Manatee County · Bradenton / Gulf Coast · Florida Primary Tuesday, August 18, 2026
Manatee County Florida Primary 2026 voter guide
Free values-based primary guide for Manatee County from JesusVoter (jesusvoter.com). We score candidates on Christian / faith policy, Constitution & liberty, and GOP alignment. This page is for discovery and education.
Not an official ballot. Not published by any Supervisor of Elections or the Florida Division of Elections. Your legal ballot is by precinct and full residential address. Always verify with Manatee County Supervisor of Elections sample ballot tool.
Confirm U.S. House district and school board seats on your official sample ballot — ZIP alone is approximate. Multi-county ZIPs: pick your registration county in the interactive guide.
Key facts
- Primary: August 18, 2026
- Closed primary: party registration generally required for party nominations
- Book-closing / registration for this primary: July 20, 2026 (confirm party changes with SOE)
- General election: November 3, 2026
Open interactive guide (ZIP lookup) How to vote in Florida Primary 2026
Statewide races (every Manatee voter)
Governor of Florida
Open seat (term-limited). Republican and Democratic primaries on Aug 18, 2026. Top values picks and full fields are in the interactive guide — one top pick per race on the ballot checklist.
U.S. Senate (Special)
Special U.S. Senate fields appear statewide. Confirm candidates on your sample ballot and in the guide.
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture
Statewide cabinet race on the Aug 18 primary: GOP incumbent Wilton Simpson vs Matt Taylor (also known as Matt “The Welder”). Democratic primary: Joey Atkins vs Donald Prichard. Full scores in the interactive guide.
Florida Chief Financial Officer
Statewide cabinet race: GOP primary Blaise Ingoglia (incumbent) vs Frank Collige; Democratic primary Earle Ford vs Annette Taddeo. Scores in the interactive guide.
Florida Attorney General
Party primaries canceled — James Uthmeier (R, incumbent) and Jose Javier Rodriguez (D) advance toward November. May not appear on your Aug 18 primary ballot if unopposed; confirm with SOE.
Local primary races on file for Manatee
Fields below are compiled for this guide from public sources (including Ballotpedia) for the Aug 18, 2026 primary. Lists can change — treat the SOE sample ballot as authoritative. Full values scores open in the interactive guide.
Manatee School Board District 2
Nonpartisan five-way: Incumbent chair Cindy Spray, Rev. James T. Golden, Sharon Jefferson, Margi Nanney, JT White. High-visibility Title I district race. District voters only — votemanatee.gov.
- Cindy Spray (Nonpartisan) (limited public data — confirm on SOE / campaign site)
- James T. Golden (Nonpartisan)
- Sharon Jefferson (Nonpartisan) (limited public data — confirm on SOE / campaign site)
- Margi Nanney (Nonpartisan) (limited public data — confirm on SOE / campaign site)
- JT White (Nonpartisan)
Manatee School Board District 5
Nonpartisan open seat (Richard Tatem not seeking re-election). Camden Bedinghaus, Jonathan Mullis, Chantal Wilford. District voters only.
- Camden Bedinghaus (Nonpartisan) (limited public data — confirm on SOE / campaign site)
- Jonathan Mullis (Nonpartisan) (limited public data — confirm on SOE / campaign site)
- Chantal Wilford (Nonpartisan) (limited public data — confirm on SOE / campaign site)
Manatee County — other local races on primary ballot
District 4 school board may be unopposed (Wesley Choate III). Commission and judicial races by precinct. Confirm votemanatee.gov sample ballot.
Candidate list may be thin on file — confirm on the county sample ballot.
Official sample ballot
Manatee County Supervisor of Elections — sample ballot / voter tools
All Florida county SOEs
More counties
See all county guides: County guides.