Hillsborough County 2022 Primary Election Information

rcragun

2 years ago

Below you will find information on most if not all of the primary races (and one ballot issue) in Hillsborough County, Florida. I try to provide basic information on each candidate without being partisan. The goal is just to make it easier for you to do your research on the candidates. While I’m trying to not be partisan, I reserve the right to be snarky.

For those who are interested, here is a list of the Tampa Bay Times’s endorsements. The Tampa Bay Times now has their voter guide up. I still think mine is better, but you can use their guide if you’d like.

United States Senator

Democratic Primary

Ricardo De La Fuente

Party: Democrat
Background Information: Seems like going to Harvard is the primary source of his identity. Is a diversity and inclusion officer at YPO Global. Ran for the House in 2018 and 2020.
Finances: Federal Election Commission (no money as of 7/19/2022).
Websites: campaign website; LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook

Val Demings

Party: Democrat
Background Information: Former chief of police in Orlando. Was a social worker before becoming a police officer. Representative in Florida’s 10th district of Congress. Husband is mayor of Orange County. Rides a Harley.
Finances: Federal Election Commission
Websites: campaign website; TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook

Brian Rush

Party: Democrat
Background Information: UF undergrad in history and American Literature. Law degree from UF as well. Worked with Holland and Knight, then started his own firm, Woodlief and Rush. Served in Florida House of Representatives previously.
Finances: Federal Election Commission
Websites: campaign website; Twitter, Facebook

William Sanchez

Party: Democrat
Background Information: From New York. Attended University of Miami for undergrad. Law degree from Georgetown. Has worked with refugees and immigrants for a long time. Appointed by George W. Bush as Special Counsel for the Department of Justice. Ran his own law firm.
Finances: Federal Election Commission
Websites: campaign website; Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

Republican Primary

No primary. Marco Rubio, the incumbent, is the Republican Party’s candidate.

Congressional District 14

Democratic Primary

Christopher Bradley

Party: Democratic
Background Information: Works for SOCOM (Special Operations Command) at MacDill in cyber defense. Bachelor’s from Cal State Polytechnic University and Masters in cybersecurity.
Finances: Federal Election Commission
Websites: campaign website; Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

Kathy Castor

Party: Democrat
Background Information: Incumbent. First elected to Congress in 2006, she was on the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners from 2002 to 2006. Bachelors from Emory and JD from Florida State.
Finances: Federal Election Commission
Websites: campaign website; Twitter, Facebook

Republican Primary

James Judge

Party: Republican
Background Information: He thinks it’s important to be a Christian. The fact that he’s a Christian is all over his website. Eckerd College grad (though he has a photo of him on The University of Tampa’s veranda on his website, which made me laugh). Served in the US Coast Guard and US military. Runs a PR and marketing firm in Tampa. He’s giving away AR-15s to people who donate to his campaign. Also likes dogs. (Honestly, he strikes me as a shallow partisan – no depth, but all the talking points. Read his platform and you’ll see what I mean.)
Finances: Federal Election Commission
Websites: campaign website; Twitter

Samar “Sam” Nashagh

Party: Republican
Background Information: Hillsborough High grad. Eagle scout. Bachelors in social science from Florida State. Joined the Marines and served in Afghanistan and Iraq; still in the military. Runs a small media production company.
Finances: Federal Election Commission
Websites: campaign website; Facebook

Jerry Torres

Party: Republican
Background Information: His campaign website doesn’t load. (As a tech guy, that’s a cardinal sin.) Served in the military. Was a Green Beret. Founded Torres Advanced Enterprise Solutions, which made him a lot of money when he sold it (it’s basically a company that works as a contractor for the federal government, so he got all his money through government contracts). Serves on the board of the company now. Self-funding his campaign to the tune of $5 to $10 million. Touting a garbage poll on Twitter saying he is in the lead in the race.
Finances: Federal Election Commission
Websites: campaign website; Twitter

Congressional District 15

Democratic Primary

Gavin Brown

Party: Democrat
Background Information: Florida State Bachelors in Political Science, Theater, and Religion. From Clermont, Florida. Has helped with lots of political campaigns. Recently worked in NYC at a theatre company as the Audience Services Director.
Finances: Federal Election Commission
Websites: campaign website; Facebook

