The 1950 United States Senate election in Florida was a campaign characterized by accusations and mudslinging. Incumbent Senator Claude Pepper was defeated in the Democratic primary by George Smathers in what has been described as one of the "most bitter and ugly campaigns in Florida political history." Pepper was targeted for taking part in the "dump Truman" campaign, which attempted to deny incumbent Harry Truman the nomination in favor of another Democrat in the 1948 presidential election. The election is an example of the Red Scare, as Pepper was accused of having ties with Communism and the Soviet Union.