CORRECTION: The Alligator previously reported Raemi Eagle-Glenn won the District 22 Republican candidacy. She won Alachua County, but not Levy County or Gilchrist County. This article is updated with the winner, Chad Johnson.
Alachua County’s primary election ended Aug. 20 with over 11,000 votes cast throughout the day. Citizens voted along party lines for Alachua County Commission, Gainesville City Commission and state-wide seats, as well as the Democratic sheriff candidate. There were a total of eight open seats and six competitive races. Voters also cast ballots for school board members.
A little over 35,000 voters participated in the election with mail-in ballots being the most popular voting method. This year’s election cycle saw 33% less voter turnout than the 2022 primary election, which had over 50,000 votes cast.
For competitive races, the primary election determines which candidate will represent the party during November’s general election. For nonpartisan races, the primary election serves as the general election, and if a candidate does not receive over 50% of the vote, there will be a runoff in November.
Florida is a closed primary state, meaning only voters registered with candidates’ affiliated parties can cast votes for those races.
Student turnout
Students cast their votes at local polling locations, including the UF Reitz Student Union and Santa Fe College.
Harrison Feld, a 22-year-old UF political science major, said he was able to cast his vote in under one minute at a new voting site located in the Harn Museum. Some students are also voting in Alachua County for the first time after familiarizing themselves with policies and candidates’ backgrounds.
Sara Akyol, a 20-year-old UF international studies junior, updated her address after moving to Alachua County for college. With the convenience of voting on campus, Akyol said she encourages other students to get into the booths.
“Make sure you put the right address, and you'll be able to go to whichever precinct you need to go to,” Akyol said. “At the end of the day, just vote.”
Students said they prepared for the primary elections in different ways. Chelsea McFarlend, an 18-year-old UF microbiology and cell science major, researches who she votes for and decides based on policy. For 21-year-old UF biology major Jasmine David, updating her voting address in advance so she could vote Tuesday was as rewarding as it was timely, she said.
Alachua County Commission Seat District 1
Incumbent County Commission Chair Mary Alford won the Democratic nomination by 72%, beating opponent DeJeon L. Cain.
Born and raised in Alachua County, Alford has spent her past three years on the county commission working on initiatives from her first election campaign, which include strides in affordable housing projects, over 700 miles of road maintenance projects and a local Climate Vulnerability Analysis.
Before serving as a county commissioner, Alford served on the Alachua County Environmental Protection Advisory Board, the Code Enforcement Board and Gainesville's Utility Advisory Board.
“I enjoy being a commissioner. I enjoy serving,” Alford said. “I will work hard to be re-elected in November.”
Gainesville City Commission At Large Seat A
Gainesville resident James Ingle won the nonpartisan seat by 61%, beating out Fareed "Reed" Johnson.
Ingle previously served as President of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and a member of the Alachua County Plan Board, where he stressed the importance of affordable housing projects.
Ingle was very happy with the numbers and said the issue most pressing to him is the situation with Gainesville Regional Utilities. He’s in favor of the GRU referendum and said the utility should be run by people within the community rather than a governor-appointed board.
Ingle previously ran for Gainesville City Commission, but this is his first time winning a seat. He said he wants to establish a working relationship with the other charter officers during his first few weeks in office.
“I've been involved a lot with politics and local activism and really involved with my community for a long time,” Ingle said. “To see that bear fruit and to see that the community thinks enough of me in the work that I've done here — that I should be in a decision-making position — is very humbling.”
Gainesville City Commission District 1
Incumbent Desmon Duncan-Walker faced Gainesville resident Michael Perkins for the District 1 nonpartisan seat, winning by nearly 78%.
Duncan-Walker is a “proud product of the Alachua County Public School System,” according to a biography on the city’s website.
As an advocate for arts and culture, she is the Gainesville Alliance for Equitable Development founder and is involved in several other county and city boards and organizations. On the city commission, Duncan-Walker has supported approvals for arts funding and voted in favor of the GRU referendum appearing on the November general election ballot.
Duncan-Walker was not immediately available for comment.
Alachua County Sheriff
Alachua County Colonel Chad Scott faced UF Police Department Captain Latrell Simmons and Alachua County Sheriff’s officer Peter King for the Democratic nomination — Scott won his seat by 51%.
A Newberry native, Scott was formerly employed at the North Florida Evaluation and Treatment Center, where he worked with mental health patients declared not guilty by reason of insanity.
Scott began serving at the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office as a patrol officer. In 2008, Scott transferred to the Alachua Police Department as a reserve unit and later became Chief of Police. As Alachua County Sheriff, Scott said he wants to address gun violence, addiction and work to expand services for domestic violence victims.
Scott previously said he’s never called in sick during his 34 years in law enforcement, noting he is dedicated to his community in a previous interview with The Alligator.
“That is how you win. Thank you,” Scott said in an election night Facebook post.
Scott will advance to the general election as the Democratic nominee.
Alachua County School Board Seat District 2
Former math teacher UF graduate and district staff member Thomas Vu won his seat by 53%. He defeated incumbent Diyonne L. McGraw.
Considering his identity as a gay man who fought for acceptance, Vu said he understands the need for policies ensuring safety and support for all students and teachers. Vu “found solace in education amidst a challenging childhood in a broken home,” he said on his campaign website.
“I look forward to doing the hard work,” Vu wrote in a text message. “For the students, the teachers and the families.”
His philosophy is “forever a student, always a teacher.”
Alachua County School Board Seat District 4
Leanetta McNealy, who has served on the school board for 12 years, won the District 4 school board seat by 72% over her opponent, Lew A. "Lincoln" Welge.
McNealy currently serves as the vice chair of the Alachua County School Board.
McNealy is a former Alachua County school teacher, curriculum specialist and was the Duval Fine Arts Academy school principal for 14 years.
“I didn't ever want to be overconfident as the campaign was going on,” she said. “But I felt a tinge of relief when I saw the results tonight that people still believe in me, still support me and to know that I'm going to be here to advocate and put children first at all extent.”
McNealy will be sworn into her four-year position in November.
Primary winners across the state
Winning the U.S. Republican and Democrat Florida Senate primary seats, Rick Scott and Debbie Mucarsel-Powell will face off for the senator position on the November general election ballot. Kat Cammack won the U.S. Republican House of Representatives District 3 candidacy, Chad Johnson won the Republican State Representative District 22 candidacy, and David Arreola won the Democratic State Representative District 22 candidacy.
The next election will be the General Election on Nov. 5. The deadline to register is Oct. 7 with early voting running Oct. 21 through Nov. 2.
Natalie Kaufman and Sabrina Castro contributed to this report.
Contact Morgan Vanderlaan, Vivienne Serret and Nicole Beltrán at mvanderlaan@alligator.org, vserret@alligator.org and @nbeltran@alligator.org. Follow them on X @morgvande, @vivienneserret and @nicolebeltg.
Morgan Vanderlaan is a second year Political Science major and the Fall 2024 Politics Enterprise Reporter. When she's not on the clock she can be found writing, reciting, and watching theatre!
Nicole Beltran is the Fall 2024 Senior News Director and El Caimán Editor. She's reported for El Caimán, University and Enterprise desk. In her spare time, she enjoys journaling about her day, watching movies and drinking matcha.
Vivienne Serret is a UF journalism and criminology senior, serving as the Fall 2024 race and equity reporter for The Alligator's Enterprise desk. She previously worked as a columnist and previously reported for The Alligator's university desk as the student government reporter. She loves karaoke and lifting at the gym.
