Young won a September special election to complete State Sen. LaVon Bracy Davis’ term after she was elected, also in a special election, to finish the late Sen. Geraldine F. Thompson’s term following her death in February 2025. A minister and board member of the anti-abortion organization Sidewalk Advocates for Life, Robertson, who develops patient support programs for the pharmaceutical industry, ran unsuccessfully against Bracy Davis for the State Legislature in 2022. He made a run in a 2024 special election for District 4 City Commissioner in Ocoee, but lost to George Oliver III.

In House District 45, which includes Oakland, part of Winter Garden, Windermere, the Disney area and parts of Osceola County, the Republican Primary ended before it started as candidate Lee Steinhauer withdrew from contention on the final day of qualifying and endorsed Erin Huntley, the chair of the Orange County Republican Party, according to Florida Politics. Huntley faces Democratic State Rep. Leonard Spencer in the general election.

Perhaps the biggest shakeups came in FL-11 as incumbent Republican Congressman Daniel Webster announced he would not seek re-election. Next, Democratic candidate Barbie Harden Hall announced she was withdrawing from the race — her second run for Congress — because of an undisclosed illness. Then on Friday, Florida Politics reported that James Pericola, a Democrat who had worked in the Clinton administration, had jumped into the race. Finally, Lake County Commissioner Anthony Sabatini —whose 2024 candidate documents indicate that he lives in District 3 while representing District 1 — withdrew from the Republican Primary after failing to receive a hearing on his effort to hold onto his commission seat while he ran for Congress despite the state’s resign-to-run law. Had Sabatini not withdrawn by Friday at noon, he would have automatically been resigned from the Lake County Commission according to Florida statute.

The Primaries

Meanwhile, here's who will be on the Republican and Democratic primary ballots among the West Orange County races VoxPopuli is watching, plus the countywide races that will also be decided that day. Early voting will take place Aug. 3-16 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. The Orange County Supervisor of Elections office opened six new early voting locations. Mail-in ballots for the primaries can be requested through Aug. 6. Request one here.  

Florida’s Department of Elections lists five Republicans as qualified for the primary: Carey Baker, the former Lake County property appraiser; Ivette Palomo; Orlando neurosurgeon Dr. Nizam Razack; entertainer Tim Wilkins; and Joe Strada, the Lake Mary owner of an air-conditioning, plumbing and electrics company who just pledged $5 million to self-fund his campaign. The winner will face Libertarian candidate Ralph Groves and the winner of the Democratic Primary, which has become a three-way race between Pericola, Dan Williams and Royal Webster (no relation to the retiring congressman).

In House District 39, which includes Apopka, Winter Garden and part of Seminole County, Republican incumbent State Rep. Doug Bankson, founder and senior pastor at Victory Church World Outreach Center in Apopka, is being challenged by Dr. Carlos Johary, a Mount Dora dentist, as he seeks a third term. The primary winner will face Democrat Dr. Jarod Fox, an Orlando Health infectious disease specialist, in November.

Orange County races

In the Orange County Mayoral race, Randy Fust, Jr. gamely hung in, attending every candidate forum to raise his issues. But working a full-time IT job and without the name recognition to attract donors, he ultimately wasn’t able to qualify. That leaves four candidates running for the open seat: Republican Chris Messina, a tech entrepreneur from Winter Park; and Democrats Tiffany Moore Russell, Orange County Clerk of Courts; Mayra Uribe, District 3 County Commissioner; and former U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy.

One more candidate entered the race for District 2 County Commissioner about two weeks ago, making this a five-way race between Ocoee City Commissioner George Oliver III; former State Rep. Kamia Brown; private practice attorney Marsha Summersill; Wes Hodge, chief of staff for District 5 County Commissioner Kelly Semrad; and Michael Lundy Crabb, a lieutenant in the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and the owner of The Shirt Shop in Ocoee.

Orange County School Board Chair race to succeed outgoing chair Teresa Jacobs is a matchup between District 1 School Board Member Angie Gallo and Alicia Farrant, who represents District 3 on the School Board and is a member of Moms for Liberty.

The Orange County Clerk of Courts race is a special election running concurrently with the primary election since Clerk Moore Russell resigned her seat May 26, effective Aug. 31, to run for Orange County Mayor. (For Russell’s successor to be elected during the upcoming midterm elections, she had to resign by May 28 with more than 28 months to go in her term.) Running in this special election are term-limited District 4 County Commissioner Maribel Gomez Cordero; former Orange County Property Appraiser Rick Singh; Clerk of Courts General Counsel Roberta Walton Johnson and Orlando realtor Terrell Thomas.

Nine people have qualified to run for the three Orange County Soil and Water Conservation District seats up for election. In District 1, Quinnie Perez, Vicente Rafael Perez Carreno and Doug Sahr are running. In District 3, there’s Chuck Drake, Kassandra Santiago, Erik Lamonte Melear, and Jose Antonio Rodriguez. And in District 5, there’s Zack Green and Jimmy Middleton.

Six judicial races will also be decided Aug. 18 — three on the Ninth Circuit Court and three on the Orange County Court. All judicial races are nonpartisan and open to all registered voters.

On the circuit court there’s a three-person race in Group 1 between attorneys Temika Hampton-Johnson and Charles Hart who are vying to unseat Circuit Judge Mikaela Nix. In Group 2, attorneys Christina Arguelles and Christie Lou Mitchell face off for this open Circuit Court seat. And in Group 31, attorneys Steve Kerestes and Kamilah Perry are going head-to-head for this open seat.

On the Orange County Court, attorneys Azima Asam and Kafi Kennedy are running for the open judgeship in Group 5 while attorney and former public defender Joy Goodyear challenges incumbent Judge Cherish Adams in Group 17, and attorney Judi Garabo Hayes runs to unseat Judge Mark S. Miller in Group 21.