Citrus County Elections Supervisor ‘Mo’ Baird faces first challenger

Citrus County’s contest for Supervisor of Elections pits a longtime office administrator against someone whose work history lasted just three months.

Maureen “Mo” Baird, a nearly 40-year veteran with the elections office, is seeking her second term.

Her Republican Primary opponent is Tifani Long, who is running her first campaign.

Baird’s history with the elections office goes back to former Supervisor Wilma Anderson, known for prowling the office on election night in fuzzy slippers while ballots were being counted.

Following Anderson’s retirement and Susan Gill’s election in 2000, Baird became chief deputy elections supervisor, overseeing election night returns. Gill retired in 2000, and quickly endorsed Baird to succeed her. She won with 72% of the vote over former Citrus County Commissioner Scott Adams.

Under Baird’s leadership, the office continues Gill’s extensive community outreach. The Elections Office regularly visits libraries, festivals and schools to register voters.

Baird’s term had been largely ordinary until the ballot entry of Jesse Rumson for County Commission District 5. Rumson, known as “sedition panda” after storming the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, wearing a costume bear head, was convicted by a federal Judge in May of felony assault charges. Sentencing is set for Sept. 5.

That act alone did not remove Rumson from the ballot. Despite the conviction, Baird said nothing could be done until after sentencing.

But later, Baird removed Rumson for an entirely unrelated reason: He failed to check a required box on his candidate oath form, and the mistake wasn’t discovered until weeks after qualifying. Rumson’s departure left County Commissioner Chairman Holly Davis without a Republican Primary opponent.

Coincidentally, it was Long who notified Baird of the error.

Long, of Hernando, worked for Baird for three months before resigning. Part of her campaign plank is to stop what she considers low employee morale and high turnover.

Long has raised just $3,486 to Baird’s $25,295.

With only two Republicans on the ballot, this race is open to all voters and will be decided in the Primary.