Republican lawmakers look to retain their seats against first-time Democratic candidates.
The candidates are all set for the upcoming August and November Florida elections.
Qualifying for the August primaries and November general election for statewide and county races ended at noon Friday.
Among the names are candidates who announced their campaigns months ago, while a few jumped in at the last minute.
Congress
As expected, U.S. Rep. Ted Yoho (R-Fla.) is running for re-election for Congress' District 3, in what could be his fourth term. Yoho has said several times that he would only run for four terms.
He is anti-abortion and a strong Second Amendment advocate, earning an “A” rating from the National Rifle Association, an organization that has donated $4,000 to his campaigns since 2012. Yoho’s voting record has been scored as among the worst representatives for the LGBTQ community by the Human Rights Council.
Yoho donated to and openly supported Roy Moore, who during the campaign for an Alabama U.S. Senate seat was accused of sexually assaulting underage girls years ago. During the campaign, Moore often shared conspiracy theories, and racist and homophobic rhetoric.
In Alachua County, the majority of voters favored Yoho’s opponent during his last two elections. However, surrounding counties overwhelmingly supported the congressman.
He will face Orange Park Republican Judson Sapp in the August Republican primary.
Three Democrats are campaigning for the August primary, with the winner facing the Republican candidate in November. They are former Gainesville Commissioner Yvonne Hinson Hayes, Gainesville resident Tom Wells and Citrus County resident Dushyant Gosai.
District 3 includes Alachua, Putnam and northern Marion counties.
State Senate
State Sen. Keith Perry, R-Gainesville, is looking to be elected to his second term in District 8, which covers Alachua and Putnam counties and half of Marion County. He has no opponent in
