It was a good night for incumbents as Circuit Judge Catherine Combee held her seat and Polk County School Board members William Allen and Sara Beth Wyatt earned second and third terms respectively, based on unofficial results.
U.S. Sen. Rick Scott and U.S. Reps. Daniel Webster and Laurel Lee handily won their Republican primaries and will face off against Democratic opponents on Nov. 5.
In other races:
- County Commissioner Neil Combee came out on top in an unusually high-profile contest for Polk County property appraiser. He defeated former Lakeland Mayor Gow Fields with 58.8% of the vote to Fields’ 41.2%.
- Engineer and first-time candidate Mike Scott (41%) defeated better-known opponents John Hall (35.8%) and Ricky Shirah (23.2%) to win the District 5 seat on the Polk County Commission.
- Becky Troutman (60.9%) bested two opponents to win the Republican nomination in County Commission District 1. She will face Democrat Kay Klymko and write-in candidate Judi New, also a Republican, on Nov. 5.
- Blair Allen sailed to election as public defender for Florida’s 10th Judicial Circuit, which includes Polk, Highlands and Hardee counties. She won 64.3% of the vote, compared with rival Christopher Desrochers’ 35.7%.
- The school board will have a new face as 43-year-old commercial banker Travis Keyes takes over the District 2 seat being vacated by Lori Cunningham. Keyes defeated 25-year-old rival Marcus Wright Jr. by 59.7% to 40.3%.
See full election results
Election Results
Turnout was low
Turnout was light with only 17.21% of eligible Polk County voters casting ballots, based on unofficial results. By comparison, turnout was 23.5%, 22.9% and 27.5% in the August primaries in 2022, 2020 and 2018.
Stormy weather throughout the day might have discouraged some people from going to the polls.
Supervisor of Elections Lori Edwards’ office reported that 76,396 of Polk County’s 443,954 voters cast ballots, although fewer than half went to a precinct on Election Day.
Elections staff said 7,588 people took advantage of early walk-in voting and at least 36,116 people voted by mail. A final tally of mailed ballots was not provided Tuesday.
Slideshow: See Election Day photos
The outcome of many races was clear by 7:25 p.m. when the Supervisor of Elections posted unofficial vote tallies showing 155 of 172 precincts counted. By 7:50 p.m. with 171 of 172 precincts showing, candidates were celebrating. Vote counts were fully reported shortly before 9 p.m.
New School Board member Travis Keyes gets a hug from his wife Christa. | Kimberly C. Moore, LkldNow 
Many local Republicans including Public Defender-elect Blair Allen (center right) gathered at Union Hall to watch the election returns and celebrate. | Kimberly C. Moore, LkldNow 
Blair Allen hugs her daughters after winning her bid for public defender. | Kimberly C. Moore, LkldNow 
Former Lakeland Mayor Gow Fields concedes at the Black Swan after losing his bid for property appraiser. | Barry Friedman, LkldNow 
School board candidate Becky Troutman speaks with political consultant Jamie Swafford at Union Hall. | Kimberly C. Moore, LkldNow 
School Board Member William Allen gets a congratulatory handshake from Lakeland Commissioner Guy LaLonde Jr. after winning reelection. | Kimberly C. Moore, LkldNow 
Newly re-elected School Board Member William Allen poses with Ashley Troutman and Brian Stevens at Union Hall. | Kimberly C. Moore, LkldNow 
Kathryn “Kat” Gates-Skipper and her team await the results of her successful bid for Polk County Republican State Committeewoman. | Kimberly C. Moore, LkldNow
Polk County School Board
William Allen, 49, and Sara Beth Wyatt, 31, earned second and third terms respectively with decisive wins. They will be joined by newcomer Travis Keyes on Polk County’s nonpartisan, seven-member school board.
The election was less heated than in the past few cycles, with fewer cultural issues driving campaigns.
Allen, a professor at Florida Southern College, defeated 34-year-old challenger Bernnie Brandt by 67.4% to 32.6%. Allen had a significant fundraising edge over Brandt, a new father running his first campaign. As of Aug. 15, Allen reported having spent $41,056 on his campaign. By contrast, Brandt reported expenditures of $7,271.
Wyatt defeated challenger Rebekah Ricks by 61.4% to 38.6%. It was the second time the two women have faced off. They also competed in 2016, when Wyatt became the youngest person ever elected to the Polk County School Board at age 24.
Wyatt is the former president and CEO of the Winter Haven Chamber of Commerce. She reported campaign expenditures of $23,269 through Aug. 15. Ricks, 44, is the owner of The Homeschool Connection, founder of Moms for Medical Freedom and the state president of Moms for America. Ricks reported spending $15,670.
Keyes was among a group of candidates gathered at Union Hall at 1023 S. Florida Ave. on Tuesday to watch the returns. “After having been in the race since April of 2023, I’m glad we were able to run a strong, positive race,” he said, with his wife Christa by his side. “The graduation rates are going up, the school grades are going up, the certifications are going up and we look forward to continuing that trajectory.”
Keyes outspent his opponent by about $4-to-$1. He declared campaign expenditures of $57,035 through Aug. 15. Marcus Wright Jr., who works as the development director at Talbot House, reported spending $14,381.
Polk County Commission, District 1
The race isn’t over yet for Becky Troutman, who won the three-way Republican primary in District 1, but she is one step closer to securing the seat of term-limited Commissioner George Lindsey.
Troutman won 60.9% of the primary vote, Jennifer Price garnered 25.3% and Henry Coker got 13.8%.
