1970Final resultsIncumbent defeated
1970 Democratic primary for Florida House District 18
Florida House of Representatives · Florida
John E. Santora (D) won with 10.9% of the vote, defeating Roger West (D) by 2.6 points.
John E. SantoraDemocrat · winner
10.9%36,860
Hugh J. Grainger Jr.Democrat · winner
8.5%28,616
Roger WestDemocrat · incumbent
8.3%28,227
Bob PalmerDemocrat · winner
8.0%27,165
John R. ForbesDemocrat
7.6%25,848
Bill BirchfieldDemocrat · winner
7.4%25,118
Ed CagleDemocrat
6.8%22,914
Tommy GayDemocrat
6.7%22,708
Joseph G. Kennelly Jr.Democrat
6.5%21,924
Wesley F. LeakeDemocrat
5.9%19,926
Ned P. Searcy Jr.Democrat
5.5%18,570
Arnett GirardeauDemocrat
5.3%17,813
David E. HarrellDemocrat
4.2%14,372
Lemuel Sharp Jr.Democrat
2.9%9,832
Warren H. FolksDemocrat
2.9%9,757
Barney F. CobbDemocrat
2.6%8,784
338,434 votes
Source: Harvard Dataverse / Carl KlarnerUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:29 AM ET
The candidates
John E. Santora (D)Hugh J. Grainger Jr. (D)Roger West (D)Bob Palmer (D)John R. Forbes (D)Bill Birchfield (D)Ed Cagle (D)Tommy Gay (D)Joseph G. Kennelly Jr. (D)Wesley F. Leake (D)Ned P. Searcy Jr. (D)Arnett Girardeau (D)
Also on the ballot: David E. Harrell (Democrat), 4.2%; Lemuel Sharp Jr. (Democrat), 2.9%; Warren H. Folks (Democrat), 2.9%; Barney F. Cobb (Democrat), 2.6%