Alan M. Cohn

Party: Democrat
Background Information: Investigative journalist. Worked for the local ABC affiliate. Member of several unions. He has a picture of his dog on his website that is captioned with, “My dad is running for Congress.” He actually has two human kids and… I’m not a dog guy.
Finances: Federal Election Commission
Websites: campaign website; Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

Eddie Geller

Party: Democrat
Background Information: From Clearwater. University of Florida grad. Worked as a comedian, actor, activist, and video producer.
Finances: Federal Election Commission
Websites: campaign website; Twitter, Facebook

Cesar Ramirez

Party: Democrat
Background Information: Served in the military. Bachelors in management. MBA. Worked in finance and banking as a financial crime investigator. Currently an assistant vice president of operations and technology for a financial institution.
Finances: Federal Election Commission
Websites: campaign website; Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

William VanHorn

Party: Democrat
Background Information: From Long Island. Has lived in Florida since 1991. Adopted three special needs kids. Served in the US Navy. Worked for the US Postal Service.
Finances: Federal Election Commission
Websites: campaign website; Twitter, Facebook

Republican Primary

Demetries “Commander” Grimes

Party: Republican
Background Information: Bachelors from Boston University and an MBA. Served in the military as a naval officer and aviator, then prosecutor and judge in the military (no JD though). Has had jobs in the Pentagon and NATO headquarters. Native Floridian. Wearing a cowboy hat on his website. Describes himself as a “warrior.”
Finances: Federal Election Commission
Websites: campaign website; Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

Laurel Lee

Party: Republican
Background Information: Worked as a federal prosecutor in the US Attorney’s Office in the Middle District of Florida then a Circuit Court Judge (appointed by Rick Scott). Former Florida Secretary of State under DeSantis (served for 3 years).
Finances: Federal Election Commission
Websites: campaign website; Twitter, Facebook

Kevin “Mac” McGovern

Party: Republican
Background Information: From Indiana. Bachelors in Electrical Engineering from Purdue. Served in the Navy for a long time. Retired as a Navy Captain and worked as a civilian engineer.
Finances: Federal Election Commission
Websites: campaign website; Twitter, Facebook

Kelli Stargel

Party: Republican
Background Information: From Tampa. Attended Tallahassee Community College (no degrees). Served in the Florida House from 2008 to 2012 (after her husband, John Stargel, who served from 2002 to 2006). Is now a member of the Florida Senate. No real information on her campaign website about her. Wikipedia is better.
Finances: Federal Election Commission
Websites: campaign website

Jackie Toledo

Party: Republican
Background Information: From Peru. Grew up in Tampa. Has a degree in civil engineering from USF. Worked as an engineer on road projects. Owns an engineering and consulting company. State Representative for Florida’s 60th district.
Finances: Federal Election Commission
Websites: campaign website

Congressional District 16

Democratic Primary

There is no primary. Jan Schneider will be the Democratic candidate for this race.

Party: Democrat
Background Information: Undergraduate degree from Brown. JD and PhD from Yale. Practicing attorney. Also works with several charities and activist groups.
Finances: Federal Election Commission
Websites: campaign website; Facebook, Instagram

Republican Primary

Vern Buchanan

Party: Republican
Background Information: From Michigan. Served in the Air National Guard. Franchised a printing company and ended up getting fined for his role in that company. Owns car dealerships. Net worth is over $100 million. One of the wealthiest members of Congress. (You know those annoying phone calls and mailers that offer unnecessary extended warranties on cars? Vern Buchanan owns companies that offer those extended warranties.) Wikipedia is more informative than his campaign website.
Finances: Federal Election Commission
Websites: campaign website; Twitter, Facebook

Martin Hyde

Party: Republican
Background Information: From the UK. Says he was a professional soccer player in the UK but can’t confirm that. Now describes himself as a business owner. Picture of him by a cross on his Facebook page. Also, there’s this quote on his website, “Martin isn’t going to cross the aisle, because liberal legislation is dangerous to our republic.” I’m appalled at the state of our politics when people think this is a good thing.
Finances: Federal Election Commission
Websites: campaign website; Facebook

Governor and Lieutenant Governor

Democratic Primary

Charlie Crist

Party: Democratic
Background Information: Grew up in St. Pete. Undergrad degree from Florida State. Law degree from Cumberland School of Law in Alabama. Former governor of Florida. Currently, serving in the US house from the 13th District (St. Pete).
Finances: Florida Department of State Division of Elections – as of 7/19/2022: $5.7 million
Websites: campaign website; Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok

