Tom Rossin
Tom Rossin | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Minority Leader of the Florida Senate | |
| In office November 21, 2000 – November 5, 2002 | |
| Preceded by | Buddy Dyer |
| Succeeded by | Ron Klein |
| Member of the Florida Senate from the 35th district | |
| In office November 8, 1994 – November 5, 2002 | |
| Preceded by | Mark Foley |
| Succeeded by | Gwen Margolis |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 29, 1933 |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Joyce Thornton |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Columbia University (B.S.) University of Miami School of Law (J.D.) |
| Occupation | Attorney, banker |
Tom Rossin (born August 29, 1933) is a Democratic politician from Florida who served as a member of the Florida Senate from the 35th district from 1994 to 2002 and as Minority Leader of the Florida Senate from 2000 to 2002. In 2002, Rossin was the running mate of Bill McBride, the Democratic nominee for governor.
Early life
[edit]Rossin was born in New York City in 1933, and attended Columbia University, graduating in 1958. He moved to Florida in 1957, and later attended the University of Miami School of Law, receiving his juris doctor in 1965.[1]
Florida Senate
[edit]In 1994, when Republican State Senator Mark Foley opted to run for Congress, Rossin ran to succeed him in the 35th district, which stretched from West Palm Beach to Fort Myers. He faced computer analyst Nick Rodriguez in the Democratic primary.[2] Rossin won the primary by a wide margin, winning 77 percent of the vote to Rodriguez's 23 percent.[3] In the general election, he faced David Bludworth, the former Fifteenth Judicial Circuit State Attorney, and the Republican nominee.[2] Rossin narrowly defeated Bludworth, receiving 52 percent of the vote to Bludworth's 48 percent.[4]
Rossin ran for a full term in 1996. He was challenged by perennial candidate Andy Martin, who became the Republican nominee by default when one candidate dropped out and another failed to appear on the ballot when his qualifying check bounced.[5] The Republican Party of Florida disavowed Martin, who had allegedly filed paperwork in a previous congressional campaign stating that his intent was to "exterminate Jew power in America."[6] Rossin won the general election in a landslide, receiving 73 percent of the vote.[7]
In 2000, Rossin ran for a third term. He was challenged by Republican Dave Vaughan, a commercial real estate professional, and Reform Party nominee Sheree Lowe.[8] Rossin won re-election by a wide margin, receiving 61 percent of the vote to Vaughan's 34 percent and Lowe's 5 percent.[9]
Rossin was elected Minority Leader of the Senate at the 2000 organizational session,[10] and served until 2002, when he was term-limited.
2002 lieutenant-gubernatorial campaign
[edit]In 2002, after Bill McBride was declared the winner of the Democratic primary for Governor, he picked Rossin as his running mate.[11][12] They lost to Governor Jeb Bush by a wide margin, receiving 43 percent of the vote to his 56 percent.[13]
References
[edit]- ↑ Florida Senate Handbook, 2000–2002 (PDF). Secretary of the Florida Senate. 2000. p. 36.
- 1 2 Nichol, Steve (June 1, 1994). "David Bludworth enters race for state Senate seat". Sun Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale, Florida. p. 5B. Retrieved July 17, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "September 8, 1994 Primary Election Democratic Primary - State Senator District: 35". Florida Department of Elections. 1994. Retrieved July 17, 2026.
- ↑ "November 8, 1994 General Election - State Senator District: 35". Florida Department of Elections. 1994. Retrieved July 17, 2026.
- ↑ "Republican wins Senate nomination by default". The Stuart News. September 4, 1996. p. C4. Retrieved July 17, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Bartlett, Ron (September 26, 1996). "GOP rejects support for candidate it accuses of slur". The Tampa Tribune. p. 4-Florda/Metro. Retrieved July 17, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "November 5, 1996 General Election - State Senator District: 35". Florida Department of Elections. 1996. Retrieved July 17, 2026.
- ↑ Holsman, Melissa E. (November 6, 2000). "7 state races up for grabs on Tuesday". Fort Pierce Tribune. p. A1, A6. Retrieved July 17, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "November 7, 2000 General Election - State Senator District: 35". Florida Department of Elections. 2000. Retrieved July 17, 2026.
- ↑ Zuckerman, Laura (November 22, 2000). "State Legislature elects leaders for 2001 session". Daytona Beach News-Journal. p. 1C. Retrieved July 17, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Zuckerman, Laura (September 18, 2002). "Little-known lawmaker apparent running mate". Daytona Beach News-Journal. p. 1A. Retrieved July 17, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Hollis, Mark; Silva, Mark (September 18, 2002). "Tom Rossin: Polite but tough". Sun Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale, Florida. p. 1A. Retrieved July 17, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "November 5, 2002 General Election - Governor and Lieutenant Governor". Florida Department of Elections. 2002. Retrieved July 17, 2026.
