Vern Buchanan holds on to Florida House seat

Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.) secured a seventh term in the House on Tuesday, beating back a challenge from Democrat David Shapiro in Florida’s 16th District.

Democrats, who eyed Buchanan’s seat as a possible pick-up opportunity, sought to hit the GOP incumbent over his purchase of a multimillion-dollar yacht on the same day that House Republicans voted on a tax-cut measure.

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Despite those efforts, Buchanan led Shapiro, a Sarasota-based attorney, in virtually every public poll in the race.

A survey from the Public Opinion Research Lab at the University of North Florida released in early October showed Buchanan ahead by 9 points.

The Cook Political Report put the race in the “lean Republican” column. President Trump won Florida’s 16th District by more than 10 points in 2016.