Updated Jul. 25, 2022, at 10:29 AM
In this post, I provide an overview of the federal and state government races and candidates that will be on Collier County voters’ August primary ballots. I did the same for the local races and candidates, and a local referendum in my last post.
In the coming weeks, as in prior elections, I will dive into each of the major candidates that will be on the August ballot and summarize and share with you what I learn.
For now, here’s the rest of the big picture.
Federal Government Races
U.S. Senate
Members of the U.S. Senate are elected by voters in their state in partisan elections, and serve for six-year staggered terms.
The candidates for U.S. Senate are:
|
Candidate |
Party |
Website | Contributions Through 6/30/22 |
On the Ballot |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marco Rubio (incumbent) | REP | marcorubio.com | $ 34.7 MM | General Election |
| Val Demings | DEM | valdemings.com | $ 43.0 MM | DEM Primary |
| Ricardo De La Fuente | DEM | no website | no data | DEM Primary |
| Brian Rush | DEM | rushforsenate.com | $0.0 MM | DEM Primary |
| William Sanchez | DEM | sanchezforsenate.com | $ 0.3 MM | DEM Primary |
| Steven B. Grant | NPA | stevenbgrant.com | $ 0.0 MM | General Election |
| Tuan TQ Nguyen | NPA | letsbe-american.com | $ 0.0 MM | General Election |
| Dennis Misigoy | LIB | misigoy.com | $ 0.0 MM | General Election |
Only registered Democrats will have a Senate race on the ballot in August because only one Republican is running. It will be a closed primary.
All voters will choose between incumbent Republican Marco Rubio, the winner of the Democrat Primary, the two NPA candidates, and the Libertarian Party candidate in the General Election in November.
U.S. House of Representatives
Members of the U.S. House are elected by voters in their districts in partisan elections, and serve for two-year terms.
Florida gained one seat in the 2020 redistricting due to population growth, and now has 28 seats in the U.S. House.
Forty-four (44) percent of Collier County’s voting age population (VAP) live in the new District 19, 55 percent live in the new District 26, and just 1 percent live in the new District 18.
Find your congressional district.
District 19
The new District 19 has part of Collier and Lee counties.
The candidates for Congressional District 19 are:
|
Candidate |
Party |
Website | Contributions Through 6/3o/22 |
On the Ballot |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Byron Donalds (incumbent) | REP | byrondonalds.com | $ 4.5 MM | REP Primary |
| Jim Huff | REP | jimhuff4congress.com | $0.0 MM | REP Primary |
| Cindy Banyai | DEM | cindybanyai.com | $ 0.1 MM | General Election |
Only registered Republicans will have a House race on the ballot in August because only one Democrat is running. It will be a closed primary.
The winner of the Republican primary will face Democrat Cindy Banyai in November.
District 26
The new District 26 has parts of Collier and Miami-Dade counties.
The candidates for Congressional District 26 are:
|
Candidate |
Party |
Website | Contributions Through 6/30/22 |
On the Ballot |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mario Diaz-Balart (incumbent) | REP | mariodiazbalart.com | $ 1.3 MM | REP Primary |
| Darren Aquino | REP | aquino4congress.com | $ 0.0 MM | REP Primary |
| Christine Alexandria Olivo | DEM | christineforcongress.org | $ 0.1 MM | General Election |
Only registered Republicans will have a House race on the ballot in August because only one Democrat is running. It will be a closed primary.
The winner of the Republican primary will face Democrat Christine Alexandria Olivo in November.
District 18
Collier voters make up just one percent of the voters in the District 18, and they live in about half of the unincorporated town of Immokalee. The majority of District 18 voters live in the Polk County; the rest live in parts of De Soto, Glades, Hardy, Hendry, Highlands, and Okeechobee counties.
The candidates for Congressional District 18 are:
|
Candidate |
Party |
Website | Contributions Through 6/30/22 |
On the Ballot |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scott Franklin (incumbent) | REP | votescottfranklin.com | $ 0.8 MM | REP Primary |
| Kenneth J. Hartpence | REP | votehartpence.com | no data | REP Primary |
| Jennifer Raybon | REP | jenniferraybonforcongress.com | $ 0.1 MM | REP Primary |
| Wendy Schmeling | REP | wendyschmeling.org | no data | REP Primary |
| Eduardo Tarazona | REP | no website | no data | REP Primary |
| Keith R. Hayden Jr. | NPA | no website | no data | General Election |
| Leonard Serratore | WRI | no website | $ 0.0 MM | General Election |
Only registered Republicans will have a House race on the ballot in August. It will be a closed primary.
