Editor’s note: Two candidates on the list below still are awaiting verification.
MARTIN COUNTY — The slate of candidates in the county’s upcoming elections is now final following the end of the qualifying period at noon June 12.
Fifty-five candidates qualified to run for 20 seats across Martin County. Winners of this year’s elections in Indiantown, Sewall’s Point and Stuart will be decided Aug. 18. Elections in Jupiter Island and Ocean Breeze are scheduled for 2027.
Florida is a “closed primary” state; only voters registered with a particular party can vote in that party’s primary election.
Candidates facing opposition only from within their party will be elected in the August primary. Two candidates who qualified had no opposition and were automatically elected or reelected.
Summer vibe check: Rope swings, sunsets and the Indian River Lagoon
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A teenager swings over the Indian River Lagoon as the sun is setting, June 8, 2026, on Hutchinson Island in Martin County. According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, summer officially begins with the solstice on June 21, marking the astronomical first day of summer in the Northern Hemisphere. The Meteorological Summer begins June 1. According to NOAA, meteorologists and climatologists break the seasons down into groupings of three months based on the annual temperature cycle.
(CRYSTAL VANDER WEIT/TCPALM)
This year’s election includes five key local races: two for County Commission and three for Stuart City Commission. One at the state level to watch is the race for House District 85, which involves two newcomers seeking to succeed state Rep. Toby Overdorf, R-Stuart, who is unable to run for reelection because of term limits. He is running for state Senate in 2028.
Candidates qualifying by the noon deadline June 12 are:
U.S Senate:
Nell J. Gillespie — No Party Affiliation
Chris Gleason — Republican
Ashley Moody (i) — Republican
Angie Nixon — Democrat
Neelam Taneja Perry — Republican
Ernest “Ernie” Rivera — Republican
Alex Vindman — Democrat
U.S. House of Representatives, District 21
Alexander Cooke — No party affiliation
David Fabrikant — Write-in candidate
James Martin — Democrat
Brian Mast (i) ― Republican
Edward Oconnor — Democrat, pending verification of his qualification
Ljubo Skrbic — Republican, pending verification of his qualification
Bernard Taylor ― Democrat
Florida House of Representatives:
District 85:
Anthony Bonna — Republican
Hunter Stone Crompton — Write-in candidate
Amr Metwally — MGTOW Party
Wayne Richter — Democrat
District 86:
Elizabeth Pendel Pandich — Democrat
John Snyder (i) ― Republican
A man walks to his car after fishing in the Indian River Lagoon on June 8, 2026, on Hutchinson Island in Martin County.
Martin County Commission:
District 2:
Christopher “Doc” Collins — Republican
Susan O’Rourke — Republican
Althea Wiley — Republican
District 4:
John Dial — Republican
Sarah Heard (i) — Republican
John “Kaz” Kazanjian — Republican
Martin County School Board:
District 1:
Christia Li Roberts (i)
Cherie White
Charles “Chuck” Winn
District 3:
Jackie Gary Clarke
Jen Russell (i)
District 4:
Anthony “Tony” Anderson
Milly Blanco
Amy Pritchett (i)
Indiantown Village Council:
Seat 3:
Carmine Dipaolo (i)
Christa Miley
Octavius Thompson
Seat 4:
Anthony Dowling
Ana Farias
Angelina Perez (i)
Seat 5:
Janet Hernandez
Karen Onsager (i)
Sewall’s Point Town Commission (two seats):
Vincent Barile (i)
David Kurzman (i)
John Tompeck
Stuart City Commission:
Group I:
Will Laughlin
Campbell Rich (i)
Group III:
Derreck Ogden
Merritt Matheson
Group V:
Eula Clarke (i)
Kylie Micciche
Dayne Oldenborg
More on Stuart: Chicken pollution? Florida city weighs pros, cons of backyard fowl
More on Stuart: Mrs. Universe 2026 visits Florida nonprofit to support people with disabilities
Loxahatchee River Environmental Control District
Area 2:
Jill Abbey — Unopposed and automatically elected
Area 3:
Matt Rostock (i) — Unopposed and automatically reelected
Area 4:
Kevin Baker (i) — Unopposed and automatically reelected
This story will be updated.
Keith Burbank is a watchdog reporter for TCPalm, usually covering Martin County. He can be reached at keith.burbank@tcpalm.com.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Martin County, Florida, election candidates are now set