1996Final results
1996 election for Florida's 5th District
U.S. House · Florida
Karen Thurman (D) won with 61.7% of the vote, defeating Dave Gentry (R) by 23.4 points.
Karen ThurmanDemocrat · winner
61.7%161,050
Dave GentryRepublican
38.3%100,051
261,101 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 1996
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.
Karen ThurmanDave Gentry
$567.5K
Raised by the campaign
$97.1K
$554K
Spent by the campaign
$97.1K
$17.7K
Cash on hand
-$19
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1996; FEC, through Nov 25, 1996.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1996