Keith Fitzgerald (born November 30, 1956) is a former Democratic 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 69th District for two terms from 2007 to 2010.

Academic career

Keith Fitzgerald is also a

political scientist Political science is the science, scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of politics, political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated c ...

specializing in American politics with a focus on institutions and public policy. He is the author of ''Face of the Nation: Immigration, the State, and the National Identity.'' He graduated from

Trinity High School Trinity High School is the name of high schools: United Kingdom * Trinity High School, Renfrew, Renfrewshire, Scotland * Trinity High School, Rutherglen, Lanarkshire, Scotland * Trinity High School and Sixth Form Centre, in Redditch, England *Trini ...

in Louisville, Kentucky in 1974. Following a stint at

Grinnell College Grinnell College is a private liberal arts college in Grinnell, Iowa, United States. It was founded in 1846 when a group of New England Congregationalists established the Trustees of Iowa College. Grinnell has the fifth highest endowment-to-st ...

, since 1994 Fitzgerald has been a professor of political science at the

New College of Florida New College of Florida is a public liberal arts college in Sarasota, Florida. It was founded in 1960 as a private institution known simply as New College, spent several years merged into the University of South Florida, and in 2001 became an aut ...

. He received his B.A. from the

University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public research university in Louisville, Kentucky. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of ...

and his Ph.D. from

Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, or simply Indiana) is a public university, public research university in Bloomington, Indiana. It is the flagship university, flagship campus of Indiana University and, with ...

in 1987.

Florida legislature

In December 2005, Keith Fitzgerald announced his candidacy for the Florida State House, running as a

Democrat 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 ...

in District 69, which contains the city of

Sarasota, Florida Sarasota () is a city in Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The city is located in the sout ...

and part of

Manatee county Manatee County is a county in the Central Florida portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 US Census, the population was 399,710. Manatee County is part of the North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its county s ...

. Fitzgerald narrowly defeated Republican Laura Benson 51% to 49% in the November 2006 election. In 2008 Fitzgerald was re-elected, again running against Laura Benson. In 2010 however, he was defeated by

Ray Pilon Ray Pilon (born January 11, 1945) is a former Republican member of the Florida House of Representatives, representing the 72nd District, which includes northern Sarasota County, from 2012 to 2016, and the 69th district from 2010 to 2012. Pilon ...

2012 U.S. House campaign

Fitzgerald won the Democratic nomination to challenge

Vern Buchanan Vernon Gale Buchanan ( ; born May 8, 1951) is an American businessman and politician serving as the U.S. representative for Florida's 16th congressional district since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, he first entered Congress in 2007, re ...

Florida's 16th congressional district Florida's 16th congressional district is an electoral district for the U.S. Congress and was reassigned in 2012, effective January 2013. The current borders of the district encompass southern Hillsborough County, the entirety of Manatee County ...

. ;Polling A mid-July 2012 poll showed the incumbent US Rep.

leading Keith Fitzgerald by a margin of 54%-32%. The poll had a margin of error of +/-4.9%. An independent poll released on September 5, 2012, showed the incumbent US Rep.

leading Keith Fitzgerald by a margin of 56%-37%. The poll had a margin of error of 4%-5%. ;Finance As of August 3, 2012, Fitzgerald's campaign had $670,000 in the bank, compared to Buchanan's $1.4 million. Democratic Minority Leader

Nancy Pelosi Nancy Patricia Pelosi (; ; born March 26, 1940) is an American politician who has served as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives since 2019 and previously from 2007 to 2011. She has represented in the United States House of ...

and other House Democrats have supported Fitzgerald with at least $34,000 in campaign contributions. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee reserved $2.5 million of ad time in the Tampa Bay media market, some or all of which may be used to help Fitzgerald. Meanwhile, Buchanan's campaign reserved $4 million in the same market. As of early September 2012, there has been no public announcement of an ad buy from Fitzgerald's campaign. Fitzgerald won 46.4% of the vote, but failed to defeat Rep. Buchanan.

References

External links

Florida House of Representatives - Rep. Keith Fitzgerald
''official Florida House site''
Keith Fitzgerald for State House
''official campaign website'' * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fitzgerald, Keith 1956 births Living people Democratic Party members of the Florida House of Representatives American political scientists Indiana University Bloomington alumni Grinnell College faculty New College of Florida faculty Trinity High School (Louisville) alumni University of Louisville alumni