Who is running for Marion County School Board District 3 in 2026?

The Marion County School Board District 3 race was decided at the 2026 primary - Eric R. Cummings won the seat - and does not appear on the November 3, 2026 ballot. 2 candidates were on the primary ballot: Eric R. Cummings and Steve Swett. Candidate information follows official Marion County election filings; verify with the official election office linked below.

Marion County, Florida

Marion County School Board District 3

Florida › Marion County › Marion County School Board District 3

Decided at the 2026 primary — Eric R. Cummings won the seat

DECIDED August 18: incumbent Eric Cummings was reelected outright with 56 percent over Steve Swett, per unofficial results. This race will not appear on the November 3 ballot.

Winner

Eric R. Cummings

Nonpartisan · Incumbent

Pastor (styled 'Rev.' by the Ocala Gazette) who has served on the Marion County School Board since 2018; holds a PhD plus master's and bachelor's degrees in theology and business administration, per his VOTE411 profile.

2026 priorities

Attract and retain great teachers with competitive pay, mentoring and reduced paperwork, per VOTE411
Community engagement - 'the best leaders spend more time listening than talking,' per VOTE411
Student-first decision-making: 'What's best for our students?', per VOTE411

Source: candidate campaign site, roster verified 2026-08-19.

Reported fundraising: $9,904 (county campaign-finance filings).

Campaign site →

Also ran in the primary

Steve Swett

Nonpartisan

Profile

Retired U.S. Postal Service manager and former Dunnellon postmaster (34 years per the Ocala Gazette; 36 years per his VOTE411 profile); Vietnam-era Air Force veteran with a public administration degree from Florida International University. He lost to Cummings in the 2022 primary.

Back to educational fundamentals - 'reading, writing, arithmetic' with phonics-based early literacy, per Ocala Gazette
Restore dignity, respect and institutional support for teachers, including merit pay and classroom authority, per VOTE411
Fiscal accountability and hands-on oversight of a district he says 'is not performing well and has not for over a decade,' per VOTE411

Verify this race
Candidate roster from official Marion County Supervisor of Elections filings, last verified 2026-08-19. Bios and priorities carry their attribution inline.
Cross-check with the official Florida Division of Elections, or see the full Marion County sample ballot and your exact ballot by address.