1980Final results
1980 election for Florida's 9th District
U.S. House · Florida
Bill Nelson (D) won with 70.4% of the vote, defeating Stan Dowiat (R) by 40.7 points.
Bill NelsonDemocrat · winner
70.4%139,468
Stan DowiatRepublican
29.6%58,734
198,202 votes
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 1980
Races before and after
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
Money in this race
Each line compares the two campaigns on one scale.
Bill NelsonStan Dowiat
$246K
Raised by the campaign
$269K
$248.4K
Spent by the campaign
$269K
$0
Cash on hand
$0
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1980.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1980