FIND KEY POINTS FROM THE CANDIDATES’ PLATFORMS.
Early voting for the November election runs from October 21 through November 3; 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Election Day is November 5; 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. The polling location in Plant City is Bruton Memorial Library, 302 W. McLendon Street. The first items listed as issues on candidates’ websites are below. Since judges do not run on issues, the person who appointed each judge is included.
President and Vice President
• Donald J. Trump/JD Vance (R) – Sealing the border, and ending inflation.
• Kamala D. Harris/Tim Walz (D) – Cutting taxes for middle class families, making rent more affordable, and home ownership more attainable.
• Chase Oliver/Mike Ter Maat (LPF) – Slashing spending, balancing the budget, and simplifying the immigration process.
• Claudia De la Cruz/Karina Garcia (PSL) – Establishing Socialism, ending Capitalism, and ending aid to Israel.
• Randall Terry/Stephen Broden (CPF) – Supporting the pro-life agenda.
• Peter Sonski/Lauren Onak (ASP) – Making sure workers have fair pay and good working conditions, the pro-life agenda, and ending capital punishment.
• Jill Stein/Rudolph Ware (GRE) – Putting an end to systemic discrimination against marginalized groups, and implementing a Green New Deal with massive investment in green jobs, industries, and technologies.
United States Senator
• Rick Scott (R) – Teaching educational fundamentals instead of political perspectives in schools, and no government policy will be based on race.
• Debbie Murcarsel-Powell (D) – Tackling rising costs, and opposition to raising taxes on the middle class.
• Feena Bonoan (LPF) – Lowering taxes, and no spending of American tax dollars to aid foreign wars.
• Tuan TQ Nguyen (No Party Affiliation – NPA) – No deportation, nor family separation for illegal immigrants, and equal opportunity to education for all instead of handing out money to all.
• Ben Everidge (NPA) – Helping ensure good jobs with fair pay, and safe and affordable housing.
Representative in Congress
District 15
• Laurel Lee (R) – Cutting wasteful government spending, and strongly supporting local law enforcement.
• Patricia “Pat” Kemp (D) – Restoring reproductive freedom, and strengthening Social Security and Medicare.
State Attorney 13th
Judicial Circuit
• Suzy Lopez (R) – Finding justice and making certain those guilty of committing crimes serve their time, and building and maintaining strong relationships with local law enforcement.
• Andrew Warren (D) – Free speech, democracy and the rule of law, and defending every American’s freedoms under the First Amendment.
State Senator, District 23
• Danny Burgess (R) – Cutting billions in taxes for Floridians and small businesses, and protecting children from indoctrination in the classroom.
• Ben Braver (D) – Lowering prices across Florida, and creating smart growth.
• John Houman (IND) – Supporting long-range planning for agriculture, algae bloom, beach erosion, and infrastructure, and abortion rights.
State Representative District 68
• Lawrence McClure – (R) 100 percent pro-life, pro-2nd Amendment, and pro-crime reduction.
• Lisa Carpus (D) – Restoring Roe v. Wade, and not forcing voters to renew their vote-by-mail request after every general election cycle.
• Tyrell Hicks (NPA) – Prioritizing serving the community, and transparent governance.
Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller
• Victor Crist (R) – Preventing delay of justice by improving clerking support, and reducing costs to taxpayers by trimming positions not required for the office.
• Cindy Stuart (D) – Championing fiscal responsibility, and fostering trust between Hillsborough County and the Clerk’s office by creating and maintaining a high level of transparency.
Property Appraiser
• John Ballance (R) – Making sure all property appraisals are applied fairly and equally, and establishing strict criteria for appraisals made available to the public.
• Bob Henriquez (D) – Making sure assessments are fair, accurate, and transparent.
Supervisor of Elections
• Billy Christensen (R) – Transparency and security of elections.
• Craig Latimer (D) – Making Hillsborough County the best place in America to vote.
Board of County Commissioners District 4
• Christine Miller (R) – Fighting inflation by keeping taxes low, and investing in critical roads and infrastructure.
• Nicole Payne (D) – Enhancing public safety, and promoting policies that ensure everyone in District 4 has access to affordable homes and living wages.
• Matthew Taylor (NPA) – Fiercely defending free speech, and ending unchecked development without infrastructure.
Board of County Commissioners District 6
• Chris Boles – (R) Investing in infrastructure to reduce traffic and flooding, and a smarter, not faster, approach to growth management.
• Sean Shaw (D) – The candidate’s campaign did not respond to a query asking for his top two positions, and no platform is listed on the campaign site.
Justice of the Florida Supreme Court retention (Yes/No)
• Renatha Francis – Appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis.
Justice of the Florida Supreme Court retention (Yes/No)
• Meredith Sasso – Appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis.
District Court of Appeal vote on retaining the below candidates (Yes/No)
• Anthony K. Black of the Second District Court of Appeal – Appointed by Governor Charlie Crist.
• Edward C. LaRose of the Second District Court of Appeal – Appointed by Governor Jeb Bush.
• Susan H. Rothstein-Youakim of the Second District Court of Appeal – Appointed by Governor Rick Scott.
School Board Member District 7
• Karen Bendorf – A system that prioritizes parent responsibility, and teaching in proven, developmentally appropriate ways.
• Lynn Gray – A fiscally sound school district, and securing an effective teacher in front of a child each school day.
Soil and Water Conservation District Group 4
• Tyler Barrett – Sustainable agriculture, and environmental protection to enhance conservation efforts.
• David Maynard – Education, and assistance to small farmers.