Troutman ran the most expensive local campaign of the primary election. The 50-year-old small business owner reported expenditures of $141,010 through Aug. 15. By contrast, Price reported spending $13,489 and Coker reported $32,511.
Next, Troutman will face Democrat Kay Klymko and write-in candidate Judi New, also a Republican, on Nov. 5.
Polk County Commission, District 5
Political newcomer Mike Scott, 42, an engineer and business owner, won the three-way race for the District 5 seat currently held by Neil Combee, who opted to run for property appraiser. There is no Democratic rival in November, so Scott is now elected to the five-member commission.
Scott won 41% of the vote, defeating former Commissioner John Hall, 69, who previously served two terms, and perennial candidate Ricky Shirah, 70, a businessman who has run and lost 14 elections in the past 20 years.
Scott reported spending $43,010 — significantly more than Shirah’s $28,102, but roughly half the $82,341 that Hall reported.
Losing streak: Shirah changed his voter registration from Democrat to Republican in October and positioned himself as a “common-sense” candidate, appealing to voters who are alarmed by the county’s rapid development. However, it wasn’t enough to change his streak of losses:
- This was Shirah’s fourth attempt at the District 5 County Commission seat. He previously ran for it in 2004, 2008 and 2012.
- He ran for the Lakeland City Commission in 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019 and put his hat in the ring in 2022 to be considered for appointment to the vacancy left by Phillip Walker’s resignation.
- He ran for the Florida House of Representatives District 40 in 2014 and District 39 twice in 2018 — a special election in May and a general election in November.
- He ran for the Polk County School Board in 2006.
Public Defender
Blair Allen, 43, hugged her daughters at Union Hall and said she was humbled and excited to be the first female public defender in Florida’s 10th Judicial Circuit. Allen will succeed Rex Dimmig, who held the position for 12 years and endorsed her.
“The first thing I’m going to do is work at ensuring a fair justice system for everyone with professionalism, dedication and commitment — and that starts by setting the example at the top,” she said.
Allen, who has worked in the Public Defender’s office for 16 years, had a slight spending edge over Desrochers. She reported campaign expenditures of $85,588 as of Aug. 15. Desrochers, an attorney in private practice specializing in civil cases, reported spending $74,078.
Property Appraiser
Neil Combee will succeed Marsha Faux, who chose not to seek re-election as property appraiser. The race was unusually high profile, featuring two Republicans with long political careers.
Combee, currently a Polk County commissioner and a former state House member, credited support from regular folks for his 59%-to-41% victory over Gow Fields: “I want to thank everyone who voted for me and made my win possible. I have always been successful because of the support of regular working class folks and I would not want it any other way!”
Combee outspent Fields by $56,265 to $30,298 as of Aug. 15.
As returns showed he was behind, Fields spoke to several dozen supporters gathered at Black Swan, a new event venue at 112. E. Pine St. downtown. He encouraged them not to get discouraged and to stay active in local government. “For now, the voters have spoken and we have to accept that. And we’ll go on and wish Neil all the best. Hopefully he’ll run the office the way it deserves to be run.”
Current and former elected officials attending the Fields reception were Faux, who encouraged Fields to run for the post; Fields’ wife, Kay Fields, a Polk School Board member; Polk County Commissioner George Lindsey; and Phillip Walker, former Lakeland city commissioner.
Circuit Judge
Longtime Circuit Judge Catherine Combee, 71, won reelection with 68.8% of the vote, easily fending off a challenge from Auburndale civil trial attorney Greg Abaray, 53.
Combee was elected in 2012 and serves in the felony division of Florida’s 10th Judicial Circuit. This is the first time she has been opposed for reelection since taking the bench. She outspent Abaray by about $6-to-$1, reporting $45,953 in expenditures to his $7,647 as of Aug. 15.
Abaray said he wasn’t able to devote as much time to campaigning or soliciting donations as he had intended because of serious illnesses affecting two members of his family.
Florida House of Representatives
Jennifer Kincart Jonsson garnered 50.7% of the vote in the four-way Republican primary for the District 49 seat being vacated by Melony Bell, who is running for Polk Supervisor of Elections. District 49 includes some portions of Lakeland east of Bartow Road and much of south Polk County.
She will now face Democrat Ashley Elizabeth Herrmann in the Nov. 5 general election.
Rep. Jennifer Canady (District 50) and Rep. Josie Tomkow (District 51) did not have any Republican primary opposition, but both incumbents will have to defend their seats in the Nov. 5 general election. Canady will face Democrat Bonnie Patterson-James and Tomkow will face Democrat Octavio Eduardo Hernandez.
U.S. House of Representatives
Republican incumbents Rep. Daniel Webster, 75, and Rep. Laurel Lee, 50, won their primaries in Districts 11 and 15 respectively.
- Webster won 77% of the vote against defense contractor John McCloy.
- Lee got 72.3% of the vote in a three-way race against Plant City paralegal Jennifer Barbosa, who got 9.6%, and Dade City veteran and public relations firm owner James Judge, who got 18.1%
Webster will now face Democrat Barbie Harden Hall in the general election. Lee will face Democrat Pat Kemp.
In District 18, Andrea Doria Kale won the Democratic primary and will now take on Republican incumbent Rep. Scott Franklin in November.
Franklin did not have a primary opponent. Kale, a 65–year-old retired technology officer, won 66.9% of the vote for the Democratic nomination. Her rival Peter Braunston, 56, a Disney Cruise Line web associate and former congressional aide, trailed with 33.1%.
latest news
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.