Harry Cohen opponent drops challenge after residency question

John Scott Butherus II has withdrawn from the race for Hillsborough County Commission, District 1.

His withdrawal means that, at least for now, incumbent Harry Cohen does not have opposition, though he could still draw a challenger ahead of the June 12 qualifying deadline.

In his withdrawal letter to Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections (SOE) Craig Latimer, dated April 16 and received by the SOE April 17, Butherus cites his inability “to meet the petition threshold required to secure ballot access.”

He wrote that he made the decision “after careful assessment of the logistical requirements of the petition process — including the number of verified signatures required, the timeline remaining before the qualifying deadline of June 12, 2026, and the resources available to a grassroots campaign operating without major donor support.”

But his withdrawal letter was written just six days after a Florida Politics inquiry into Butherus’ residency.

Butherus does not live in District 1; rather, his Ruskin address is located within District 4, which is not on the ballot this year.

As of Monday, Butherus had not re-filed for either of the two countywide seats that will be on the ballot this year, including Commissioner Donna Cepeda’s District 5 seat and Commissioner Joshua Wostal’s District 7 seat.

Both incumbents are Republicans and both already face opposition. Cepeda faces a Primary challenge from fellow Republican Stacy Hahn. Democrat Neil Manimala is also running. Both have raised far more than Cepeda, at nearly $64,000 and nearly $144,000, respectively. Wostal so far faces just one challenger, Democrat Aileen Rodriguez, who has raised nearly $28,000 to his $119,000.

Butherus, meanwhile, reported bringing in just $100 for his campaign, a self-contribution.

In his letter, Butherus did not mention any future attempts at seeking office, but said his brief candidacy “is one of the most instructive experiences a private citizen can undertake.”

“This campaign deepened my understanding of how local government works, where its decisions are made, and how much depends on the people willing to show up and demand accountability. That education is not wasted,” he wrote.

Butherus made no mention of his residency issue in his withdrawal letter.

Now unopposed, Cohen’s strong fundraising could serve as a deterrence to anyone considering challenging him. Cohen has raised more than $480,000 to both of his funding sources, his campaign and affiliated political committee, Hillsborough Together.

Cohen officially kicked off his campaign in October, with a standing-room-only event at Pane Rustica including three Tampa Mayors: current Mayor Jane Castor and former Mayors Bob Buckhorn and Sandy Freedman, the latter of whom also contributed $1,000 to Cohen’s campaign in the fourth quarter.

Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister was there, too. The Republican law enforcement leader has already endorsed Cohen’s re-election, lending bipartisan support.