TallyMadness is back, here are some matchups to watch

TallyMadness Round 3 is underway! Vote early, vote often!

TallyMadness 2021 is underway.

The online competition to decide who is the “best” lobbyist in Florida started Thursday afternoon.

For this year’s competition, only in-house lobbyists are in the field, so the championship is really up for grabs.

Round 1 will separate the contenders from the pretenders — not really; everyone who made the dance is deserving — but some of the opening-round matchups have interesting off-court wrinkles.

With three days left to vote in Round 1, here are the head-to-heads to keep your eyes on.

— The duel between Jake Farmer and Adam Basford is shaping up to be a city vs. country classic a la Villanova vs. UNC. Farmer, of course, represents the Florida Retail Federation while Basford reps the Florida Farm Bureau Federation.

— Andy Gonzalez and Joanne Hart represent two influential professional associations. The Florida Association of Realtors is the largest in the state, but just like D-1 basketball, the biggest schools aren’t guaranteed a deep run. The Florida Dental Association, represented by Hart, could pack a punch and knock him out early.

— If we seeded lobbyists, John Holley would definitely have been a No. 1. The Florida Power & Light Company lobbyist will no doubt serve up an electric performance and could go deep into the tournament. But if he doesn’t take it one game at a time, the Florida Bankers Association’s Anthony DiMarco could snuff out that storyline before it gets off the ground.

— Normally, a matchup between blue bloods doesn’t happen until the Sweet 16, but “normal” has a nebulous definition these days, so why not have Associated Industries of Florida lobbyist Brewster Bevis battle Disney in-houser Jose Gonzalez in the first round?

— The game between Florida Juvenile Justice Association advocate Christian Minor and Department of Children and Families lobbyist Michael Wickersheim makes us wish ties were allowed. Unfortunately, they’re not, but we expect these two — both of whom are among the nicest guys in the Process — will set some voting records.

— If University of Florida’s Mark Kaplan can mobilize supporters at his school, he could skate past Florida International University’s Chris Cantens. We’ll know soon enough whether he’s got mid-aughts Billy Donavan talent or he’s a Mike White-style … what’s a soft word for disappointment?

— Florida State has become a hoops school in recent years … well, at least when compared to their gridiron offering. The team made the tourney this year, but they’re likely a one and done. FSU lobbyist Clay Ingram has the talent to get a bit further than that, but he’ll have to get past Florida Association of Managing Entities lobbyist Natalie Kelly first.

— Stephanie Kopelousos may have missed out on becoming DeSantis Chief of Staff, but as the only Governor’s Office staffer on the board, she has a good reason to brush it off and focus on the top prize. She’s up against Florida Blue lobbyist David Pizzi.

— We try not to pick favorites, but we can’t help ourselves when it comes to Stephanie Smith. The Anthem lobbyist is a sure thing for the Round of 32; the only question is how much will she run up the score against Edward Labrador? (Sorry, Edward, somebody had to go up against her.)

— Another marquee: The Florida Chamber of Commerce’s Frank Walker vs. the NFIB’s Tim Nungesser. Their employers are mostly aligned, and both have a lot of sway in the Capitol. But which one will take the crown? No matter who does, business wins.

Cast your vote for the Round 1 matchups on FloridaPolitics.com before 11:59 p.m. Sunday. The winners will be announced in Monday’s edition of Sunburn.