Manatee County Primary Results Set November Matchups in Key Local Races
Manatee County voters headed to the polls Tuesday, Aug. 18, deciding several closely watched local races for the School Board, County Commission and Florida Legislature as the 2026 election season moves toward November.
Unofficial results from the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections showed 71,485 ballots cast among 237,646 registered voters, producing a countywide turnout of 30.08%. All 71 precincts were reporting when results were last updated Tuesday night.
School Board District 2
The five-way race for Manatee County School Board District 2 was led by Cindy Spray, who received 2,776 votes, or 34.17%. Sharon Jefferson finished second with 2,180 votes, or 26.83%.
Margi Nanney received 1,556 votes, or 19.15%, followed by James T. Golden with 1,072 votes, or 13.20%, and JT White with 540 votes, or 6.65%.
With no candidate receiving a majority of the vote, Spray and Jefferson advance to the November general election.
School Board District 5
The District 5 School Board contest was one of the closest local races of the night.
Jonathan Mullis finished first with 7,034 votes, or 35.31%, while Camden “Cam” Bedinghaus received 6,787 votes, or 34.07%. Chantal Wilford received 6,101 votes, or 30.62%.
Mullis and Bedinghaus advance to the November election.
County Commission District 1
Elizabeth “Liz” Arnold finished first in the six-candidate Republican primary for Manatee County Commission District 1 with 3,401 votes, or 27.96%.
Mark Stanoch finished second with 2,993 votes, or 24.61%, followed by John Dunn with 2,390 votes, or 19.65%. Adam Johnson received 1,463 votes, Leland Taylor received 1,142 votes and Michael L. Harrison received 773 votes.
County Commission District 2
Incumbent Amanda Ballard won the Republican primary for County Commission District 2, receiving 3,036 votes, or 67.45%.
Edward Bailey received 1,465 votes, or 32.55%.
County Commission District 4
Incumbent Mike Rahn won the Republican primary for County Commission District 4 with 4,055 votes, or 67.47%.
Challenger Glenn Gibellina received 1,955 votes, or 32.53%.
County Commission District 6 At-Large
Tara Poulton finished first in the four-way Republican primary for the countywide District 6 seat, receiving 16,328 votes, or 38.27%.
Ed Ference finished second with 13,805 votes, or 32.36%. John B. Calovich received 6,584 votes, or 15.43%, while Tony Barrett received 5,944 votes, or 13.93%.
Florida House District 71
Jordan Varnadore won the Republican primary for Florida House District 71 with 9,089 votes, or 62.42%.
Melton Little received 4,417 votes, or 30.33%, while Dylan Paul Modarelli received 1,055 votes, or 7.25%.
Florida House District 72
Incumbent Bill Conerly won the Republican primary for Florida House District 72, receiving 14,250 votes, or 63.95%.
John “Captain” Phillips received 8,033 votes, or 36.05%.
State Senate District 22
James Buchanan won the Republican primary for Florida Senate District 22 with 8,125 votes in the Manatee County portion of the district, representing 79.02% of votes reported locally.
Vic Rohe received 2,157 votes, or 20.98%.
Congressional District 16
Manatee County voters also helped select the Republican and Democratic nominees for U.S. House District 16.
On the Republican side, Sydney Gruters received 27,894 Manatee County votes, or 62.06%. Eddie Speir received 11,269 votes, or 25.07%, and Ed Pope received 5,785 votes, or 12.87%.
In the Democratic primary, Kelly Kirschner led the Manatee County vote with 9,119 votes, or 41.32%. Jan Schneider followed with 4,349 votes, Tamika Lyles received 3,201, Jon Harris received 2,822 and Glenn Pearson received 2,576.
The results remain unofficial until the election is certified. Tuesday’s primary narrowed several crowded fields and set the stage for the Nov. 3 general election, when Manatee County voters will return to the polls to decide School Board seats and other local, state and federal offices.
Full unofficial Manatee County election results are available through the Manatee County Election Night Reporting results page.