Adam Putnam
Adam Putnam was the Florida commissioner of agriculture and consumer services from 2011 to 2019. Putnam, a Republican, assumed office in January 2011.[1] He was re-elected in 2014.[2]
Putnam was a Republican candidate for governor of Florida. He lost the primary on August 28, 2018.
Biography
A Florida native, Putnam was first elected to the Florida House of Representatives when he was 22. He served from 1996-2001 and went on to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2001-2011.[3] A February 2013 article in Governing named Putnam as one of the top state Republican officials to watch in 2013.[4]
Education
Putnam received a B.A. in food and resource economics from the University of Florida in 1995.[5]
Noteworthy events
Firing of Gerald Bailey
Governor Rick Scott removed Florida Department of Law Enforcement head Gerald Bailey from office on December 16, 2014. On January 28, Scott said that Bailey was asked to step down voluntarily and that he had complied with the request. Scott's advisors told the press in early February 2015 that Bailey had been instructed to prepare Florida Capitol Police Director Rick Swearingen as his replacement for an undisclosed resignation date. Bailey, who had served in the office for eight years, denied the Scott administration's statements, saying, "When the governor's office gives you until 3 o'clock to resign, you're not working out anything with your successor." A Miami Herald profile of Scott advisor Melissa Sellers on February 7 indicated that Sellers pushed for Bailey's removal because of disagreements over Scott's discussions of law enforcement in his 2014 campaign.[6][7]
Response from cabinet members
The head of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement reports to the governor and three other constitutional officers: the Florida Attorney General, the Florida Commissioner of Agriculture, and the Florida Chief Financial Officer. The three Republican officers did not favor Scott's actions. Attorney General Pam Bondi said that Bailey's removal was handled by Scott's staff without his knowledge and indicated that the state's sunshine laws might have been violated. Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam suggested that Scott worked behind the scenes to add an ally in the department. Putnam and Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater raised these concerns at a February 5 meeting of the governor's cabinet. During this meeting, members noted that there were no available records of their aides' meetings leading up to Bailey's removal.[8][9]
In their own words
- Pam Bondi: "We all knew there were going to be changes made in the upcoming months, but did I know that Jerry Bailey was going to be told he was fired and have his things packed up, his entire life as a career law enforcement officer in a cardboard box, and be told to be out of the office before the end of the day? Absolutely not. Nor do I believe the governor knew it."[8]
- Adam Putnam: "At best, you would say that there was a great miscommunication, but we were misled as to the timing and the process of how that would be handled. . . . Jerry Bailey's a fine man. He served our state very well, and the way he was treated at the end of his distinguished career was shabby."[8]
- Jeff Atwater: "I was not aware of any discontent. There was none between myself and the commissioner. I was not aware of any others. I was not aware of any other friction that existed. To that extent, I have to accept my share of responsibility."[8]
- Rick Scott: "Jerry Bailey was given the opportunity to step down. He did. He was given that opportunity, and then he waited until after Rick Swearingen was confirmed by the entire Cabinet and made his attacks. The attacks against me are absolutely untrue, and they're ridiculous."[8]
Lawsuit
On February 3, 2015, the Florida Society of News Editors, the Associated Press, and attorney Matthew Weidner filed a lawsuit against Scott, Putnam, Atwater, and Bondi alleging violations of the state's open-records laws. The lawsuit said:
| “ |
The governor violated the Sunshine Law by using conduits to engage in polling, discussions, communications and other exchanges with other members of the Cabinet regarding his unilateral decision to force the resignation of the FDLE commissioner and appoint a replacement without any notice to the public, without any opportunity for the public to attend, and without any minutes being taken. [10] |
” |
| —Miami Herald, (2015) | ||
Weidner and the other parties in the lawsuit wanted a state judge to clarify whether open-records laws were broken and to require more transparency around the Scott administration's meetings.[11]
In June 2015, Scott and his cabinet agreed to settle the suit. A mediated deal called for the governor and his staff to change the way they handle public records and appointments. The state also agreed to pay $55,000 in attorney fees.[12]
Political career
Florida House of Representatives (1996-2001)
Putnam served in the Florida House of Representatives from 1996 to 2001.[1]
U.S. House of Representatives (2001-2011)
Putnam served five terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Florida's 12th Congressional District from 2000-2011. He was elected as the Republican Policy Chairman during the 109th Congress and Chairman of the House Republican Conference for the 110th Congress. Putnam was also a member of the House Committees on Government Reform, Agriculture, Rules and Financial Services.[1]
Florida Agriculture Commissioner (2011-2019)
Putnam was elected Florida commissioner of agriculture and consumer services on November 2, 2010, and assumed office in January 2011. He served two terms, leaving office in January 2019.
