The Nation - News from Aug. 2, 1989

Florida state Sen. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen won the Republican primary while two Democrats headed into a runoff in contests to choose nominees to succeed the late Rep. Claude Pepper (D-Fla.) in an election that could produce the first Cuban-American member of Congress. With all the Republican votes counted, Cuban-born Ros-Lehtinen swept to an easy victory with 16,952 votes, or 82.7% of the total ballots cast. Her closest challenger was businessman Carlos Perez with 2,261, or 11%. In the Democratic contest, former Miami City Commissioner Rosario Kennedy and former Florida Bar president Gerald Richman qualified for an Aug. 15 runoff. With 98% of the votes counted, Richman had 5,595 votes, or 28.1%. Kennedy had 5,438 votes, or 27.3%. Federal probation officer Jo Ann Pepper, the late congressman’s niece, missed the runoff with 4,772 votes, or 24%.