Ocala, Florida sample ballot 2026

Medical professional and business owner with 30 years combined experience who operates one of the largest employers in south Marion County; U.S. Army veteran and former firefighter/paramedic with a master's degree from the University of Florida, per his VOTE411 profile.

Jeff Bairstow is a 28.5-year veteran of the Ocala Police Department and business owner of 10 years; a native Marion Countian with eight generations of family roots, per his VOTE411 profile (which lists incumbency as 'No').

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.

Steve Swett is a 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.

Owner of Symmetry Coffee Company in Ocala, U.S. Navy veteran (nuclear machinist mate, 2010-2017) and adjunct business professor at the College of Central Florida with an MBA from Florida Atlantic University; past Education Foundation president, per the Ocala Gazette and VOTE411. Running for the open seat vacated by Nancy Thrower.

Registered nurse with 35 years of operating room/trauma experience, U.S. Army Nurse Corps veteran, and chairwoman of the Marion County Republican Executive Committee who serves on the county textbook review committee, per the Ocala Gazette and VOTE411. Running for the open seat vacated by Nancy Thrower. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Brigitte Smith.

City manager of Archer, Florida; chairs the Marion County Board of Adjustments and the Citra Community Center, and formerly served as Public Works & Utilities Administrator for Williston, per the Ocala Gazette and VOTE411.

Sarah James is the incumbent school board member (four years) and current board chair; former teacher and school administrator with a doctorate in educational leadership who owns two preschools generating about $1.5 million annually, per the Ocala Gazette and VOTE411.

Ashley Moody is Florida's incumbent U.S. senator and the Republican nominee in the 2026 special election for the final two years of Marco Rubio's term. Appointed in January 2025 when Rubio became secretary of state, she previously served as Florida attorney general and as a circuit judge.

• Voted yes on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the 2025 tax-and-spending package, which passed the Senate 50-50 in July 2025 with the Vice President breaking the tie. Supported
• Voted yes on the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2026, which passed the Senate 77-20 in October 2025. Supported
• Voted yes on the November 2025 funding agreement that ended the government shutdown, which passed the Senate 60-40 in November 2025. Supported
• Voted yes on the March 2025 full-year stopgap funding bill, which passed the Senate 54-46 in March 2025. Supported

Nixon is a Florida state representative from Jacksonville and a former union organizer running for the U.S. Senate, per the campaign site. She has said her mother worked two jobs and that she lost a cousin to gun violence, and she has led opposition to congressional and legislative maps drawn under Governor DeSantis, per the campaign site.

Donalds is a member of Congress representing Florida's 19th District since 2020, per the campaign site. Before Congress, he worked in the finance, insurance and banking industries in Southwest Florida and served in the Florida House of Representatives, where he chaired the House Insurance and Banking Subcommittee and led the effort to enact Hope Scholarships for school choice, per the campaign site. He was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, and graduated from Florida State University in 2002, per the campaign site.

• Voted yes on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the 2025 tax-and-spending package, which passed the House 218-214 in July 2025. Supported
• Voted yes on the Laken Riley Act, expanding federal detention of certain immigrants charged with theft or violent crimes, which passed the House 263-156 in January 2025. Supported
• Voted yes on the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2026, which passed the House 231-196 in September 2025. Supported
• Voted yes on the November 2025 funding agreement that ended the government shutdown, which passed the House 222-209 in November 2025. Supported
• Voted yes on the September 2025 stopgap funding bill, which passed the House 217-212 in September 2025. Supported
• Voted yes on the March 2025 full-year stopgap funding bill, which passed the House 217-213 in March 2025. Supported

David Jolly is the Democratic nominee for Florida governor, a former Republican congressman from the Tampa Bay area who left the GOP and joined the Democratic Party in 2025. His campaign emphasizes affordability, property insurance reform, public schools, and ending one-party control of Tallahassee.

James Uthmeier is Florida's incumbent attorney general and the Republican candidate in the 2026 election. Appointed in February 2025 after serving as Governor DeSantis's chief of staff, he is seeking a full term. Per the state qualifying list, he and Democrat Jose Javier Rodriguez advance directly to the November ballot.

Jose Javier Rodriguez is an attorney, a former Florida state representative and state senator from Miami, and a former U.S. assistant secretary of labor, per the campaign site. His campaign says he would focus the office on crime, costs and corruption and serve as an independent-minded enforcer of the law, per the campaign site.

Blaise Ingoglia is Florida's incumbent chief financial officer and the Republican nominee in the 2026 election. Appointed in July 2025, he previously served in the Florida Senate and House and as state party chair.

Annette Taddeo is a Florida state senator, the first Latina Democrat elected to the Florida State Senate, first elected in a 2017 special election, per the campaign site.

Simpson is a fifth-generation Floridian and lifelong farmer who operates a large-scale egg-laying operation supplying Florida supermarkets, per the campaign site. He currently serves as Florida's Agriculture Commissioner and previously served in the state Senate, per the campaign site.

Joey Mendoza Atkins is the Democratic nominee for Florida agriculture commissioner. A lifelong Floridian, he earned a political science degree cum laude and a law degree, worked as a family-law attorney, and represented athletes as a Miami-area sports agent. His platform focuses on grocery costs, local farmers, and affordability.