Tampa, Florida sample ballot 2026

Harry Cohen is a lawyer who served as chief deputy clerk of the Hillsborough Circuit Court and eight years on the Tampa City Council, and has been the District 1 commissioner since 2020, per his official county bio.

Toledo is an engineer, small business owner and former Florida state representative, per the campaign site. She says her experience includes delivering solutions, managing budgets and bringing people together to get things done, per the campaign site.

Gwen Myers is the incumbent Hillsborough County Commissioner for District 3, first elected in November 2020, per the campaign site. She worked in Hillsborough County government for 25 years in housing and community development and health and social services, and holds a business administration degree from Florida A&M University, per the campaign site.

Garcia is a local business owner who runs a coffee shop and describes the campaign as not a career-politician bid, per the campaign site. Garcia is running for Hillsborough County Commission District 3, per the campaign site.

Stacy Hahn holds a PhD in early childhood special education, has worked as a university professor and public school teacher, leads the nonprofit Literacy Is Key, and has served on the Hillsborough School Board since 2018, per her campaign site and the Tampa Bay Beacon.

Neil Manimala is a board-certified urologist practicing in Brandon, Plant City, and Sun City Center, president of the Hillsborough County Medical Association, and a graduate of county public schools and the USF College of Medicine, per his campaign site.

Aileen Rodriguez is a public affairs executive with over 20 years of experience, principal of AR Public Affairs & Strategic Solutions, and a former U.S. Senate staffer, per her campaign site and Florida Politics coverage.

Joshua Wostal owns a shipping and printing business near Raymond James Stadium and served 10 years in the Navy; he is the incumbent countywide District 7 commissioner, elected in 2022, per his campaign site and the Tampa Bay Beacon.

Brittany Lyssy is an attorney and education policy advocate with degrees from the University of Florida and Stetson Law, currently pursuing a PhD in education-focused public policy, per her campaign site.

Simic spent more than 20 years in education, starting as a classroom teacher before becoming assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction for Hillsborough County Public Schools, where she managed 233 schools and supported more than 12,000 educators, per the campaign site. She has also worked at the Florida Department of Education and in district leadership roles in Florida and Texas, and currently serves as vice president of advocacy for the Hillsborough County Council PTA, per the campaign site. She holds a master's degree in educational policy and leadership from the University of Pennsylvania, per the campaign site.

Kenneth Gay is a retired educator with 39 years in Hillsborough public schools as a teacher, instructional leader, and assistant principal, holding a doctorate in child and youth studies, per his campaign site.

Karen Perez is a licensed clinical social worker and certified traumatologist who runs a private wellness practice, and the incumbent countywide District 6 board member, first elected in 2018, per her campaign site.

Career counselor and founder of Circle C Ranch Academy, a Tampa preschool established in 1985, per her campaign site. She served on the Hillsborough County School Board from 2014 to 2018 and as board chair from 2018 to 2019, a tenure during which graduation rates rose 15 percent to 83 percent, per WUSF. Sally Harris "Ms Sally" Williamson appears on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Hillsborough County School Board District 6, per the Supervisor of Elections' official qualified-candidate list.

Ashley Moody is Florida's incumbent U.S. senator and the Republican nominee in the 2026 special election for the final two years of Marco Rubio's term. Appointed in January 2025 when Rubio became secretary of state, she previously served as Florida attorney general and as a circuit judge.

• Voted yes on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the 2025 tax-and-spending package, which passed the Senate 50-50 in July 2025 with the Vice President breaking the tie. Supported
• Voted yes on the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2026, which passed the Senate 77-20 in October 2025. Supported
• Voted yes on the November 2025 funding agreement that ended the government shutdown, which passed the Senate 60-40 in November 2025. Supported
• Voted yes on the March 2025 full-year stopgap funding bill, which passed the Senate 54-46 in March 2025. Supported

Nixon is a Florida state representative from Jacksonville and a former union organizer running for the U.S. Senate, per the campaign site. She has said her mother worked two jobs and that she lost a cousin to gun violence, and she has led opposition to congressional and legislative maps drawn under Governor DeSantis, per the campaign site.

Donalds is a member of Congress representing Florida's 19th District since 2020, per the campaign site. Before Congress, he worked in the finance, insurance and banking industries in Southwest Florida and served in the Florida House of Representatives, where he chaired the House Insurance and Banking Subcommittee and led the effort to enact Hope Scholarships for school choice, per the campaign site. He was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, and graduated from Florida State University in 2002, per the campaign site.

• Voted yes on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the 2025 tax-and-spending package, which passed the House 218-214 in July 2025. Supported
• Voted yes on the Laken Riley Act, expanding federal detention of certain immigrants charged with theft or violent crimes, which passed the House 263-156 in January 2025. Supported
• Voted yes on the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2026, which passed the House 231-196 in September 2025. Supported
• Voted yes on the November 2025 funding agreement that ended the government shutdown, which passed the House 222-209 in November 2025. Supported
• Voted yes on the September 2025 stopgap funding bill, which passed the House 217-212 in September 2025. Supported
• Voted yes on the March 2025 full-year stopgap funding bill, which passed the House 217-213 in March 2025. Supported

David Jolly is the Democratic nominee for Florida governor, a former Republican congressman from the Tampa Bay area who left the GOP and joined the Democratic Party in 2025. His campaign emphasizes affordability, property insurance reform, public schools, and ending one-party control of Tallahassee.

James Uthmeier is Florida's incumbent attorney general and the Republican candidate in the 2026 election. Appointed in February 2025 after serving as Governor DeSantis's chief of staff, he is seeking a full term. Per the state qualifying list, he and Democrat Jose Javier Rodriguez advance directly to the November ballot.

Jose Javier Rodriguez is the Democratic candidate for Florida attorney general, an attorney and former state senator and state representative from Miami. He served as an assistant secretary of labor in the Biden administration. His campaign emphasizes consumer protection, insurance accountability, and voting rights. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026.

Blaise Ingoglia is Florida's incumbent chief financial officer and the Republican nominee in the 2026 election. Appointed in July 2025, he previously served in the Florida Senate and House and as state party chair.

Annette Taddeo is a Florida state senator, the first Latina Democrat elected to the Florida State Senate, first elected in a 2017 special election, per the campaign site.

Simpson is a fifth-generation Floridian and lifelong farmer who operates a large-scale egg-laying operation supplying Florida supermarkets, per the campaign site. He currently serves as Florida's Agriculture Commissioner and previously served in the state Senate, per the campaign site.

Joey Mendoza Atkins is the Democratic nominee for Florida agriculture commissioner. A lifelong Floridian, he earned a political science degree cum laude and a law degree, worked as a family-law attorney, and represented athletes as a Miami-area sports agent. His platform focuses on grocery costs, local farmers, and affordability.