White Lawman Retains Sheriff Seat in Racially Charged Race

A white sheriff Tuesday defeated a black police chief who challenged him in a Democratic race rocked by allegations of racism.

Gadsden County Sheriff W.A. Woodham, in office for 29 years in the state’s only black-majority county, defeated Quincy Police Chief Rodney Moore by a 52% to 48% margin.

Moore was arrested last month and charged with ticket-fixing and other corruption. He, along with many of the state’s top black leaders, complained of racism. The county is west of Tallahassee in the Florida Panhandle.

Woodham faces nominal Republican opposition in the fall.

Meanwhile, Miami-Dade Mayor Alex Penelas fought to avoid a runoff Tuesday as nine challengers sought to deny him a second term after months of tumult over the Elian Gonzalez case.

With 43% of precincts reporting, Penelas had 51%, compared with his major challengers, businessman Jay Love with 21% and County Commissioner Miguel Diaz de la Portilla with 19%.

Penelas needed to win more than 50% to avoid a runoff.

Elsewhere, in primaries in Florida and Nevada, favored candidates for open Senate and House seats handily defeated their opposition.

In Florida, Democrat Bill Nelson and GOP Rep. Bill McCollum easily won their parties’ nominations for an open Senate seat, setting up a competitive race in the fall.

In Nevada, former Republican Rep. John E. Ensign swiftly won the GOP primary for an open Senate seat, defeating two little-known candidates.

In the Miami-Dade race, Diaz de la Portilla, who lost the campaign fund-raising race to Penelas by a 4-to-1 margin, said Penelas “split the community” when he vowed that local police would not help federal authorities return Elian to his father in Cuba.