Hillsborough County Sample Ballot & Voter Guide 2026

This race was not on the August 18 primary ballot: with one Democrat and one Republican there was no primary, and Harry Cohen and Jackie Toledo meet on the November 3 general ballot.

• Harry Cohen · DemocraticIncumbent▾

  Harry Cohen is a lawyer who served as chief deputy clerk of the Hillsborough Circuit Court and eight years on the Tampa City Council, and has been the District 1 commissioner since 2020, per his official county bio.

  Priorities: Environmental protection, per the campaign site · Water management, per the campaign site · Transportation, per the campaign site

  Raised $104,841 · per Supervisor of Elections filings

  Campaign site →
• Jackie Toledo · Republican▾

  Jackie Toledo is a licensed professional civil engineer and owner of an engineering consulting firm who served in the Florida House from 2016 to 2022, per the Tampa Bay Beacon's qualifying report.

  Priorities: Roads and transportation · Responsible growth · Public safety and fiscal accountability

  Raised $40,110 · per Supervisor of Elections filings

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August 18 primary result: incumbent Gwen Myers won the Democratic primary with 69.5 percent (14,723 votes) over Twanda Bradley, per unofficial results, and meets Republican Luiz Garcia on the November 3 ballot.

• Gwen Myers · DemocraticIncumbent▾

  Gwen Myers worked 25 years in Hillsborough County government in housing and health services and has been the District 3 commissioner since 2020, per her official county bio.

  Priorities: Public safety, per Axios Tampa Bay's primary guide · Housing, per Axios Tampa Bay's primary guide · Transportation, including light rail support and road widening, per Axios Tampa Bay's primary guide

  Raised $130,060 · per Supervisor of Elections filings

  Campaign site →
• Luiz F. F. Garcia · Republican▾

  Luiz F. F. Garcia is a local business owner who has run a coffee shop and describes himself as not a career politician, per his campaign site.

  Priorities: Transparency in county spending, per his campaign site · Modernize roads and reduce congestion, per his campaign site · Invest in law enforcement and first responders, per his campaign site

  Raised $8,160 · per Supervisor of Elections filings

  Campaign site →

August 18 primary result: Stacy Hahn defeated incumbent Donna Cameron Cepeda in the Republican primary, 54.9 to 45.1 percent, per the Tampa Bay Times, and meets Democrat Neil Manimala on the November 3 ballot. Results are unofficial until the county canvass.

• Stacy Hahn · Republican▾

  

  Stacy Hahn holds a PhD in early childhood special education, has worked as a university professor and public school teacher, leads the nonprofit Literacy Is Key, and has served on the Hillsborough School Board since 2018, per her campaign site and the Tampa Bay Beacon.

  Priorities: Keep taxes low and cut wasteful spending, per her campaign site · Support law enforcement and first responders, per her campaign site · Responsible growth and better roads, per her campaign site

  Raised $94,550 · per Supervisor of Elections filings

  Campaign site →
• Neil Manimala · Democratic▾

  

  Neil Manimala is a board-certified urologist practicing in Brandon, Plant City, and Sun City Center, president of the Hillsborough County Medical Association, and a graduate of county public schools and the USF College of Medicine, per his campaign site.

  Priorities: Fix the traffic with modern transit and infrastructure, per his campaign site · Stop the flooding through resiliency investment, per his campaign site · Affordability and healthcare access, per his campaign site

  Raised $165,610 · per Supervisor of Elections filings

  Campaign site →

August 18 primary result: Aileen Rodriguez won the Democratic primary with 62.4 percent (52,259 votes) over Cindy Stuart, per unofficial results, and meets Republican Joshua Wostal on the November 3 countywide ballot.

• Aileen Rodriguez · Democratic▾

  

  Aileen Rodriguez is a public affairs executive with over 20 years of experience, principal of AR Public Affairs & Strategic Solutions, and a former U.S. Senate staffer, per her campaign site and Florida Politics coverage.

  Priorities: Lower the cost of living on housing and transportation, per her campaign site · Reinvest tax dollars in neighborhoods hit by development, per her campaign site · Hold developers accountable, per her campaign site

  Raised $63,840 · per Supervisor of Elections filings

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• Joshua Wostal · RepublicanIncumbent▾

  Joshua Wostal owns a shipping and printing business near Raymond James Stadium and served 10 years in the Navy; he is the incumbent countywide District 7 commissioner, elected in 2022, per his campaign site and the Tampa Bay Beacon.

  Priorities: End wasteful spending, per his campaign site · Stop tax hikes, per his campaign site · Fix crumbling infrastructure, per his campaign site

  Raised $166,518 · per Supervisor of Elections filings

  Campaign site →

August 18 result: no candidate won a majority, so Daniela Simic (about 39 percent) and Brittany Lyssy (about 37 percent) advance to a November 3 runoff, per unofficial results.

• Brittany Lyssy▾

  

  Brittany Lyssy is an attorney and education policy advocate with degrees from the University of Florida and Stetson Law, currently pursuing a PhD in education-focused public policy, per her campaign site.

  Priorities: Parents, not politics, guiding children's education, per her campaign site · Academic focus on reading, math, science, and civics, per her campaign site · Safe schools with fiscal discipline, per her campaign site

  Raised $64,825 · per Supervisor of Elections filings

  Campaign site →
• Daniela Simic▾

  Daniela Simic is a longtime educator endorsed by the Hillsborough County Teachers Association in this race, per Axios Tampa Bay's primary guide and Florida Politics coverage.

  Priorities: Educational equity regardless of zip code or circumstance, per her campaign site · Making taxpayer dollars work for students, per her campaign site · Reducing excessive student testing, per WMNF forum coverage

  Raised $33,622 · per Supervisor of Elections filings

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August 18 result: incumbent board chair Karen Perez finished just over 48 percent, short of a majority, and faces Kenneth Gay in a November 3 runoff, per the Tampa Bay Times.

• Kenneth "Ken" Gay▾

  Kenneth Gay is a retired educator with 39 years in Hillsborough public schools as a teacher, instructional leader, and assistant principal, holding a doctorate in child and youth studies, per his campaign site.

  Priorities: Strong student outcomes for every student, per his campaign site · Supported and respected educators, per his campaign site · Safe and orderly schools, per his campaign site

  Raised $30,953 · per Supervisor of Elections filings

  Campaign site →
• Karen PerezIncumbent▾

  

  Karen Perez is a licensed clinical social worker and certified traumatologist who runs a private wellness practice, and the incumbent countywide District 6 board member, first elected in 2018, per her campaign site and Ballotpedia.

  Priorities: Holding administration accountable and directing resources to classrooms, per the campaign site · Reducing administrative overhead and waste, per the campaign site · Protecting teacher and support staff positions during budget cuts, per the campaign site

  Raised $40,382 · per Supervisor of Elections filings

  Campaign site →
• Sally Harris "Ms Sally" Williamson▾

  Career counselor and founder of Circle C Ranch Academy, a Tampa preschool established in 1985, per her campaign site. She served on the Hillsborough County School Board from 2014 to 2018 and as board chair from 2018 to 2019, a tenure during which graduation rates rose 15 percent to 83 percent, per WUSF. Sally Harris "Ms Sally" Williamson appears on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Hillsborough County School Board Dist

  Priorities: More vocational programs in high schools, per WUSF questionnaire/interview · Expand hands-on, experiential learning models, per WUSF questionnaire/interview · Raise teacher salaries and expand health insurance discounts, per WUSF questionnaire/interview

  Campaign site →