1978Final results
1978 Democratic primary for Florida Senate District 38
Florida State Senate · Florida
Bob McKnight (D) won with 24.2% of the vote, defeating Ralph R. Poston Jr. (D) by 7.5 points.
Bob McKnightDemocrat · winner
24.2%29,622
Ralph R. Poston Jr.Democrat
16.8%20,512
Dick AndersonDemocrat
15.5%18,922
John Spottswood Jr.Democrat
11.1%13,590
Mike SimonhoffDemocrat
10.2%12,458
Charles C. Papy Jr.Democrat
7.5%9,207
Ellen G. AllenDemocrat
6.8%8,247
Ellis R. GomezDemocrat
3.1%3,823
Paul CobbDemocrat
2.7%3,309
Al DemarcoDemocrat
2.0%2,478
122,168 votes
Source: Harvard Dataverse / Carl KlarnerUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:29 AM ET
The candidates
Bob McKnight (D)Ralph R. Poston Jr. (D)Dick Anderson (D)John Spottswood Jr. (D)Mike Simonhoff (D)Charles C. Papy Jr. (D)Ellen G. Allen (D)
Also on the ballot: Ellis R. Gomez (Democrat), 3.1%; Paul Cobb (Democrat), 2.7%; Al Demarco (Democrat), 2.0%