1980Final results
1980 election for U.S. Senate in Florida
U.S. Senate · Florida
Paula Hawkins (R) won with 51.7% of the vote, defeating Bill Gunter (D) by 3.3 points.
Paula HawkinsRepublican · winner
51.7%1,822,460
Bill GunterDemocrat
48.3%1,705,409
3,528,028 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 GunterPaula Hawkins
$2.2M
Raised by the campaign
$889K
$2.2M
Spent by the campaign
$796K
$0
Cash on hand
$0
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1980.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1980