The Tampa Bay Times editorial board prized experience as it  recommended two Lakeland-area candidates in their respective primaries for the three-county U.S. House seat being vacated by Dennis Ross:

Democrats: The newspaper praises all three candidates but settles on Lakeland lawyer Kristen Carlson: “Her experience in drafting legislation and long track record of working in Tallahassee and Washington would enable her to be effective from the start.”

Republicans: The editorialists called Polk City’s Neil Combee “more practical than other candidates” and said he “stands out in this crowded field for his experience in government and with issues critical to this district, from water resources to agriculture.”

Bay News 9 polled voters about their preferences for the District 15 Congressional seat being vacated by Dennis Ross and found many voters are still undecided with the primaries less than a month away.

• Republican results: Undecided 34%; Ross Spano 26%; Neil Combee 20%; Danny Kushmer 7%; Ed Shoemaker 7%; Sean Harper 6%
• Democratic results: Undecided 46%; Kristen Carlson 31%; Andrew Learned 12%; Ray Peña 12%

The margin of error was 4.4 percent for Republicans and 4.3 percent for Democrats, Bay News 9 said. The station didn’t reveal the size or composition of their samples.

Mail-in ballots are out, and voters go to the polls Aug. 28 and again on Nov. 6. Floridians will be choosing a new U.S. senator, governor and other statewide officers. You can research those races several places, including the Tampa Bay Times Voters Guide.

If you want to check out local candidates, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, you’ll find links to learn more about the more local races Lakeland residents will find on their ballots:

U.S. House | Florida Senate | Polk County Commission | Polk School Board | Circuit Judge | Florida House | Soil & Water

Florida’s 15th Congressional District, which includes Lakeland, has gone from “likely Republican” to “lean Republican,” in the estimation of the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. Five Republicans and three Democrats are vying to replace Rep. Dennis Ross of Lakeland, who is retiring. The report names Neil Combee and Ross Spano as the Republicans to watch and Kristen Carlson as the likely Democratic nominee, calling her “a modest favorite” over Andrew Learned | The Hill| | The Cook Political Report

Local candidates for Congress, state Legislature, County Commission, School Board and circuit judge had a chance to introduce themselves tonight at a “hob nob” sponsored by the Puerto Rican Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Polk County. Each candidate had three minutes. Please note that the sound quality in the video is spotty at first but becomes much better at about the six-minute mark. The primary is Aug. 28, and the general election is Nov. 6.

Gov. Rick Scott came to Lakeland today to promote his campaign to unseat Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson. He was flanked by Republican activists and candidates at a rally/press conference at Frescos; also on hand were five of Lakeland’s seven city commissioners: Mayor Bill Mutz and Commissioners Michael Dunn, Scott Franklin, Stephanie Madden and Phillip Walker. Next up: a meeting at My Office and More with members of the Puerto Rican Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Polk County. Here is video of the rally/press conference:

ALSO: Ledger coverage

State Rep. Ross Spano, 52, one of five Republicans vying for the party’s nomination to succeed Dennis Ross in Congress, is off the campaign trail temporarily because of a “mild cardiac event” he experienced following a strenuous workout Sunday, his campaign said.

With local elections coming up Aug. 28 and Nov. 6, learn more about the candidates via LkldNow’s updated Election Wire.

Candidates increasingly rely on Facebook and other social media to get their messages out, so we’re supplementing our election coverage with the Election Wire, which collects Facebook posts from campaign pages for local candidates for U.S. House, Florida Legislature, Polk School Board, Polk County Commission and circuit judge.

Unfortunately, our Elections Wire software doesn’t aggregate personal profiles, so we’re unable to include candidates if we couldn’t locate a campaign page. They include School Board candidates Kay Fields, Terry L. Clark and Kala Tedder and Circuit Judge candidate Dana Y. Moore.

In the near future, we’ll have lots of links to help readers learn more about candidates, and those will include links to campaign contribution lists, a variety of social media pages for each candidate and other voter resources.

Check the Election Wire.

Democrat Kristen Carlson, a Lakeland lawyer, has raised $249,722 in her bid to replace Dennis Ross in the District 15 U.S. House seat. The only other candidate collecting more than $200,000 was Democratic rival Andrew Learned of Valrico, who has raised $223,218.

Carlson started collecting donations in May; her warchest includes about $75,000 in candidate loans and contributions. Learned started collecting donations about a year ago; his warchest includes $2,000 in candidate contributions.

On the Republican side, candidates collecting more than $100,000 are state Rep. Ross Spano of Dover, whose $157,068 includes $45,000 in loans, and former state Rep. Neil Combee of Polk City, whose $128,000 includes no loans.

Democratic and Republican primaries are Aug. 28; the winner in each will face off on the Nov. 6 general election ballot.

To learn more: Florida Politics | Federal Elections Commission reports