13 candidates are on the November 3, 2026 ballot across 6 Hernando County races, led by the Hernando County Commission District 4 contest; 3 more races were decided at the primary.
Candidate roster last updated Sep 6, 2026 from official election sources. Enter your ZIP code at theballotbrief.com to see your exact 2026 ballot.
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Local Snapshot
Election DayNov. 3, 2026
StateFlorida
Races Listed9
Profiles22
Hernando County Sample Ballot 2026: Races We’re Tracking
August 18 primary result: Jeff Holcomb won the closed Republican primary 59.1 to 40.9 percent over Marvin Baynham, per the Supervisor of Elections' unofficial results, and faces only the write-in line on the November 3 ballot.
Jeff Holcomb · Republican▾
Jeff Holcomb works as a software consultant and college professor, holds degrees in economics and intelligence studies, and served eight years as a Hernando County Commissioner before being elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2022, per the campaign site. Holcomb is also a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy Reserves with more than 20 years of service, per the campaign site.
Priorities: Protect the 2nd Amendment · Support small business, job creation, and education · Fight illegal immigration (per the campaign site)
Raised $24,150 · per Supervisor of Elections filings
Donald Bigelow qualified as a write-in in Hernando County Commission District 4, per Supervisor of Elections filings. Write-in names are not printed on Florida ballots; voters write the name in the space provided. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 6, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Donald Bigelow.
August 18 result: Kara Champion (38.96 percent) and incumbent Susan Duval (38.95 percent), separated by three votes, advance to a November 3 runoff, per the Supervisor of Elections' unofficial results; the pairing is subject to the canvass.
Kara Leigh Champion▾
Kara Leigh Champion is a 2020 University of Central Florida graduate who lists the family business, American Gun and Pawn, as her primary source of income, per WUSF. She has a stepdaughter in Hernando County Schools and a young son, per the same source, and is running for the District 5 seat against incumbent Susan Duval. Kara Leigh Champion appears on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Hernando County School Board District 5, per the Supervisor of Elections' official qualified-candidate list. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 8, 2026.
Priorities: Parental choice and transparency in school decisions · Teacher retention through less bureaucracy and stronger classroom discipline · Back to fundamentals: reading, writing, math, and civics (per the Hernando Sun Q&A)
Raised $28,795.76 · per Supervisor of Elections filings
Susan Duval is a career educator with a bachelor's in social science education, a master's in administration, and an educational specialist degree from USF; she is the District 5 incumbent, first elected in 2014, per the Hernando Sun's candidate Q&A. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 8, 2026.
Priorities: Continuous improvement through a shared board focus · Teacher recruitment via programs like Para to Pro · Funding well-qualified classroom instruction (per the Hernando Sun Q&A)
Raised $2,815 · per Supervisor of Elections filings
This race was not on the August 18 primary ballot: Betty Erhard and Robert D. Watson meet on the November 3 general ballot, per the Supervisor of Elections' primary results, which do not list it.
Betty Erhard▾
Betty Erhard is a former two-term Brooksville councilwoman who served from 2014 to 2022, including as mayor in 2018, per NatureCoaster coverage of the outgoing council. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 6, 2026.
Raised $1,000 · per Supervisor of Elections filings
Robert D. Watson appears on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Brooksville City Council Seat 1, per the Supervisor of Elections' official qualified-candidate list. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 3, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Robert D. Watson.
This race was not on the August 18 primary ballot: Noah Hodges and Jennifer McCoskrie meet on the November 3 general ballot, per the Supervisor of Elections' primary results, which do not list it.
Noah Hodges▾
Noah Hodges appears on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Brooksville City Council Seat 4, per the Supervisor of Elections' official qualified-candidate list. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 3, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Noah Hodges.
Raised $5,250 · per Supervisor of Elections filings
Jennifer McCoskrie appears on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Brooksville City Council Seat 4, per the Supervisor of Elections' official qualified-candidate list. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 3, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Jennifer McCoskrie.
