an American politician, Baptist minister, and political commentator who served as the 44th governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007. He was a candidate for the Republican Party presidential nomina ...
conducted an internet poll to determine whom his
political action committee,
Huck PAC, should support in the race. Harrell won the internet poll and promptly sent mailers claiming Huckabee's endorsement. This drew a clarification from the PAC's spokesperson, who said the endorsement was not from Huckabee but from Huckabee's supporters. Ultimately, however, Huckabee stepped into the race, praising all three candidates but noting, "The community I built during my campaign has voted, and voted to endorse Gayle. I have heard their call, and I will stand with those that have supported me and officially declare my support for Gayle." Harrell also earned the support of the
National Rifle Association of America in her campaign for Congress. Harrell ultimately failed to win her party's nomination, however, narrowly losing to Rooney by a little more than a thousand votes, receiving 35% of the vote to Rooney's 38% and Valeche's 28%.
Return to Florida House
Following her 2008 defeat, Harrell announced that she would seek to return to the state legislature and filed to run against her successor,
Democratic 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 ...
Adam Fetterman, who narrowly won the seat in 2008. During the campaign, Harrell attacked Fetterman for supporting a cigarette tax increase and for having a low rating from the
Florida Chamber of Commerce, declaring, "When it comes to taxes, I'm a fiscal conservative. I have voted to reduce taxes by over $28 billion. My opponent voted for a $1 billion increase in taxes." ''
The Palm Beach Post'' endorsed Fetterman over Harrell, praising the incumbent for closing a loophole that allowed sexual predators to avoid prosecution, and once again criticizing Harrell for her record in the legislature, where "she wasn't known for bucking the GOP leadership." However, Harrell was able to dispatch Fetterman with relative ease, regaining her seat and earning 56% of the vote to Fetterman's 44%.
In 2012, following the reconfiguration of the state's legislative districts, Harrell was drawn into the 83rd District, which contained most of the territory she had previously represented in the 81st District. She won the
Republican primary uncontested. She won the general election overwhelmingly against only a write-in challenge, securing her second consecutive term and her sixth term overall in the legislature.
Florida State Senate
Harrell was elected to the Florida State Senate in November 2018. She succeeded
Joe Negron.
Other
She is one of the founders of
Maggie's List
Maggie's List is a United States federal political action committee founded in Florida in 2010 to "raise awareness and funds to increase the number of conservative women elected to federal public office." It is named after Margaret Chase Smith ...
.
References
External links
Florida House of Representatives - Gayle Harrell
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Harrell, Gayle
1943 births
Living people
Republican Party members of the Florida House of Representatives
Women state legislators in Florida
21st-century American politicians
21st-century American women politicians
Candidates in the 2008 United States elections