The 2022 Elections Are Underway!
Qualifying is over. We've got our candidates. Now get informed.
Qualifying for the 2022 elections has officially ended as of noon Friday. We all now know who will be showing up on our ballots in Manatee County. Below is a quick review of the races and what to expect between now and November.
Above the local level, Republicans will have little on their ballot. Senator Marco Rubio is unopposed in the Republican primary to retain his seat. This also goes for Governor Ron DeSantis, Attorney General Ashley Moody and CFO Jimmy Patronis.
The only two broader races to appear on red ballots come August will be for U.S. House of Representatives, District 16, with a primary between incumbent, and presumed future Chairman of the Ways & Means Committee, Congressman Vern Buchanan, and challenger Martin Hyde, as well as the primary race for Commissioner of Agriculture between recent Senate President Wilton Simpson and James Shaw.
Democrats’ primary ballots will, however, offer several races to vote on in August including those for U.S. Senator, Governor, Attorney General and Agriculture. With these races, registered Democrats will be offered the opportunity to voice their opinion for who they’d like to see come in second this November.
Florida State Legislature
The State races within Manatee County do not offer much more by way of excitement for the primaries…or the general election for that matter.
Representative Will Robinson (HD 71), representing west county, has already rightfully won his re-election to a third term with no qualified opposition. Manatee’s other two House seats will be absent from the primary ballots and will only appear in the general this November. Representative Tommy Gregory (HD 72) will be up for this third term of representing Lakewood Ranch and east county against Democrat Roberts Guy Dameus. Representative Mike Beltran, in the newly formed House District 70 (Parrish, Ellenton, Palmetto and South Hillsborough) will also be seeking his third term in the House against Democrat Junior Salazar.
For the Florida Senate, Manatee County is represented by two districts: SD 20 for a majority of the county and SD 22 which will now include most of the county south of SR 70. Both of these races will be on the primary ballots and, with no opposition from other parties, will be decided in August. Incumbent Senator Jim Boyd will continue his march toward a hopeful Senate Presidency down the road with a primary match-up against perennial candidate John Houman. Senator Joe Gruters will also be seeking re-election and a return to representing our county. His primary opponent is Michael Johnson of, strangely enough, Seminole County, FL – approximately 150 miles from the district. I can’t confirm whether Mr. Johnson has ever been to Manatee County but he did put in the effort to open a PO Box in Bradenton.
You can find information about all the above races here:
I don’t anticipate any of the above races to result in a tremendous amount of campaigning, debates or newsprint. The real focus for those of us in Manatee County will be at the local level. Numerous municipal races within the cities for mayors and council will be on the November ballot for those that live within those boundaries. As we’re focused on August at this point, I’ll only highlight the races that are upcoming later this summer.
Manatee County Board of County Commissioners
There are three seats up for re-election this cycle and all three incumbents have filed and face primaries.
District 2: Incumbent Reggie Bellamy will face off in the August Democratic primary against former Manatee County Commissioner Charles Smith. The winner of this primary will face lone Republican candidate Amanda Ballard in November.
District 4: Incumbent Misty Servia will be in a primary against Planning Commissioner Mike Rahn. The winner of this Republican primary will effectively win the seat come November.
District 6 (at-large): All Republican voters throughout the county will have the opportunity to vote in the lone three-way Commission primary. Incumbent Carol Whitmore will be seeking a fifth term against two challengers, Jason Bearden and Carol Ann Felts. As with District 4, the winner of this primary, while not officially elected in August, will go on to win the seat in the general election.
Manatee County School Board
As with the BOCC, there are three seats up for election for the School Board, one of which is an open seat. All School Board races are nonpartisan (in theory) but we all know better.
District 2: With Board Member Charlie Kennedy deciding not to seek re-election, this is the lone open seat in the August races. Three candidates have qualified: Cindy Spray, Susan Agruso and former Bradenton City Councilman Harold Byrd. If any candidate gets over 50% of the vote this August, they will win the seat. Otherwise, there will be a run-off of the top two in November.
District 4: Incumbent Chad Choate, appointed for the seat by Governor DeSantis last year, will hold his first official campaign against challenger Sean Conley.
District 5: Incumbent James Golden will face two challengers in the August primary, Richard Tatem and Chantal Wilford. As with District 2, the same rules apply for the majority vote versus the run-off.
You can find information about all the above candidates and prepare for the municipal and other races by reviewing the information on the Supervisor of Elections site here:
These next few months are an exhausting, nonstop endeavor for the above candidates. It’s an exciting opportunity to get out in front of everyone to present your thoughts and agenda for making Manatee County a great place to live and raise your family. As we enter the meat of the election season ahead of the primaries, you can once again expect to be inundated with signs, mailers and social media ad campaigns.
You all owe it to yourselves to be as educated as you can regarding those races that will appear on your district’s ballot. Please note that, unlike recent years, the BOCC districts (which reflect your “official” district and precinct) do not necessary match up with your School Board district after the new maps were finalized. For example, there is a chance that you could be voting for BOCC District 4 and SBMC District 2 on your ballot.
The best way to ensure you’re going to the right polling location is to search your registration at the Supervisor of Elections site here:
This site will also have your sample ballot once finalized.
While we seemingly had weekly debates two years ago, I haven’t heard much rumblings about upcoming events this cycle. I have heard of a planned all-candidate debate at the Convention Center so be on the look out for that announcement as it will most likely be the most informative and well-covered debate of the summer. Otherwise, keep an eye out for various clubs, civic organizations and other groups hosting Q&As, meet-ups and other ways to stay informed.
Finally, be sure to circle Tuesday, August 23 on your calendars! That is the 2022 Florida Primary Election Day. The outcome of those results will help shape Manatee County for years to come. If you can’t wait until then, early in-person voting starts on Saturday, August 13. Information about those times and locations (note the FDOT site on SR 64 is no longer a location) can be found here:
To keep yourself up-to-date with the candidates above (that have Twitter accounts), see all their handles in the comments of my post.
To all the candidates, good luck and have fun on the campaign trail! To all the voters, get informed and be sure to vote if you want your voices heard!
You forgot to mention who is backed by Neal and Beruff