Pinellas County Election Results: Crist, Gualtieri Triumph

PINELLAS COUNTY, FL — True to its reputation as both a bellwether and a pivot county, Pinellas County voters cast 275,293 votes for Joe Biden and 273,993 for President Donald Trump with 100 percent of the precincts reporting, according to the unofficial election results.

Pinellas is unique in the country in that it is one of 206 counties in the U.S. identified by Ballotpedia as pivot counties because they voted for Donald Trump in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012.

Since 1960, pivot counties in Florida have matched the national election results in 75 percent of presidential elections.

Pinellas is also one of 10 bellwether counties, according to The Cook Political Report, an independent, nonpartisan newsletter that analyzes elections for the U.S. House, Senate, state governors and president. These are counties that are nearly evenly divided between the two main parties, Republicans and Democrats, so either party's nominee stands an equally good chance of winning.

Other unofficial winners in Pinellas include U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R, with 90,171 votes to Democratic contender Kimberly Walker's 56,103 votes. District 12 also includes Pasco County where Bilirakis is the unofficial winner as well.

Political newcomer Anna Paulina Luna, R, wasn't able to win away the District 13 congressional seat from U.S. representative and former Florida governor, Charlie Crist. Crist received 213,491 votes to Luna's 188,850 votes.

Also winning the day in Pinellas County is District 19 Florida Senate incumbent Darryl Ervin Rouson, D, who received 52,323 votes to undeclared party candidate Christina Paylan's 16,325. District 19 include Manatee County where Rouson was also victorious.

Other incumbents coming out on top in Pinellas County include Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, R, with 341,010 votes to Democrat Eliseo Santana's 204,091 votes; Tax Collector Charles W. Thomas, R, with 321,841 votes to Democrat Joseph Saportas's 218,368 votes; and Supervisor of Elections Julie Marcus, R, who received 310,408 votes to Democrat Dan Helm's 228,947 votes.

Democrat Janet C. Long will retain her seat on the county commission with 270,774 votes to Republican Larry Ahern's 264,678 votes as will Democrat Charlie Justice with 269,492 votes to Republican Tammy Sue Vasquez's 265,865 votes.

Former St. Petersburg City Council member and Pinellas County School Board member Rene Flowers, D, easily won the county commission District 7 seat with 82,472 votes over undeclared candidate Maria L. Scruggs' 39,938 votes.

See related stories:

• 2020 Election Voter Guide: Floridians To Vote On 6 Amendments
• Election 2020: Polls To Have Coronavirus Restrictions In Place
• 2020 Election Voter Guide: Tampa Bay Congressional Races Heat Up
• 2020 Election Voter Guide: Pinellas Early Voting Through Nov. 1
• Tampa Bay Voters Could Turn The Tide In Presidential Election
• Deputies Assigned To Early-Voting Sites To Prevent Intimidation
• 80 Percent Of Floridians Surveyed Worried About Election Outcome
• 2020 Election Voter Guide: Sheriffs Face Challengers
• Donations From Michael Jordan, LeBron James To Help Felons Vote