Also On the Ballot …

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FL U.S. Senator Congress 18 Governor

Up to now, I have written about the candidates running in the August primaries in the two Collier County Commission races, the three School Board races, the Florida Attorney General and Commissioner of Agriculture races, the Collier County judge race, and most recently, the Congressional District 19 and District 26 races. Find them all in my 2022 Elections Archive.

Also on the August ballot for Collier voters are three races I have not written about:

  • U.S. Senator — incumbent Marco Rubio’s term is up;
  • U.S. Representative — new Congressional District 18 (includes one percent of Collier County voters); and
  • Florida Governor — incumbent Ron DeSantis’s term is up.

I will not be doing full posts on these races because, unfortunately, the time I have for research and writing in the coming weeks is limited due to personal commitments — and I know many of my readers have already voted or will be voting soon. Early voting begins on Aug. 13.

So rather than not write anything at all, in this post, I will share links to the candidates’ campaign websites and other relevant online sources where you can continue your research, as well as the campaign financial situations of the three races. While not my usual deep dives, I hope what I am sharing will be helpful. I’ll look further into the winners as we get ready to vote in the November elections.

U.S. Senator

Incumbent Republican Senator Marco Rubio is running for reelection. He has no Republican challengers and will be that party’s nominee on the November ballot.

Four Democrats are running to challenge him: Val Demings, Ricardo De La Fuente, Brian Rush, and William Sanchez.

FL U.S. Senate Candidates

Only registered Democrats may vote in this closed primary. If you are registered as Republican, No Party Affiliation, or another party, this race will not be on your August ballot.

Val Demings

Ricardo De La Fuente

Brian Rush

William Sanchez

FL Senate Race in the News

Campaign Finances

Here are the monetary contributions and expenditures reported by each of the Democratic Party candidates, according to their most recent Federal Election Commission filings as of Aug. 8, 2022.

Congressional District 18

The new Congressional District 18, as drawn by Gov. Ron DeSantis in the recent redistricting and approved by the Florida Legislature, is located in the center of the state and includes portions of eight counties: Collier (1% of the District’s voters), De Soto (4%), Glades (2%), Hardy (3%), Hendry (5%), Highlands (14%), Okeechobee (5%), and Polk (66%).

Incumbent Republican Scott Franklin of Lakeland, FL, is running for reelection. He is completing his first term in Congress representing pre-redistricting District 15. Until the redistricting, that District covered northern Polk County, including most of Lakeland along with eastern Hillsborough County and southern Lake County.

Four Republicans are running to challenge him: Kenneth “Kenny” Hartpence, Jennifer Raybon, Wendy Schmeling, and Eduardo “Eddie” Tarazona.

FL CD 18 Candidates

Only registered Republicans may vote in this closed primary. The winner will likely go on to represent the 18th District in Congress, after facing NPA candidate Keith Hayden, Jr., and a Write-In option in November.

Scott Franklin

Kenneth “Kenny” Hartpence

Jennifer Raybon

Wendy Schmeling

Eduardo “Eddie” Tarazona

CD 18 Race in the News

Campaign Finances

Here are the monetary contributions and expenditures reported by these Republican Party candidates according to their most recent Federal Election Commission filings.

Florida Governor

Incumbent Republican Governor Ron DeSantis is running for reelection. He has no Republican challengers and will be that party’s nominee on the November ballot.

Four Democrats are running to challenge him: Charlie Crist, Cadence Daniel, Nicole “Nikki” Fried, and Robert L. Willis. Click here for a list of government officials and organizations that have endorsed Crist or Fried.

FL Governor Candidates

Only registered Democrats may vote in this closed primary.

The winner will face DeSantis, two No Party Affiliation candidates, a Libertarian Party of Florida candidate, and a Write-In option in November.

Charlie Crist

Cadence Daniel

Nicole “Nikki” Fried

Robert L. Willis

Governor Race in the News

Campaign Finances

Here are the monetary contributions and expenditures reported by each of the Democratic Party candidates according to their most recent Federal Election Commission filings.

Final Thoughts

Only you can decide which candidates you think would better represent you. If you have questions about any of them, try contacting them directly through their website.

If you need additional information about the election itself, visit your Supervisor of Elections website.

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