Republican Elections Supervisors across Florida crush election denier challengers

Image via AP.

Republican Elections Supervisors in Florida faced far-right Primary challenges on Tuesday, with opponents questioning Florida’s election integrity.

But in Charlotte, Collier, Lake, Lee and Pinellas counties, incumbents won their races overwhelmingly. The election deniers looking to run elections all fared poorly.

“They were all smoked,” said Lee County Supervisor of Elections Tommy Doyle.

Despite personal scandal days before the election, Doyle cruised to victory in an open Republican Primary, winning more than 80% of the vote over Republican challenger Mick Peters.

In Lake County, incumbent Supervisor of Elections Alan Hays has been an outspoken defender of Florida’s elections. He has maintained that position even as the Lake County Republican Party passed resolutions demanding forensic audits of the 2020 Presidential Election.

But while the former Republican Senator has often been at odds with the local party, he crushed Republican Primary opponent Tom Vail.

“This is an overwhelming expression of appreciation on the part of the voters on how we have conducted the office,” Hays told the Orlando Sentinel on Tuesday evening. “It is a very strong vote of confidence in the integrity of our office.”

In Collier County, local political donor (and election denier) Alfie Oakes backed Dave Schaffel as a Primary challenger to Republican Supervisor of Elections Melissa Blazier. Schaffel also had the support of the Collier County Republican Party.

But Blazier beat Schaffel and another challenger, Tim Guerrette, to secure the Republican nomination. She received more than 48% of the vote to Schaffel’s 35% and Guerrette’s 17%.

“It was a rough and nasty campaign and I am happy to put it behind me,” Blazier told the News-Press.

The race marked the first time Blazier stood for election since Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed her to the vacant post in 2023.

A gubernatorial appointment also put Charlotte County Supervisor of Elections Leah Valenti in office. But Valenti cruised to a Republican Primary victory, winning nearly 75% of the vote over challenger David Kalin.

Like many challengers against sitting Supervisors, Kalin questioned the county’s election integrity, and said he would demand access to machine source codes if he ran the office and would back the ability to conduct hand counts of elections.

In Pinellas County, Supervisor of Elections Julie Marcus won her Republican Primary challenge over Chris Gleason. Marcus defended her own record, with her campaign touting her as a “Guardian of Election Integrity in Pinellas County, Leading the Way in Security, Comprehensive Audits and Transparency.”

Gleason, though, sought to challenge that framing, saying 20% of voters on Pinellas rolls were “questionable” while also suggesting that Marcus left tens of thousands of legitimate ballots uncounted.

Voters showed trust in Marcus, who won more than 84% of the Republican Primary vote.

Doyle and Marcus won open Republican Primaries and secured four-year terms automatically on Tuesday. Blazier, Hays and Valenti will face write-in opposition in November.

Doyle said the results show that Florida’s public has rejected conspiracy theories and ill-considered policies.

“My victory signals they are not in favor of hand-counting ballots and believing we have illegal citizens voting in our elections, and that we are transparent and our elections are secure,” he said.