TALLAHASSEE — It’s a year of possibility for Florida’s political newcomers and ladder-climbers.

Ahead of the 2026 election, powerful incumbents across the state have announced plans to resign and not seek reelection, leaving their seats open for the first time in years.

There was Rep. Lindsay Cross, a Democrat in St. Petersburg who said she wanted to stay closer to home. There was Sen. Ed Hooper, the powerful Pinellas Republican budget chairperson who retired after a turbulent two years. In Pasco County, Republican Reps. Jeff Holcomb and Kevin Steele chose to run for other offices.

In South Florida, Sens. Tina Polsky and Shevrin Jones, two Democrats, also announced their plans to leave the Legislature.

While candidates may have selected their heir apparent, the open seats leave room for anyone to rush in. And they did: On Friday, more than 300 candidates qualified to run for the state House and Senate.

Meanwhile, two Florida incumbents will, for the first time, test their statewide electability. Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Florida’s attorney general and chief financial officer. This year, they’ll see whether voters want to keep them in their posts.

No Tampa Bay seat will be decided without an election. All candidates face at least one opponent.

Below are the state legislative and Cabinet races on Tampa Bay’s ballots for the Aug. 18 primary.

Florida is a closed-primary state, meaning only voters of the same political party can vote in a Republican or Democratic primary.

But some races are open to all voters, including universal primaries, which happen when all candidates have the same party and the winners face no opposition in the general election.

Chief financial officer

Longtime legislator and DeSantis ally Blaise Ingoglia was chosen by the governor last year to be Florida’s chief financial officer, responsible for handling the state’s books and regulating banks and insurance companies.

Ingoglia, a Republican, has generated headlines around the state by doing audits claiming that local governments were overspending, part of a campaign by DeSantis to justify cutting property taxes this year. Ingoglia is facing off in the GOP primary against Frank W. Collige, the owner of a public adjusting firm that helps homeowners and businesses with their insurance claims.

Democrats will also have a primary election. Former Miami state Sen. Annette Taddeo, who was Charlie Crist’s pick for lieutenant governor during his 2014 run for governor, announced last week. Earle Ford, an Army veteran and attorney, raised more than half a million dollars to unseat GOP U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Pinellas County before switching to run for CFO last month.

Commissioner of Agriculture

Republican Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson easily won election four years ago, is endorsed by President Donald Trump and has raised more than $10 million for his campaign.

Still, the industrial egg farmer from Trilby is facing a primary challenge from Matt Taylor, a welder and internet personality known as Matt The Welder. Taylor ran unsuccessfully for Hillsborough County Commission in 2024.

Two Democrats — injury attorney Joey Mendoza Atkins and Pembroke Park Police Department Capt. Donald A. “Don” Prichard — will compete in their party’s primary.

State Senate District 16

Two prominent Tampa Bay Democrats will go head-to-head in the race to replace longtime Sen. Darryl Rouson, who is leaving because of term limits.

Rep. Michele Rayner, an attorney who lives in St. Petersburg, is running against Rep. Fentrice Driskell, the House minority leader who lives in Tampa.

Because the two Democrats are the only candidates qualified, any registered voter in the district will be able to cast their ballot.

State Senate District 18

Senate incumbent Nick DiCeglie, an Indian Rocks Beach Republican, will face one of two Democrats in the fall.

Linda Kellis Harris, a bookkeeper at a Pinellas Park realty company, will face Karla Kemp, an insurance agent who was running for Luna’s seat until shifting her candidacy on Thursday.

State Senate District 20

Florida’s incoming Senate president, Sen. Jim Boyd, will face a Democrat in the fall before he can secure reelection in the seat covering part of Manatee and Hillsborough counties.

Democrats Gerald Baldi and John Houman will face off in a primary election before facing Boyd in the general election.

State House District 53

Two Republicans are vying to replace Rep. Jeff Holcomb, who is leaving the Pasco-Hernando district to run for the Hernando County Commission.

John Carroll, a Florida State Guard volunteer who was appointed to the Hernando County Housing Authority by DeSantis, is facing fellow Republican and longtime Hernando County Commissioner Brian Hawkins.

The winner will face a Democrat and a Constitution Party of Florida candidate in November.

State House District 54

Republican Rep. Randy Maggard, vice president of Sonny’s Discount Appliances, has represented parts of Pasco County since first being elected to the House in 2019, but he’s facing a primary challenge from real estate agent Michael Pultorak.

Because a last-minute write-in candidate qualified for the race, the primary election will be closed. Only Republican voters will be able to participate.

State House District 55

With the incumbent Steele choosing to run for Congress, two Republicans and a Democrat are vying for the Pasco County seat.

Matthew Skeeter Abbott, a commissioner for the Pasco County Mosquito Control District since 2007, faces Pasco County Fire Rescue Capt. Walter Price in the Republican primary.

The winner will face Democrat Zach Funkhouser in November.

State House District 62

Only Democrats qualified for theFlorida House district that runs from southern St. Petersburg across to part of western Hillsborough County, meaning Republicans and independent voters will also be able to cast their ballot for the race.

The seat is being vacated by Rayner, who is running for state Senate.

Kyandra Darling, a legislative aide supported by progressive U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, will faceWengay Newton, a former House representative who ran unsuccessfully for office in 2022.

State House District 63

Like its neighboring district, only Democrats qualified to run for Rep. Dianne Hart-Lowman’s Tampa area seat.

Hart-Lowman has represented the seat, which covers Ybor City, since 2018 and is leaving office due to term limits.

Jacqueline Coffie-Leeks, a nonprofit director, will run against Conrad Schupay, a West Point graduate and U.S. Army veteran, and Robin Lockett, a community organizer.

State House District 64

The race for Rep. Susan Valdés’ seat, which she will vacate because of term limits, has drawn the most candidates of any Tampa Bay legislative race.

Valdés was elected as a Democrat but changed her party registration to Republican after the 2024 election. The seat covers parts of West Tampa.

The Republicans facing off include Angel Ramos, an information technology specialist and businessperson; Amaro Lionheart, who ran unsuccessfully for state Senate in 2022; and Dan Weldon, an attorney for the injury firm Morgan & Morgan.

Three Democrats will compete in the primary: John Rodriguez, a longtime legislative assistant; Luis Salazar, a community advocate; and Mike Suarez, a former member of the Tampa City Council.

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Tampa Bay Times Election Coverage

Congressional midterms: St. Petersburg and Wauchula are in the same congressional district. We drove it

Property tax amendment: DeSantis has claims about his tax amendment. Here’s what it actually does.

Mail ballots: Mail ballot requests are down across Tampa Bay