Al Lawson won the Democratic primary unopposed, and lost to Dunn in the general election.
11 Facts About Al Lawson
2.
Al Lawson served in the Florida legislature for 28 years, from 1982 to 2000 in the Florida House of Representatives and from 2000 to 2010 in the Florida Senate, where he was elected to serve as the Democratic leader and rose to the rank of "Dean of the Senate" before his election to Congress.
3.
Al Lawson was born in Midway, Florida, and attended Havana Northside High School, where he was a standout athlete in basketball and track.
4.
Al Lawson went on to be a basketball star at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in political science.
5.
Al Lawson earned his Master of Public Administration from Florida State University.
6.
Al Lawson ran for the Democratic nomination in in 2010, challenging seven-term incumbent Allen Boyd.
7.
Al Lawson narrowly lost to Boyd in the Democratic primary, and Boyd lost to Republican newcomer Steve Southerland in the general election by more than 12 percentage points.
8.
Al Lawson ran for the seat again, and won the Democratic nomination against Blue Dog-endorsed state representative Leonard Bembry.
9.
Al Lawson lost to Southerland in the general election by less than 6 points.
10.
Al Lawson voted no on the Veterans Second Amendment Protection Act, which would have allowed veterans who are considered "mentally incompetent" to purchase ammunition and firearms unless declared a danger by a judge.
11.
Al Lawson was one of five house Democrats to vote for the US to continue selling arms to Saudi Arabia and to support the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen.