By Rachel Bacchus, August Sanchez, Jackson Gianchetta, and Oliver Jenkins
State Governor Election
- Ron DeSantis (Incumbent) (R):
Ron DeSantis is the current State Governor and Republican candidate for the upcoming election. He graduated from Yale University before getting his law degree from Harvard Law School. He was initially elected as State Governor during the 2018 election, and served on the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Florida’s sixth congressional district. DeSantis has gained national attention for signing into law the Parental Rights in Education Act, or commonly referred to as the Don’t Say Gay bill, as well as banning Critical Race Theory from being taught in schools, and the Reducing Fetal and Infant Mortality Act, which banned abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, with exceptions. DeSantis has recently gained a boost in approval ratings for his response to Hurricane Ian, and is projected to win the State Governor election.
- Charlie Crist (D):
Charlie Crist is the current representative for Florida’s 13th congressional district, and was also the former State Governor from 2007 to 2011. They were previously a member of the Republican Party until 2012. They graduated from Florida State University, and then received a law degree at the Cumberland School of Law. In recent years, Crist has sponsored and co-sponsored multiple bills such as the Respect for Marriage Act, the Right to Contraception Act, and the Rapid Financing for Critical Condo Repair Act of 2022.
- Hector Roos (Libertarian):
Hector Roos is currently a political consultant. He studied engineering at Florida International University, and went on to served on Ron Paul’s Presidential campaign in 2008 and 2012. Roos is running in his first election this year as the libertarian candidate. His main policy focuses are property insurance reform and water quality “He also supports a clean slate or pardon for anyone who committed a nonviolent crime and has served time,” said Miami Herald, a journalist who interviewed Hector Roos.
- Carmen Gimenez (No party affiliation):
Carmen Gimenez is a self employed candidate from Hallandale Beach. She studied business options management at Metropolitana University, and has received multiple advanced degrees. In recent years, she has ran for mayor of Hallandale Beach in 2020, which she lost. Gimenez’s key focuses are children’s safety during school and immigration.
Lieutenant Governor:
Jeanette Nuñez (Incumbent) (R):
Nuñez is the incumbent Lieutenant Governor running alongside Governor Ron DeSantis. She is the first female Hispanic governor in Florida history. Nuñez served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives for two terms from 2010-2018, becoming Speaker Pro Tempore. As a Republican, Nuñez supports a small government and traditional social values.
Karla Hernandez (D):
Karla Hernandez is a candidate for Lieutenant Governor running alongside gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist. Prior to running for the Lieutenant Governor position, Hernandez served as the President of the United Teachers of Dade, the largest teachers union in the southeastern United States. As a Democrat, Hernandez supports a larger government and progressive social values.
Jerry Rorabaugh (L):
Jerry Rorabaugh is a candidate running for Lieutenant Governor alongside Hector Roos. Rorabaugh is a Jacksonville area pastor with no prior political experience. Rorabaugh is a Libertarian who supports Limited Government Intervention as a blanket policy.
Kyle Gibson (I):
Kyle Gibson is a candidate running alongside Carmen Gimenez independent from a political party. A career pastor, Gibson previously ran for the Florida Governor position in 2018. Gibson runs on a platform of expanding Civil Rights, Welfare, and Public Health.
Attorney General:
Ashley B. Moody (Incumbent) (R):
Ashley B. Moody is the incumbent Florida Attorney General. Prior to serving as Attorney General, Moody served as a judge on the 13th Judicial Court of Florida and as an assistant to the President of the prestigious American Bar Association. While serving as Attorney General Moody has worked to roll back voting rights for felons, helped block legislation that sought to legalize recreational marijuana, and along with 15 other state attorneys general, supported lawsuits that sought to invalidate the results of the 2020 presidential election.
Aramis Ayala (D)
Aramis Ayala is a candidate for the Florida Attorney General. She previously served as an attorney for the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida and received the NAACP Civil Rights Champion of Justice Award in 2017. Ayala is running on a platform of Justice Reform. Specifically seeking to legalize Marijuana, prevent the deportation of Immigrants, and fight the gun lobby. During her time as a State Attorney, Ayala was removed from multiple high-profile murder cases because of her decision not to file charges in protest of the death penalty.
Chief Financial Officer (Treasurer):
Jimmy Patronis (Incumbent) (R):
Jimmy Patronis is running for re-election for the position of Chief Financial Officer. He previously served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives, representing the 6th district from 2006-2014. During his time as CFO Patronis extended Workers Comp benefits and lowered the state corporate-income-tax rate. He also worked to pass a bill that provided additional protection and financial coverage to firefighters who are diagnosed with cancer as a result of their work.
Adam Hattersley (D):
Adam Hattersley is running for the office of Chief Financial Officer. He previously represented Florida’s 59th district in the State House of Representatives. He is running on a platform of lowering insurance costs and promoting transparency within the Department of Financial services.
Agriculture Commissioner Election:
- Naomi Blemur (R)
Naomi Blemur is a pastor and committeewoman for the Miami-Dade Democratic Party. She has studied at Queens College, Università per Stranieri di Perugia, and several other colleges. Her policies primarily concern helping small businesses. She has lost multiple endorsements since her anti abortion and anti LGBTQ+ post surfaced.
- Wilton Simpson (D)
Wilton Simpson is the current Florida State Senate Representative for District 10. He received an associate degree from Pasco Hernando Community College, and has also served as a board member for Pasco Hernando Community College. He has sponsored multiple bills, such as FL S1054, FL S0466, and FL S1682.
District 4 Senate Candidates:
- Clay Yaborough (R)
Clay Yaborough is currently serving in the House of Representatives from Florida’s Twelfth District and has been since 2016. Yaborough graduated from the University of North Florida with a bachelor’s in business administration and went on to work at UPS for 12 years, acting as a Human Resources Professional, interviewing and hiring over 1,200 people. He heavily values providing more public services and innovation into his city, state, and country, wanting to achieve this as much personal engagement as possible in all processes. He believes that when elected officials fail to honor their commitments, it creates distrust in the eyes of the public.
- Sharmin Smith (D)
Sharmin Smith had a rough upbringing, being raised by a mother who did not want her and being diagnosed with PTSD later in life. She took up writing as a form of therapy and wrote a book called Taming the Tida in 2015, which was about how people can recover and be uplifted despite any past trauma. She launched a campaign for presidency in 2018 which fell apart due to internal conflicts between herself and her campaign manager involving the subject of her divorce. She is running for the Senate because she believes it provides a rare opportunity to address societal issues in an effective way so that the country can have a better future.
House of Representatives Election:
- T. Patterson Maney (R)
T. Patterson Maney is the current representative of Florida’s fourth Congressional district. He graduated with a Bachelor Degree in political science from the University of Kentucky, and then received a J.D. from the University of Louisville and a Master’s Degree in international relations from Troy State University. Maney was previously a judge of the Okaloosa County Court of Florida, and has recently served as the Fourth District’s representative. While the House election was canceled, Maney was still re-elected to represent Florida’s Fourth Congressional District.
