Madison County Republican defeats Jibri Knight in GOP primary for North Florida seat covering Madison and portions of Leon and Jefferson counties.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Republican Tracy Robinson has won the GOP primary for Florida House District 9, advancing to a November showdown with Democratic incumbent Rep. Allison Tant.

Robinson defeated fellow Republican Jibri Knight in Tuesday’s primary for the North Florida district, which includes all of Madison County and portions of Leon and Jefferson counties.

Election-night results showed Robinson building her victory with strong performances in both Leon and Madison counties.

FLORIDA STATE REPRESENTATIVE ELECTION RESULTS

Robinson builds lead in Leon, dominates Madison

In Leon County, Robinson led Knight by approximately 18 percentage points in results reported Tuesday night.

Robinson’s advantage was even larger in Madison County, where she led Knight by nearly 30 percentage points.

Knight narrowly led in Jefferson County by roughly one percentage point, but that was not enough to overcome Robinson’s margins elsewhere in the district.

The result sends Robinson directly into the Nov. 3 general election against Tant.

Two Republicans offered different approaches

Robinson and Knight entered the primary as first-time candidates but presented voters with different approaches to representing the district.

Robinson, a Madison native and Florida A&M University graduate, has a professional background that includes emergency management, law enforcement and technology. Her campaign describes her as an artificial intelligence engineer.

She campaigned as a “community first” Republican and organized her platform around what she calls the REVIVE agenda — restoring communities, expanding economic opportunities, supporting veterans and public safety, investing in infrastructure, promoting families and faith and improving education.

Knight, a Tallahassee native who lives in Monticello, campaigned on limited government, fiscal responsibility, support for law enforcement and the military, property tax elimination, environmental stewardship and support for small businesses.

Tant waits in November

Robinson’s victory sets up a general election against a well-established Democratic incumbent.

Tant has represented the Tallahassee-area district in the Florida House since 2020 and was unopposed for the Democratic nomination, according to Florida Division of Elections candidate records.

That means Democratic voters did not have a House District 9 primary Tuesday, while Republicans chose between Robinson and Knight.

Tant has become a prominent Democratic voice in the Florida House during her time in Tallahassee and will enter November with the advantages of incumbency.

District includes urban and rural North Florida communities

House District 9 presents candidates with a politically and geographically diverse electorate.

The district stretches from portions of Leon County into Jefferson County and includes all of Madison County, combining parts of the Tallahassee area with rural North Florida communities.

Robinson made those rural communities a centerpiece of her primary campaign, arguing that areas of the district have struggled with aging infrastructure, economic challenges and limited opportunities.

She will now have less than three months to make that case to the broader electorate.

November race set

The Nov. 3 contest will pit Robinson’s effort to flip the district Republican against Tant’s bid to retain the seat for Democrats.

Florida Division of Elections records confirm both Robinson and Tant qualified for the 2026 election, with Robinson emerging from the Republican primary and Tant advancing without a Democratic primary opponent.

Tuesday’s election-night results remain unofficial until canvassing is completed and the results are certified.