Cadance Daniel

Party: Democrat
Background Information: She’s married to a Pakistani and helped fund schools there. Small business owner. Whoever put together her website can’t write, “Cadance’s diversified background in areas of suffering the brunt of scrutiny herself.”
Finances: Florida Department of State Division of Elections – as of 7/19/2022: $12,322
Websites: campaign website; Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok

Nicole “Nikki” Fried

Party: Democrat
Background Information: From South Florida. Went to University of Florida. Has a law degree. Worked for Holland and Knight then became a public defender in Alachua County. Worked to legalize marijuana. Founded her own law firm. Currently the Florida Commissioner of Agriculture.
Finances: Florida Department of State Division of Elections – as of 7/19/2022: $2.5 million
Websites: campaign website; Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok

Robert L. Willis

Party: Democrat
Background Information: Grew up in Brevard County. Went to FAMU. Bachelors degree in Elementary Education. Works for a charter school (says he also worked at the Kennedy Space Center, but not clear doing what). Referees basketball games.
Finances: Florida Department of State Division of Elections – as of 7/19/2022: $18,429
Websites: campaign website; Facebook

Republican Primary

No primary. The incumbent, Ron DeSantis, is the candidate for the Republican Party. As of 7/19/2022, he has a war chest of $18.4 million.

Attorney General

Democratic Primary

Aramis Ayala

Party: Democrat
Background Information: From Michigan. Has worked as both a prosecuting attorney and a public defender. Was State Attorney of Florida’s 9th Judicial Circuit from 2017 to 2021.
Finances: Florida Department of State Division of Elections – as of 7/19/2022: $87,677
Websites: campaign website; Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

Jim Lewis

Party: Democrat
Background Information: Grew up in Florida. UCF bachelors in Criminal Justice and Public Administration and JD from Stetson. Has worked as a State Attorney for years. Adjunct instructor at Nova Southeastern Law School.
Finances: Florida Department of State Division of Elections – as of 7/19/2022: $20,750
Websites: campaign website

Daniel Uhlfelder

Party: Democrat
Background Information: From Florida. Stanford for undergrad. I think UF for law school. Served as a clerk for US District Court in the Southern District of Miami for a couple of years, then a trial attorney for a couple of years. Occasionally dresses up as the Grim Reaper and walks around on beaches.
Finances: Florida Department of State Division of Elections – as of 7/19/2022: $151,794
Websites: campaign website; Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok

Republican Primary

There is no primary. The incumbent, Ashley Moody, is the Republican Party’s candidate. As of 7/19/2022 she had a war chest of $2.1 million.

Commissioner of Agriculture

Democratic Primary

Naomi Esther Blemur

Party: Democrat
Background Information: From Florida. Lives in Miami. Daughter of Haitian immigrants; grandparents were farmers. Studied in France, Spain, Italy, and in the US. Worked in management in retail and commercial banking for Fortune 500 companies. Now runs a non-profit helping girls in the foster care system. Has a consulting business. Serves on some commissions in Miami. (Campaign photo has to have been photoshopped.)
Finances: Florida Department of State Division of Elections – as of 7/19/2022: $40,321
Websites: campaign website; Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

J. R. Gaillot

Party: Democrat
Background Information: Born in NYC. Parents were Haitian immigrants; his dad was a diplomat from Haiti. Bachelor’s degree from University of Hartford in Connecticut. Working on a Master’s in International Relations from Harvard. Not entirely clear, but seems like he is a lobbyist and consultant for various companies.
Finances: Florida Department of State Division of Elections – as of 7/19/2022: $12,816
Websites: campaign website; Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

Ryan Morales

Party: Democrat
Background Information: Owns a marketing and business management firm and grows cannabis. Formerly worked in journalism, web development, and cybersecurity (I’m a bit skeptical, since that is pretty specialized.) Loves animals, particularly boxers. (He has videos that autoplay on his website. Ugh. Super annoying.)
Finances: Florida Department of State Division of Elections – as of 7/19/2022: $17,397
Websites: campaign website; Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

Republican Primary

James W. Shaw

Party: Republican
Background Information: BA in Sociology/Anthropology from Colgate University. Played football in college. Managed a trucking company in Pennsylvania. Also owns Aunti Anne’s pretzel franchises and real estate. Identifies himself on Facebook as, “Florida first patriot, conservative, Christian, proud grandfather, father, and husband.” Favorite quote from his website, “Gun owners can never be forced to disarm or compromise.” (Winner of the best beard competition in the primaries.)
Finances: Florida Department of State Division of Elections – as of 7/19/2022: $49,360
Websites: campaign website; Facebook

