State, US races top Aug. 18 ballot
Voters to pick choices for state attorney, Legislature, Congress
Central Florida voters will cast ballots in the Aug. 18 primary for a new OrangeOsceola state attorney and determine the matchups for state legislative and congressional races this fall.
Key races come in Orange County, where Democrats will get what amounts to the final decision for three major offices.
None has any Republican candidates on the November ballot, which normally would turn a primary into an election open to everyone.
But under Florida law, write-in candidates on the November ballot automatically close a primary to party members only, despite the winners being virtual certainties for election in the fall.
The office of property appraiser has huge power in Orange County. But incumbent Rick Singh’s bid for a third term was thrown into uncertainty after the Florida Department of Law recommended Singh be charged with 10 counts of official misconduct for allegedly ordering changes to documents.
Prosecutors later decided not to file charges, saying they couldn’t determine if Singh was responsible. Singh has since drawn two Democratic primary challengers in real estate company owner Khalid Muneer and state Rep. Amy Mercado.
The race for Orange County Sheriff also heated up after the deputies’ union withdrew its endorsement of incumbent Sheriff John Mina, elected in 2018 to fill the remainder of Jerry Demings’
term.
Mina has four Democratic challengers, including two he already faced in 2018. Jose “Joe” Lopez, 58, a former Florida Highway Patrol chief, and Darryl Sheppard, an Orlando businessman, are making their second bid for sheriff, along with newcomers Eric McIntyre, Eatonville’s former interim police chief, and Andrew Darling, a former assistant public defender.
Meanwhile, Orange-Osceola State Attorney Aramis Ayala decided not to seek a second term after being stripped of all capital punishment cases by former Gov. Rick Scott because of her opposition to the death penalty.
Four Democrats are battling to succeed Ayala. They are Deborah Barra, Orange/ Osceola chief assistant state attorney; Belvin Perry, former Orange/Osceola chief judge; Ryan Williams, an assistant state attorney in Ocala; and Monique Worrell, a former prosecutor and chief legal officer for the REFORM Alliance.
The winner will face non-partisan candidate Jose
Political signs are seen
Torroella on Nov. 3.
Legislative battles
At the state level, several districts have competitive primaries, and one primary that will be open to all voters. State Senate District 9 in Seminole and parts of Volusia counties is one of the two major targets in the state for Florida Democrats, seeking to win control of the state Senate for the first time in decades.
Five Democrats are vying to win their party’s nomination, with the winner facing Republican Jason Brodeur in November. Brodeur is unopposed in his party primary.
Attorney Patricia Sigman has state party backing, and will be on the ballot with engineer Rick Ashby, former public defender Alexis Carter, former Soil and Water vice chair H. Alexander Duncan, and community organizer Guerdy Remy.
Another key race is in Osceola County, where the campaign to succeed outgoing Democratic state Rep. John Cortes in Osceola
Congressional races
At the congressional level, Republican primaries in District 7, 9 and 10 will determine who faces incumbent Democratic U.S. Reps. Stephanie Murphy, Darren Soto and Val Demings, respectively.
Three Republicans are facing off to take on Murphy in Seminole and parts of Orange counties, including former Seminole Republican state committeeman Richard Goble, radiology doctor Leo Valentin, and businessman Yukong Zhao.
In Darren Soto’s district in Osceola, Orange and Polk counties, Republicans Jose Castillo, William Olson, Sergio Ortiz and Christopher Wright are in the GOP primary.
In Demings’ Orange County district, Vennia Francois and Willie Montague are facing each other.