Raised $1,000 · per Supervisor of Elections filings
Pamala Kaye Bivins (Democratic), Samantha Scott (Republican) are on the November 3 ballot for Florida House District 52; Samantha Scott is the sitting member, per the Florida House of Representatives' official roster. Major-party nominees were chosen at the August 18 primary or advanced unopposed; minor-party and no-party-affiliation candidates qualify directly for the November ballot. The field is the Florida Division of Elections' certified 2026 General Election candidate list. This seat is elected by district; only the district covering your address appears on your ballot.
Pamala Kaye Bivins · Democratic▾
Pamala Kaye Bivins is the Democratic candidate for Florida House District 52. She serves as a Wildwood city commissioner and has a background in local government and community service, according to Florida Politics.
Samantha Scott is the Republican incumbent representing Florida House District 52, elected in a special election, according to the Florida House of Representatives. Her campaign has drawn endorsements from U.S. Rep. Daniel Webster and Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia, according to Florida Politics. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 11, 2026.
Christopher Anger (Constitution Party), Tony Claude (Democratic), Brian Hawkins (Republican) are on the November 3 ballot for Florida House District 53. Not on the November ballot: Jeff Holcomb, the sitting member per the roster. Major-party nominees were chosen at the August 18 primary or advanced unopposed; minor-party and no-party-affiliation candidates qualify directly for the November ballot. The field is the Florida Division of Elections' certified 2026 General Election candidate list. This seat is elected by district; only the district covering your address appears on your ballot.
Christopher Anger · Constitution Party▾
Christopher Anger is the Constitution Party candidate for Florida House District 53 on the November 3, 2026 ballot, per the Florida Division of Elections' certified 2026 General Election candidate list. Anger describes his campaign as grassroots and says his decisions will be guided by the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights, per campaign site.
Priorities: Says he will listen to constituents and base decisions on how issues affect people and align with the Constitution and Bill of Rights, per the campaign site
Tony Claude is an Air Force veteran who served during Operation Desert Storm, according to the Hernando Sun. He is a Democratic candidate for Florida House District 53, citing the cost of gas and utility bills facing local families as a reason for his campaign. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 11, 2026.
Priorities: Lowering the cost of gas and utility bills for families, per Hernando Sun
Brian Hawkins is a U.S. Navy veteran and business owner who chaired the Hernando County Commission before resigning in June 2026 to run for the House 53 seat, per Tampa Bay Beacons and his campaign site.
Priorities: Cutting taxes and government spending · Strengthening E-Verify requirements for subcontractors · Defending Second Amendment, property and parental rights (per the campaign site)
DECIDED August 18: this ran as a universal primary open to all voters, and Kathryn Birren won the open seat with 31 percent (10,329 votes) over Maxwell Glenn (26 percent), Diane Greenwell, Silvia Dukes and James Scavetta, per the Supervisor of Elections' unofficial results.
DECIDED August 18: Dana Pearce won with 52.2 percent, unseating incumbent Mark Johnson, per the Supervisor of Elections' unofficial results. This race will not appear on the November 3 ballot.
DECIDED August 18: incumbent Shannon Rodriguez was reelected outright with 65.3 percent over Luciano Vignali, per the Supervisor of Elections' unofficial results. This race will not appear on the November 3 ballot.
These race previews show candidates we’re tracking now. A ZIP code shows your statewide and congressional races; a street address adds county and city contests. Local races are address-specific. This guide previews tracked contests, while the lookup tool narrows the list to a voter’s exact address. Tap any name to see the race, full candidate profiles, and everything else on your exact ballot.
Sample ballot by ZIP code in Hernando County
Each ZIP page previews the statewide and congressional races for that ZIP; add a street address in the lookup for county and city contests.
Note: Use address lookup for your exact ballot; local pages preview tracked races.Profiles: Hand-verified profiles are added race by race; always confirm with the official election office linked above.
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