Wilton Simpson

Party: Republican
Background Information: From Florida. Associate’s degree from Pasco-Hernando State college. Works for family businesses, including a large-scale egg-laying operation. Served in the Florida Senate and the Florida House. Was the Senate President from 2020-2022. Wikipedia page is more helpful than his campaign website.
Finances: Florida Department of State Division of Elections – as of 7/19/2022: $2.1 million
Websites: campaign website; Twitter

State Senator District 20

Democratic Primary

Democratic primary was canceled (per Ballotpedia). Not sure what is going on here.

Republican Primary

Jim Boyd

Party: Republican
Background Information: From Florida. Bachelor’s degree from Florida State. Owns an insurance business. Served as mayor of Palmetto City. Formerly served in the Florida House from Manatee County. Comes from a family of politicians – father and uncle both served in the Florida House/Senate.
Finances: Florida Department of State Division of Elections – as of 7/19/2022: $186,429
Websites: campaign website; Twitter, Facebook

John Houman

Party: Republican
Background Information: From Wisconsin. Not much information on him. Not a Trump acolyte. Found that he is a former felon who petitioned to have his civil rights restored. He also filmed a friend singing some songs and put them on YouTube. Awesome! (Runner up for most retro website. The Florida flag GIF is awesome!)
Finances: Florida Department of State Division of Elections – as of 7/19/2022: $1,803
Websites: campaign website; YouTube (go see it; seriously!)

State Representative District 62

Democratic Primary

Wengay “Newt” Newton

Party: Democrat
Background Information: From St. Pete. Attended Hillsborough Community College and St. Pete College. Worked for Xerox. Served on St. Pete City Council and 4 years in Florida Legislature.
Finances: Florida Department of State Division of Elections – as of 7/19/2022: $30,710
Websites: campaign website; Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

Jesse Philippe

Party: Democrat
Background Information: From Miami. Served in the Marines. Attended St. Pete College. Went to Western Michigan for his JD. Now works as an attorney.
Finances: Florida Department of State Division of Elections – as of 7/19/2022: $19,074
Websites: campaign website; Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

Michele K. Rayner

Party: Democrat
Background Information: Incumbent (but district number changed). From Clearwater. Attended Florida State. JD from Florida Coastal School of Law. Worked as a public defender and is now in private practice. No information about her on her campaign website. Wikipedia was helpful.
Finances: Florida Department of State Division of Elections – as of 7/19/2022: $61,208
Websites: campaign website; Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

Republican Primary

No primary. Jeremy Brown will be the Republican candidate. He is currently in jail due to his involvement with the January 6th attack on the US Capitol.

State Representative District 65

Democratic Primary

No primary. Jen McDonald will be the Democratic candidate.

Republican Primary

Karen Gonzalez Pittman

Wesley Tibbals

Party: Nonpartisan race
Background Information: From Lake County, Florida. Incumbent. Attended University of Florida for Bachelor’s and JD. Was a trial attorney at Akerman LLP for 15 years. Has served on the 13th Judicial Circuit since 2015.
Finances:
Websites: campaign website; Facebook, Instagram

13th Judicial Circuit Group 37

Nancy L. Jacobs

Party: Nonpartisan race
Background Information: From Miami. Got her JD from University of Miami. Worked as a prosecutor for the State Attorney’s Office. Owns her own law firm – criminal defense.
Finances:
Websites: campaign website; Facebook

Jared Smith

Party: Nonpartisan race
Background Information: JD from Washburn University School of Law. Clerked for a justice of the Kansas Supreme Court. Served in the US Air Force. Worked as a US Attorney. Then joined a private firm focused on construction law. Has been a judge for 5 years. Deacon at Idlewild Baptist Church.
Finances:
Websites: campaign website; Facebook

County Court Judge Group 14

Melissa Black

Party: Nonpartisan race
Background Information: From Tampa. Went to Academy of the Holy Names. Undergrad at University of Florida and JD from Stetson. Worked as a public litigator. Has her own law firm now focused on child welfare – adoption, termination of parental rights, etc.
Finances: Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections
Websites: campaign website; Facebook, LinkedIn

