Alachua County and Gainesville voters headed to the polls Aug. 18 for the 2026 midterm primary elections, which featured statewide and local races, including the election of Gainesville’s mayor and new city and county commissioners.
Election day included nonpartisan races including the mayoral and commission races and the election of a new Alachua County judge.
Here are the results.
Gainesville mayoral race
The Gainesville mayoral race saw incumbent Harvey Ward, who was first elected in 2022, retain his seat as mayor after a faceoff against Evan Moon. Ward will serve his second and final term as mayor.
Ward received 79% of the vote, the largest margin in Gainesville mayoral history.
At a Democratic forum July 15, Ward said he hoped to get reelected so he could continue to build on the progress of his first term.
Ward said Gainesville has seen decreased crime and the construction of hundreds of affordable homes since the start of his term, along with increasing investment in East Gainesville with projects like the recently completed multi-use trail along the north side of Northeast 31st Avenue.
The city also recently built an urgent care center on Hawthorne Road and completed large-scale renovations on Citizens Field. Construction near Northeast Eighth Avenue and Waldo Road is pending completion.
Gainesville City Commission District 2 race
Former Gainesville Sun journalist Nathan Crabbe won the three-candidate nonpartisan race for Gainesville City Commission’s District 2 seat. The position was previously held by Ed Book, who will step down this fall.
Crabbe received 62% of the vote, beating housing advocate Nelida Jean-Baptiste Pellot and Marine veteran Wyatt Zintiz.
The former journalist campaigned on affordable cost of living, the environment and infrastructure.
“I couldn’t sit on the sidelines anymore,” Crabbe said. “I felt like running for office was my opportunity to play a greater part in addressing these issues.”
Crabbe, who was the The Sun’s opinions editor for over a decade, said he felt his experience as a reporter gave him a grasp of the issues residents face and inspired him to pursue a career in politics.
He also helped launch the Gainesville for All Initiative, which he said showed him working directly with local residents is the best way to address issues in the community.
Crabbe, who said he knocked on over 3,000 doors during the campaigning process, said affordability was the most common concern voters voiced.
He believes the commission can play a larger role in expanding access to affordable housing for workers like teachers, firefighters and nurses, he added.
Gainesville City Commission District 3 race
Incumbent Casey Willits, who was first elected to the Gainesville City Commission in 2022, has just claimed a second term as the District 3 commissioner.
Willits faced two challengers, Dejeon Cain and James Gardner, who received 28% and 17% of votes, respectively.
During a Democratic forum in July, Willits said he hopes to use Gainesville’s tree mitigation fund for more projects to promote environment protection in his district.
The tree mitigation fund, which was created in 2013, collects money from developers who cut down trees in the city and reallocates the funds to environmental projects.
The three commission winners will be joined by Commissioner Bryan Eastman, who was the only candidate to qualify for the District 4 seat. The four winners will be sworn into their four-year terms in January 2027.
Alachua County judge race
Longtime public defender and UF law graduate Eric Atria will fill the judicial bench after receiving over 61% of the vote in his race against AuBroncee Starlin Martin, another public defender.
County judges preside over civil cases under $50,000 and criminal misdemeanors.
Juan Osorio, a 21-year-old campaign manager for Nathan Crabbe, Hunter Miller and Eric Atria, said Atria stuck out to him because he wanted to be more connected to local residents, which isn’t common among county judges.
“It’s always the race that people might ignore, but he wanted to make it known — he cared enough to do that,” Osorio said. “He caught me right away.”
The position deals directly with cases in the community. Most citizens may not appear in family court, but many appear in civil courts for issues as small as traffic stops.
Alachua County Commission District 2 race
Tina Certain, the current vice chair of the Alachua County School Board, edged out Donna Bradbrook in the race for the District 2 seat on the Alachua County Commission.
Certain captured 39% of the vote over Bradbrook's 31%.
Two other candidates, U.S. Army veteran Charlie Jackson and former High Springs Mayor Byran Williams, received 18% and 12% of the vote, respectively.
Certain fell into controversy last year when her comments on Charlie Kirk’s death drew criticism from conservative advocates.
"How a 31yr old uneducated white boy has been glorified,” Certain wrote in a since-deleted Facebook post. “To see the feds & state elevate him angers me."
The Florida Board of Education summoned Certain and questioned her about the incident at a Nov. 15 meeting. Certain could not seek reelection to the school board, having served the limit of two consecutive terms. Her school board term ends in November.
Soorya Lindberg, a 44-year-old Alachua County resident who voted in the county elections, said the voting process was quick and easy.
Lindberg heavily researched candidates in this election cycle, she said, and while many campaigns were similar, she came away impressed with several of the candidates.
“Watching this election, I realize how much grit it takes to be a candidate and how much work it takes,” Lindberg said. “So, hats off to all the candidates.”
Contact Logan McBride at lmcbride@alligator.org. Follow him on X @logandmcbride.
Logan McBride is a fourth-year journalism student and this summer's general assignment reporter. He previously served as a reporter for the city/county commission, K-12 education and track & field. Logan enjoys watching sports, going to the movies and playing basketball. When he's not working, you can find him on adventures with his friends, cuddling with his cat Max, or with his girlfriend.
