Only one third of the Florida Legislature races will have primaries

Voting sign in the Gray Memorial United Methodist Church polling location in Tallahassee, Florida, on March 19, 2024. (Photo by Jackie Llanos/Florida Phoenix)

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Floridians have until Monday to register to vote in the primaries on Aug. 20. This year, all of the seats in the state House and half of the Senate posts are technically up for grabs; in practice only one third of those races will feature primaries.

The state’s closed-primary system means that if there are multiple candidates for one party, only registered voters of that party can participate in that election. However, if there is only one or no candidate for a specific party, then a primary for that party won’t happen.

Although the vast majority of state legislative races won’t have primaries this year, the GOP will have 27 primaries and Democrats will have 19.

Florida Senate elections in odd-numbered districts

Nine, or 45%, of 20 seats in the Senate, will have primary elections on Aug. 20. But only Senate District 25, which consists of Osceola and parts of Orange County, will have primaries for both Democrats and Republicans — three Democrats are looking to secure the election, and two Republicans want the seat. Senators serve staggered four-year terms.

Most incumbents are skating through to the general election, but three senators face primary challengers: Democrat Tracie Davis of Duval County, Democrat Geraldine Thompson of Orange County, and Republican Ed Hooper of Pasco and Pinellas counties.

Both challengers to Davis and Hooper are political newcomers. Francky Jeanty, who is running for Davis' seat, runs a college consulting business, and District 21 candidate John Siamas is a U.S. Navy veteran and tax accountant. On the other hand, Randolph Bracy, who is going for the Central Florida seat, was a state senator just two years ago. He ran for Congress, but Maxwell Alejandro Frost defeated him.

Democrats in the Senate have already won a seat even before the primary and general election because the GOP didn't put up a candidate against Carlos Guillermo Smith in Central Florida's Senate District 17. He served in the House between 2016 and 2022.

Republican Reps. Tom Leek of Volusia County and Randy Fine of Brevard County are looking to move to the upper chamber in separate races. They won't be able to campaign against Democratic candidates unless they win their primaries. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis endorsed Leek and Fine got the nod from former President Donald Trump.

Fewer than a third of House races will have primaries

Every seat in the Florida House will be on the ballot November but only 33 House districts are set to have primaries next month. House members serve two-year terms.

Since last month, the Florida Democratic Party has been celebrating its feat of running candidates in every congressional and legislative election. In fact, the party has already secured nine seats in the House that Republicans aren't challenging. When it comes to the primaries, Republican voters will have a wider range of choices because the party will have 22 primaries, whereas Dems will have 14.

Additionally, 10 incumbents face primary challengers, including Democrats Angie Nixon and Kimberly Daniels of Duval County, Bruce Antone and Rita Harris of Orange County, Daryl Campbell of Broward County, and Ashley Gantt of Miami-Dade County; and Republicans Brad Yeager of Pasco, James Buchanan of Sarasota County, Dana Trabulsy of Port St. Lucie County, and Fabian Basabe of Miami-Dade.

Floridians can register to vote or change their party affiliation through the Florida Online Voter Registration System or in person at their local supervisor of elections office.

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