Six Central Florida area Senate elections draw contests

Images via Colin Hackley.

A half-dozen state Senate elections across Central Florida were confirmed for contests Friday with several late candidate entries, including two who forced Primaries in what has been setting up as a marquee race in Senate District 10.

Republican Sen. Jason Brodeur of Sanford, the incumbent in SD 10, drew a Republican Primary in his re-election bid when school nurse Denali Aziza Charres of Longwood qualified for the ballot on Friday.

Voter registration records show that Charres is a former Democrat who switched to no party affiliation in 2019 and then to Republican in 2020. She moved to Seminole County in 2021.

Meanwhile, Democratic Rep. Joy Goff-Marcil of Maitland, backed by state Democratic leaders toward a bid against Brodeur in the November General Election, drew Democratic Primary Election opponent H. Alexander Duncan of Geneva, a former Seminole County Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor.

He redesignated his candidacy to SD 10 from House District 36 on Friday. However, his qualification was still pending early Friday afternoon.

Duncan ran unsuccessfully in the Democratic Primary Election field for that district’s predecessor, Senate District 9, two years ago. Earlier this month he filed in HD 36.

SD 10 covers Seminole County and a part of north-central Orange County.

Elsewhere across Central Florida:

— In Senate District 8, covering parts of Volusia and Brevard counties, incumbent Republican Sen. Tom Wright of New Smyrna Beach will face the winner of the Democratic Primary Election between Richard Dembinsky of Port Orange and Andrea Williams of Titusville. Williams, though, was not yet listed as “qualified” on the Division of Elections website by early Friday afternoon.

— In Senate District 13, covering Lakee County and southwestern Orange County, incumbent Sen. Dennis Baxley, who moved his residency to Eustis for this election, will face Democrat Stephanie Dukes of Clermont in the General Election.

— The Senate District 15 seat, representing much of western Orange County, will be decided in the Democratic Primary Election between Rep. Kamia Brown of Ocoee and Rep. Geraldine Thompson of Orlando.

— In Senate District 17, representing parts of central and eastern Orange County, incumbent Democratic Sen. Linda Stewart of Orlando drew a late-arriving General Election opponent when Republican Steve Dixon of Orlando filed and qualified for the ballot Thursday.

— In Senate District 25, representing Osceola County and part of southern Orange County, incumbent Democratic Sen. Victor Torres of Orlando will face Republican Peter Vivaldi of Orlando in the General Election. Vivaldi also filed and qualified Thursday.