Forecasts Favor Franklin in Solid Republican Florida House District
Rep. Scott Franklin (R-FL) is headed to the Nov. 3 general election in Florida’s 18th Congressional District against Democrat Curtis Gibson and independent Deva Simmons. Franklin advanced without opposition after the Republican primary was canceled, while Gibson became the Democratic nominee after his only potential primary opponent withdrew. Simmons is running with no party affiliation rather than as the Democratic nominee.
The race begins with a substantial Republican advantage. The Cook Political Report rates FL-18 Solid Republican and gives the newly redrawn district an R+8 partisan voting index. Inside Elections also rates the seat Solid Republican and estimates a Republican baseline advantage of roughly 17 percentage points.
Campaign finance reflects the same imbalance. Franklin reported $849,999.59 in receipts through July 29 and $960,763.64 in cash on hand. Gibson reported $12,208.23 in receipts through June 30 and $1,452.42 in cash. The Federal Election Commission currently sh…