The winner will face an NPA candidate and a Write-In in November.
Florida Executive Branch Races
Governor
The Governor is elected by all Florida voters in partisan elections. The term of office is four years, and there is a two-term limit.
The candidates for Governor are:
|
Candidate |
Party |
Website | Contributions Through 7/15/22 |
On the Ballot |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ron DeSantis (incumbent) | REP | rondesantis.com | $13.4 MM | General Election |
| Charlie Crist | DEM | charliecrist.com | $ 5.8 MM | DEM Primary |
| Nikki Fried | DEM | nikkifried.com | $ 2.5 MM | DEM Primary |
| Candace Daniel | DEM | candacedaniel.com | $ 0.0 MM | DEM Primary |
Only registered Democrats will have a Governor race on the ballot in August. It will be a closed primary.
The winner will face Republican incumbent Ron DeSantis in November.
Attorney General
The Attorney General is elected by all Florida voters in partisan elections. The term of office is four years, and there is a two-term limit.
The candidates for Attorney General are:
|
Candidate |
Party |
Website | Contributions Through 7/15/22 |
On the Ballot |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashely Moody (incumbent) | REP | ashleymoody.com | $ 1.3 MM | General Election |
| Aramis Ayala | DEM | aramisayala.com | $ 0.0 MM | DEM Primary |
| Jim Lewis | DEM | jimlewis4florida.com | $ 0.0 MM | DEM Primary |
| Daniel Uhlfelder | DEM | danielforag.com | $ 0.2 MM | DEM Primary |
Only registered Democrats will have an Attorney General race on the ballot in August. It will be a closed primary.
The winner will face Republican incumbent Ashley Moody in November.
Commissioner of Agriculture
The Commissioner of Agriculture is elected by all Florida voters in partisan elections. The term of office is four years, and there is a two-term limit.
The candidates for Commissioner of Agriculture are:
|
Candidate |
Party |
Website | Contributions Through 7/15/22 |
On the Ballot |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Shaw | REP | votejim.us | $ 0.1 MM | REP Primary |
| Wilton Simpson | REP | wiltonsimpson.com | $ 2.0 MM | REP Primary |
| Naomi Esther Blemur | DEM | linktr.ee/naomiforfl | $0.0 MM | DEM Primary |
| J.R. Gaillot | DEM | jrgaillot.com | $ 0.0 MM | DEM Primary |
| Ryan Morales | DEM | ryanforflorida.com | $ 0.0 MM | DEM Primary |
Registered Republicans and registered Democrats will have closed primaries for Commissioner of Agriculture in August. The winners will face each other in November.
Chief Financial Officer
The Chief Financial Officer is elected by all Florida voters in partisan elections. The term of office is four years, and there is a two-term limit.
The candidates are:
|
Candidate |
Party |
Website | Contributions Through 7/15/22 |
On the Ballot |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jimmy Patronis (incumbent) | REP | joinjimmy.com | $ 1.1 MM | General Election |
| Adam Hattersley | Dem | adamforflorida.com | $ 0.1 MM | General Election |
There will be no primaries for CFO on the ballot in August. The two candidates will face each other in November.
Florida Legislative Branch Races
House of Representatives
Members of the Florida House are elected by voters in their districts in partisan elections, and serve for two-year terms with four-term limits.
Fourteen (14) percent of Collier County’s voting age population (VAP) live in new District 80, 51 percent live in new District 81, and 35 percent live in new District 82.
Find your State House district.
None of the three House districts in which Collier voters live will have a primary election.
The candidates in District 80 will face each other in the general election. The candidates are:
|
Candidate |
Party |
Website | Contributions Through 7/15/22 |
On the Ballot |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adam Botana (incumbent) | REP | adambotana.com | $ 0.1 MM | General Election |
| Mitchel Schlayer | DEM | mitchforflorida.com | $ 0.0 MM | General Election |
In District 81, incumbent Republican Bob Rommel is running for a fourth and final term. He had no challenger and will be considered elected in November.
In District 82, incumbent Republican Lauren Melo is running for a second term. She had no challengers and will be considered elected in November.
Senate
All Collier County residents live in the new state Senate District 28.
Incumbent Republican Kathleen Passidomo is running for a final term. She had no challengers and will be considered elected in November.
That’s it for the big picture of what will be on the August primary ballot for Collier County voters. Stay tuned for what I learn from my research on the various candidates.