Politics
Last Call for 8.19.26 – A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida
Last Call – A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.
— First Shot —
Florida’s 2026 Primary is over.
Republican Byron Donalds will face Democrat David Jolly for Governor, while Republican Ashley Moody will face Democrat Angie Nixon for U.S. Senate.
Donalds versus Jolly was the expected feature presentation.
Unofficial returns in the Governor’s race show Donalds emerging from a crowded 11-candidate Republican field with nearly 48% of the vote. His nearest rival, Jay Collins, narrowly cleared the 25% mark. On the Democratic side, the Jolly-Gwen Graham ticket captured nearly 61% in a six-candidate field.
The Senate contest supplied the closest thing to a surprise. Moody steamrolled the Republican field with nearly 80% of the vote. The more interesting result came on the Democratic side, where Nixon defeated Alex Vindman 56.1% to 43.9%. Nixon may have been the upset winner, but the result itself was no squeaker: She prevailed by more than 12 percentage points.
Statewide turnout stood at 25.25%, with 3,387,559 of Florida’s 13,418,186 eligible active registered voters casting ballots. The latest Division of Elections report shows that 2,057,488 voters cast ballots by mail or at an early voting site.
The same partisan split that defined the pre-election reports held through Election Day. Democrats returned 97,044 more mail ballots than Republicans, but Republicans’ 143,036-ballot advantage in early voting more than erased it.
The numbers can still move as counties process provisional ballots and permitted ballot cures, which is why Wednesday’s returns remain unofficial. The November slate, however, is no longer in doubt.
— Evening Reads —
—“A stunning win for the left in Florida: Six takeaways from Tuesday’s Primaries” via Patricia Mazzei of The New York Times
—“Winners and losers from the Florida Primary” via Chris Cillizza of So What
—”Florida rejects Democratic establishment — and even snubs Donald Trump” via Andrew Atterbury, Arek Sarkissian and Gary Fineout of POLITICO
—”Why Hulk Hogan is the key to understanding Trump’s America” via Chris Cillizza of So What
—“He didn’t think he’d lose his job for being Jay Collins’ running mate” via Liv Caputo of the Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times
—”The salt shaker test: This David Jolly-Byron Donalds poll doesn’t need the shaker at all” via Steve Vancore for Florida Politics
—“Ron DeSantis, Moms for Liberty reshaped Sarasota school politics. Voters just gave them the boot” via Jesse Mendoza of Florida Politics
—“Suspended Clerk of Courts Mike Caruso denied bond on child abuse charges” via Shira Moolten of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel
—“Five things I think I think about the St. Pete Mayoral Primary results” via Peter Schorsch of Florida Politics
—”Cursive writing and autism-specific teacher training among new laws for the new school year” via Jay Waagmeester of the Florida Phoenix
— Quote of the Day —
“We always like to bloody each other up very, very thoroughly.”
— Republican Party of Sarasota County Chair Jack Brill, on bruising GOP Primaries.
— Put it on the Tab —
Look to your left, then look to your right. If you see one of these people at your happy hour haunt, flag down the bartender and put one of these on your tab. Recipes included, just in case the Cocktail Codex fell into the well.
MDW Communications earns a Talk 30 To Me after more than 30 of its candidates advanced through Primaries or won outright on Tuesday.
July brought a tough climate for those looking to sell homes across the First Coast, but maybe next month sellers will have an easier time trading their money pit for a Money Pit.
After comfortably winning the GOP nomination in HD 87, Jon Maples is serving up a Rematch for Democratic Rep. Emily Gregory.
— Breakthrough Insights —
— Tune In —
Messi, Inter Miami host surging Philadelphia Union
Inter Miami hosts the Philadelphia Union tonight with Leo Messi expected to play for the third straight match (7:30 p.m. ET, Apple TV).
Messi missed time after the World Cup as he recovered from Argentina’s loss in the final. Then, Messi’s father, Jorge, died on Aug. 8. He returned to the club four days later and was a second-half sub in Miami’s Leagues Cup match. On Saturday, he played all 90 minutes at Nashville, assisting on the lone Inter Miami goal in a 4-1 loss. Messi took 11 shots in the game; only two were on target.
Inter Miami is second in the Eastern Conference standings, five points behind Nashville with 15 matches remaining in the season.
Philadelphia is in a much different spot, 13th out of 15 teams in the East. It has been a tumultuous season for the Union, which fired head coach Bradley Carnell after a horrendous start that brought only one win before the World Cup break. Things appear to be stabilizing for Philadelphia with four straight wins in league fixtures. They have not lost to an MLS side since a 6-4 defeat by Miami on May 24. In that match, Messi left the pitch in the 73rd minute with an injury.
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Last Call is published by Peter Schorsch, assembled and edited by Phil Ammann and Drew Wilson, with contributions from the staff of Florida Politics.
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