Alicia Whiting Bozich

Party: Nonpartisan race
Background Information: From West Virginia. Attended Oberlin College in Ohio for undergrad. JD from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law in Ohio. Has worked at a couple of different law firms. Attends St. Stephen Catholic Church in Riverview.
Finances: Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections
Websites: campaign website; Facebook

Linette “Starr” Brookins

Party: Nonpartisan race
Background Information: From Florida. Attended The University of Tampa for undergrad and George Washington University Law School for her JD. Works as a Hearing Officer with Hillsborough County. Also works for Allstate. Serves on a bunch of boards, including the Justice Ministry at Bible Based Fellowship church.
Finances: Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections
Websites: campaign website

Mike Isaak

Party: Nonpartisan race
Background Information: Grew up in Tampa. Graduated from Tampa Prep then went to Rollins College for undergrad. JD from Samford University in Alabama. Worked as a state attorney then opened his own law practice – criminal defense. Volunteers with various local organizations (e.g., St. Joseph’s Hospital). (Kids win for the most “forced” smiles for a campaign photo.)
Finances: Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections
Websites: campaign website; Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

School Board Member District 2

Damaris Allen

Party: Nonpartisan race
Background Information: Plant High graduate. Studied Christian education at Florida Southern College. Works as a minister, dance teacher, and small business owner. Involved in the PTA. Her kids are in public schools. No experience as an educator in public schools.
Finances: Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections
Websites: campaign website; Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok

Stacy Hahn

Party: Nonpartisan race
Background Information: Incumbent (currently on the schoolboard). Has a PhD in education from USF and worked in USF’s education department. Is on the board of directors of Zoo Tampa, Tampa Museum of Art, etc. Has worked in Hillsborough County schools.
Finances: Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections
Websites: campaign website; Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

School Board Member District 4

Hunter Gambrell

Party: Nonpartisan race
Background Information: Florida native. Attended Hillsborough Community College then University of Florida (degree in business administration). Worked as a teacher’s aide then in transportation with Hillsborough County Schools. Currently works for Polk County (budget coordinator and workforce operations).
Finances: Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections
Websites: campaign website; Facebook

Patricia “Patti” Rendon

Party: Nonpartisan race (guessing Republican)
Background Information: USF graduate. Ran a small business that she recently sold. Has volunteered in local schools but never worked in the schools. Notes that she is Christian prominently on her website. Her priorities include, “Empower families to make the best educational choices for their children,” and “No more tax increases!”
Finances: Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections
Websites: campaign website; Facebook

Danielle Smalley

Party: Nonpartisan race
Background Information: Tampa native. Mother was a teacher. She was a teacher in Hillsborough County and is now an assistant principal at a charter school.
Finances: Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections
Websites: campaign website; Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

School Board Member District 6

Roshaun Gendrett

Party: Nonpartisan race
Background Information: Does not appear to be a Florida native. Says he worked in the Los Angeles school district for 20 years in various roles. Has a BA in secondary education and an MA in Educational Administration. He is an ordained pastor and a member of Tampa Elks.
Finances: Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections
Websites: campaign website; Facebook, LinkedIn

Alysha “Aly Marie” Legge

Party: Nonpartisan race (guessing Republican)
Background Information: Served in the military. No other credentials noted (no degrees as far as I can tell). No experience in schools. Not a teacher or former teacher. Affiliated with Moms for Freedom, a conservative activist group that supports school choice, parental rights, etc. From her website, “Parents know what is best for their children contrary to what some members of the current board believe.”
Finances: Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections
Websites: campaign website; Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok

Karen Perez

Party: Nonpartisan race (guessing Democrat)
Background Information: Current schoolboard member (incumbent). Born in New York but raised in Tampa. Bachelors and Masters from USF in social work. Has worked with various hospitals but now owns her own private practice. Has two certified therapy dogs.
Finances: Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections
Websites: campaign website; Twitter

School Board Referendum

Here is the text of the referendum on the ballot:

Shall The School Board of Hillsborough County levy an ad valorem operating millage of 1 mil annually for fiscal years July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2027, to (i) increase compensation to recruit and retain highly qualified teachers and staff, (ii) expand art, music, and physical education, (iii) expand workforce development, sharing funds with charter schools proportionate with student enrollment as required by law, with annual reporting to ensure proper stewardship of funds to taxpayers?

Here is a Tampa Bay Times article on the referendum.

Hillsborough County ballots: nonpartisan, Democratic, Republican