Who is Bill Nelson? The senator from Florida was first elected to Congress as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives in 1972. His tenure in the U.S. Senate began in 2000.
Nelson, 76, is Florida's only Democrat holding statewide office. If he wins reelection Tuesday night, he'll be the state's first four-term senator since Spessard Holland, who served from 1946 to 1971.
Nelson was born in Miami and attended the University of Florida before transferring to Yale University. He earned his law degree from the University of Virginia.
During the Vietnam War, Nelson was a member of the U.S. Army Reserve and served on active duty until 1970. In 1971, he worked for then Governor Reubin Askew as a legislative assistant.
Nelson and his wife, Grace Cavert, have two adult children.
In all, Nelson has served three terms in the Florida House, six terms in Congress and was twice elected Florida's insurance commissioner.
Nelson also ran unsuccessfully for governor in 1990. He lost the Democratic nomination to U.S. Sen. Lawton Chiles, who went on to win the race.
Nelson faces Gov. Rick Scott to keep his Senate seat in Florida. If he loses, both of Florida's senators will be Republican.
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