Polk County native Lawton Chiles assumed his seat in the U.S. Senate on this date in 1974. Running one of the most unconventional campaigns in Florida history, a relatively unknown Chiles walked 1,003 miles, from Pensacola to Key West, meeting the Sunshine State’s constituents face to face in order to gain notoriety. The journey lasted ninety-one days and Chiles wore out more than one pair of boots! Termed at the time a “public relations stroke of genius,” the walk ultimately catapulted Chiles to an overwhelming victory over his opponent William C. Cramer in the 1970 election. Chiles was reelected to the Senate two more times before deciding to run for Governor of Florida in 1990, a post he served in for two terms.
~Florida Historical Society
