b'The 2018 Florida Gubernatorial Election: What Factors Influenced the VoteAbigail Easton, Department of Political ScienceFaculty Sponsor: Dr. James LaPlant, Department of Political ScienceThis quantitative study examines the factors that could influence the vote for governor across the 67 counties in the state of Florida. Florida has been a critical swing state in many elections given the political polarization across the county and with what could be the first African American Governor for Florida, eyes turned to the Sunshine State. In an attempt to predict how Florida citizens vote the way they do, eight independent variables have been selected: the percentage of the vote for President Trump in 2016, population per square mile by county, the percentage of Whites by county, the percentage of African Americans by county, the percentage of Hispanics/Latinos by county, the percentage of the population by county that has earned a bachelors degree or higher, the unemployment rate by county, and the percentage of the population that is 65 years of age or higher by county. The impact of these variables on votes for DeSantis have been tested using correlation analysis. Six of the independent variables were found to have statistical significance in relation to the dependent variable: the percent vote Trump, population per square mile, the percentage White, the percentage African American, the percentage Hispanic/ Latino, and the percentage with a bachelors degree or higher. The independent variables of unemployment rate by county and the percentage 65 years and higher by county were found to not be significant in correlation to the DeSantis vote by county. The most significant relationship between the dependent and the independent variables was the independent variable for percent vote Trump by county. The results of this study suggest that Florida will continue to be a key swing state in state and national elections because of the fluctuating rates in party affiliations.70'