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<\/p>\nThere were no massive surprises as the candidate qualifying period came to a close June 12, with nearly all of the candidates who filed to run for state and legislative office in\u00a0Leon\u00a0County officially making the ballot.<\/p>\n
A pair of local incumbents,\u00a0Leon\u00a0County Commissioner Bill Proctor and\u00a0Leon\u00a0County School Board member Darryl Jones, were automatically re-elected after drawing no opposition by the time qualifying ended. Also re-elected without opposition were state Reps. Gallop Franklin, D-Tallahassee, and Jason Shoaf, R-Port St. Joe.<\/p>\n
Two other incumbents, County Commissioner Nick Maddox and School Board member Alva Smith, each drew a single write-in opponent, making their re-elections in November near foregone conclusions.<\/p>\n
Supervisor of Elections Mark Earley couldn’t recall any write-in candidate ever winning election in Leon County. Their names don’t appear on ballots and must written in by voters, putting them at a huge disadvantage right off the bat.<\/p>\n
“It’s a rarity that someone as a write-in candidate gets elected,” he said. “It’s a challenge.”<\/p>\n
All four candidates for Tallahassee mayor, former lawmaker Loranne Ausley, political newcomer Michael\u00a0Foust, City Commissioner Jeremy\u00a0Matlow\u00a0and lawyer Daryl Parks all made the ballot.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Bernard Stevens, left, who filed to run for a City Commission seat, withdrew just before the candidate qualifying period ended at noon Friday, June 12, 2026.<\/p>\n
So did six of the seven candidates who filed to run for City Commission Seat 3, the post\u00a0Matlow\u00a0is giving up as part of his bid for mayor. The race for the open seat drew more competitors than any other local contest.<\/p>\n
A total of 40 candidates qualified in all for the local races, from city and county commission all the way down ballot to soil and water and community development districts, Earley said.<\/p>\n
State Rep. Allison Tant, D-Tallahassee, qualified for the District 9 House seat, as did two Republican challengers, Jibri\u00a0Knight and Tracy Robinson. Three others who filed to run against Shoaf, Franklin and Tant all failed to qualify.<\/p>\n
The three County Commission races will be decided in November. However, all three City Commission races will head to the Aug. 18 primary because each has more than two competitors. The top two vote-getters will move on to the Nov. 3 election unless one of them gets more than 50% of the vote, in which case they win outright.<\/p>\n
Unlike years past, when party leaders and other politicos would gather at the Supervisor of Elections for the end of qualifying, the office was calm and virtually empty aside from staff when the noon deadline hit.<\/p>\n
Just before noon, Bernard Stevens II, a candidate who filed to run for City Commission but raised no money, came in to officially withdraw.<\/p>\n
“I just decided to withdraw because I have better opportunities ahead for me,” he said.<\/p>\n
Leon Circuit Judges Tiffany Baker-Carper and Steven Everett and Leon County Judge Nina Ashenafi-Richardson were automatically re-elected in April after they qualified without opposition.\u00a0Circuit Judge Jason Jones is facing challenger Stephanie\u00a0Cager in Group 7 while Circuit Judge J. Lee Marsh is facing opponent Rashad\u00a0Green in Group 13.<\/p>\n
Candidates qualify for office by turning in paperwork, including their financial disclosures, and paying fees or submitting voter signatures. In a news release, Earley called on voters to participate in the upcoming elections.<\/p>\n
“I encourage every eligible voter to use their voice in both the Primary and General Elections by casting their ballot,” he said. “If you are eligible and not yet registered to vote, now is the time to register and get election ready. Do not wait until the last minute.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
The deadline to register to vote or change party affiliation before the primary is July 20. For more information, visit LeonVotes.gov\/RegisterToVote<\/a>. To request a Vote-by-Mail ballot, visit LeonVotes.gov\/RequestVBM<\/a>.<\/p>\n Below is a list of candidates who either were re-elected or will appear on local ballots in August and November.<\/p>\n Leon County Commission at-large Group 2<\/p>\n Nick Maddox (incumbent): Qualified<\/p>\n Mehwish\u00a0Rashid: Qualified as a write-in<\/p>\n Leon County Commission District 1<\/p>\n Bill Proctor (incumbent): Re-elected without opposition<\/p>\n Leon County Commission District 3<\/p>\n Charles Bryan Lorch: Qualified<\/p>\n Rick Minor (incumbent): Qualified<\/p>\n Leon County Commission District 5<\/p>\n David\u00a0O’Keefe\u00a0(incumbent): Qualified<\/p>\n Tallahassee City Commission Seat 3<\/p>\n Darryl “Dar Wavemaker” Alfred Jr: Qualified<\/p>\n Tom\u00a0Derzypolski: Qualified<\/p>\n Talethia\u00a0Edwards: Qualified<\/p>\n Alexander Moore: Did not qualify<\/p>\n Tallahassee mayor<\/p>\n Loranne Ausley: Qualified<\/p>\n Michael\u00a0Foust: Qualified<\/p>\n Jeremy\u00a0Matlow: Qualified<\/p>\n Tallahassee City Commission Seat 5<\/p>\n Dot\u00a0Inman-Johnson: Qualified<\/p>\n Joe Kalicki: Did not qualify<\/p>\n Bernard Michael Stevens II: Withdrew<\/p>\n Dianne Williams-Cox (incumbent): Qualified<\/p>\n Leon County School Board District 1<\/p>\n James Richard\u00a0Billingsley: Qualified as a write-in<\/p>\n Alva Smith (incumbent): Qualified<\/p>\n Leon County School Board District 3<\/p>\n Darryl Jones (incumbent): Re-elected without opposition<\/p>\n Leon County School Board District 5<\/p>\n Marcus Nicolas (incumbent): Qualified<\/p>\n James Reilly Jr.:\u00a0Qualified<\/p>\n Florida House District 7<\/p>\n Jason\u00a0Shoaf\u00a0(Republican, incumbent): Re-elected without opposition<\/p>\n Angela Tracy Wiman (NPA): Did not qualify<\/p>\n Florida House District 8<\/p>\n Gallop Franklin (Democrat, incumbent):\u00a0Re-elected without opposition<\/p>\n Aaron\u00a0Ruddell\u00a0(Independent Party): Did not qualify<\/p>\n Florida House District 9<\/p>\n Jibiri\u00a0Knight (Republican):\u00a0Qualified<\/p>\n Tracy\u00a0Robinson (Republican): Qualified<\/p>\n Michael Sneed Jr. (Democrat): Did not qualify<\/p>\n Allison\u00a0Tant\u00a0(Democrat, incumbent):\u00a0Qualified<\/p>\n U.S. House 2nd District<\/p>\n Yen Bailey (Democrat): Qualified<\/p>\n Brice Barnes (Democrat): Qualified<\/p>\n Amanda Marie Green (Democrat): Qualified<\/p>\n Keith Gross (Republican): Qualified<\/p>\n Nick Lewis (Republican): Qualified<\/p>\n Luke Murphy (Republican): Qualified<\/p>\n Jim Norton (Republican): Qualified<\/p>\n Evan Power (Republican): Qualified<\/p>\n Austin Rogers (Republican): Qualified<\/p>\n Audie Rowell (Republican): Qualified<\/p>\n Nicholas Zateslo (Democrat): Qualified<\/p>\n Contact Jeff Burlew at jburlew@tallahassee.com or 850-599-2180.<\/p>\n