TALLAHASSEE \u2014 Florida voters on Tuesday sent nine state lawmakers directly to Tallahassee \u2014 no November election needed.<\/p>\n
Three of those races were in Tampa Bay.<\/p>\n
Rep. Fentrice Driskell defeated Rep. Michele Rayner to secure a spot representing Pinellas and Hillsborough in the Florida Senate. Newcomers Kyandra Darling and Jacqueline Coffie-Leeks, both Democrats, won their races for the Florida House against same-party opponents.<\/p>\n
In each case, the only candidates who qualified for the race were of the same party.So rather than the state’s registered Democrats and Republicans picking their preferred nominee to move on to the general election, which is standard practice in Florida,the race was opened to all voters in the district in what is known as a universal primary<\/a>.<\/p>\n Out of the nine universal primary races across the state, eight were among Democrats. (Twenty more lawmakers were automatically chosen after June’s qualifying deadline<\/a> when no candidate filed to run against them.)<\/p>\n Despite eight Democrats securing seats in the Legislature on Tuesday, the party is far from becoming a power player in Florida. The Democratic-only primaries were in blue parts of the state. Republicans have held a supermajority<\/a> in both the House and Senate since 2022.<\/p>\n In total, Florida voters weighed in on 54 legislative primary races Tuesday, from the far stretch of the Panhandle down to Miami-Dade.<\/p>\n Here’s what happened in Tampa Bay’s legislative primaries.<\/p>\n Senate District 16<\/p>\n Driskell, 47, the House Democratic Leader, defeated Rayner, 44, a civil rights attorney and House member, in one of the most contentious races in the Tampa Bay area this election cycle.<\/p>\n Both women were running to replace Sen. Darryl Rouson<\/a>, the longtime, term-limited Democratic lawmaker.<\/p>\n The seat covers the southern part of St. Petersburg and part of Hillsborough County.<\/p>\n With nearly all votes counted,Driskell had about 60% of the vote. The Senate minority leader welcomed her victory in a statement.<\/p>\n Driskell was the first Black woman to lead the House Democrats. Her fellow lawmakers elected her to lead for four years, rather than the standard two.<\/p>\n But some members of her caucus broke off to endorse Rayner, as did several members of the Senate Democratic caucus.<\/a> And the race became heated when Meta, the parent company of Facebook, put money toward Driskell’s campaign<\/a>.<\/p>\n Because the race is a universal primary, Driskell does not have to face another opponent in November.<\/p>\n Senate District 18<\/p>\n Karla Kemp, an insurance agent and sustainability consultant, beat accountant Linda Harris 60% to 40% to win the Democratic primary for Senate District 18.<\/p>\n Kemp, 55, will face Sen. Nick DiCeglie, a Republican, in November.<\/p>\n Kemp initially filed to run for Congress<\/a> but switched to run for state Senate after Gov. Ron DeSantis pushed Florida to redraw the state’s congressional lines ahead of the midterm elections.<\/p>\n Senate District 18 covers much of central Pinellas County, including Largo, Pinellas Park and the northern part of St. Petersburg.<\/p>\n Senate District 20<\/p>\n Democrat Gerald Baldi, 71, a former advertising executive, beat John Houman, 79, a retired journeyman electrician, by 67% to 32% in the race for Senate District 20.<\/p>\n Houman is hoping to represent the Senate seat covering the southeastern part of Hillsborough County and much of Manatee County.<\/p>\n Houman has long odds \u2014 in November, he will face Sen. Jim Boyd, a Republican who is set to become the Senate president<\/a> for the next two years.<\/p>\n House District 53<\/p>\n Brian Hawkins, a 47-year-old former Hernando County commissioner, defeated John Carroll, the 37-year-old chairperson of the Hernando County Housing Authority, 57% to 43%.<\/p>\n As he ran for office, Hawkins emphasized his work on the commission to reduce property taxes. He will face Democrat Tony Claude in November, along with Christopher Anger with the Constitution Party of Florida.<\/p>\n The winner will represent the western part of Hernando County and part of Pasco, including Hudson. Rep. Jeff Holcomb, a Republican, holds the seat and is leaving theLegislature to run for local office.<\/p>\n House District 54<\/p>\n Rep. Randy Maggard, who has been an elected representative since 2019, held offa challenger from his own party.<\/p>\n Maggard, 63, defeated Republican Michael Pultorak, a firefighter who campaigned on shutting down data centers and limiting development in Pasco County. Maggard got 68% of the vote.<\/p>\n The seat covers the eastern part of Pasco County, including Dade City, Zephyrhills and Wesley Chapel.<\/p>\n The race between the two Republicans would have been a universal primary if not for write-in candidate Paul Bybee. Because Bybee qualified for the ballot, Maggard will move forward to the November election to face him.<\/p>\n House District 55<\/p>\n Walter Price Jr., a captain with Pasco County Fire Rescue, defeated mosquito control district commissioner Matthew “Skeeter” Abbott in the Republican race to represent the central chunk of Pasco.<\/p>\n Price, 44, had the endorsement of Pasco politicians like Maggard, Holcomb and Rep. Brad Yeager, along with Sheriff Chris Nocco, who himself is running for office<\/a>.<\/p>\n