Issues
Agenda
On his website, Putnam listed six main issues of his agenda:[13]
- Foster economic prosperity
- Exercise good government
- Expand energy production
- Protect Floridians' right to bear arms
- Champion Florida's natural beauty
- Motivate communities to be healthy and safe
Presidential preference
2012
Adam Putnam endorsed Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election.[14]
Elections
2018
- See also: Florida gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2018 and Florida gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2018 (August 28 Republican primary)
General election
General election for Governor of Florida
The following candidates ran in the general election for Governor of Florida on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Ron DeSantis (R) | 49.6 | 4,076,186 |
 | Andrew Gillum (D) | 49.2 | 4,043,723 | |
 | Darcy Richardson (Reform Party) | 0.6 | 47,140 | |
 | Kyle Gibson (No Party Affiliation) | 0.3 | 24,310 | |
| Ryan Foley (No Party Affiliation) | 0.2 | 14,630 | ||
 | Bruce Stanley (No Party Affiliation)  | 0.2 | 14,505 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.0 | 66 | ||
| Total votes: 8,220,560 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Raphael Herman (No Party Affiliation)
- Randy Wiseman (L)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Governor of Florida
The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for Governor of Florida on August 28, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Andrew Gillum | 34.4 | 522,164 |
 | Gwen Graham | 31.3 | 474,875 | |
 | Philip Levine | 20.3 | 308,801 | |
 | Jeff Greene | 10.1 | 152,955 | |
 | Christopher King | 2.5 | 37,616 | |
| John Wetherbee | 0.9 | 14,426 | ||
 | Alex Lundmark | 0.6 | 8,655 | |
| Total votes: 1,519,492 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Governor of Florida
The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for Governor of Florida on August 28, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ron DeSantis | 56.5 | 916,298 |
 | Adam Putnam | 36.5 | 592,518 | |
 | Bob White | 2.0 | 32,710 | |
| Timothy Devine | 1.3 | 21,380 | ||
| Bob Langford | 1.2 | 19,842 | ||
 | Bruce Nathan | 0.9 | 14,556 | |
| Don Baldauf | 0.8 | 13,173 | ||
 | John Joseph Mercadante | 0.7 | 11,647 | |
| Total votes: 1,622,124 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Angel Rivera (R)
2014
Putnam ran for re-election as Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services in the 2014 elections. He was uncontested in the August 26 Republican primary election and faced Democrat Thad Hamilton in the general election on November 4, 2014.[2]
Results
| Agriculture Commissioner of Florida, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Adam Putnam Incumbent |
58.7% | 3,342,392 | |
| Democratic | Thad Hamilton | 41.3% | 2,356,178 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0% | 213 | |
| Total Votes | 5,698,783 | |||
| Election results via Florida Division of Elections | ||||
2010
Putnam won election in the November 2, 2010 election, defeating Scott Maddox (D), Ira Chester (TEA), and Thad Hamilton (NPA).[15]
| Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Adam Putnam |
55.9% | 2,908,086 | |
| Democratic | Scott Maddox | 38.1% | 1,983,277 | |
| TEA | Ira Chester | 3.9% | 203,598 | |
| No Party Affiliation | Thad Hamilton | 2% | 103,717 | |
| Total Votes | 5,198,678 | |||
| Election results via Florida Department of State | ||||
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
When he served as agriculture commissioner, Putnam and his wife, Melissa, had four children.[1]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Adam + Putnam + Florida + Agriculture"
See also
| Florida | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
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External links
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Legislative Profile from Project Vote Smart
- Campaign contributions: 2012, 2010, 1998
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Florida Department Of Agriculture and Consumer Services, "Meet Commissioner Putnam," accessed January 20, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Sunshine State News, "Adam Putnam Builds for 2014 and the Future," July 11, 2013
- ↑ Adam Putnam, "Bio," accessed September 19, 2012
- ↑ Governing, "State Republican Officials to Watch in 2013," February 6, 2013
- ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Biography of Adam Putnam," accessed August 22, 2012
- ↑ Tampa Bay Times, "Gov. Rick Scott's new version of FDLE ouster called 'absolutely untrue' by Gerald Bailey," February 2, 2015
- ↑ Miami Herald, "Meet Melissa Sellers, the power behind Gov. Rick Scott," February 7, 2015
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Tampa Bay Times, "Cabinet members step up attacks on Gov. Rick Scott over FDLE firing," January 28, 2015
- ↑ Miami Herald, "Cabinet members kept in dark on public discussions by their own aides," February 16, 2015
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Miami Herald, "Lawsuits alleges Gov. Rick Scott and Florida Cabinet violated Sunshine Law," February 4, 2015
- ↑ Orlando Sentinel, "Scott, Cabinet to settle lawsuit filed by news media over FDLE chief's firing," June 15, 2015
- ↑ Adam Putnam, "Agenda," accessed August 22, 2012
- ↑ Orlando Sentinel, "Adam Putnam endorses Romney," October 18, 2011
- ↑ Florida Division of Elections, "November 2010 General Election Results," accessed March 26, 2011
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by Charles Bronson (R) |
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services 2011–2019 |
Succeeded by Nikki Fried (D) |
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State of Florida Tallahassee (capital) |
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