2026 Primary Results, Lee County
Who won on August 18 and which Lee County races are still on the November 3 ballot. Two School Board seats are decided and two are not. Transcribed from the Supervisor of Elections’ own feed, with no projections and no endorsements.
Lee County, August 18, 2026 primary
These are unofficial results published by the Lee County Supervisor of Elections on election night. They stay unofficial until the county canvassing board certifies them.
Lee County School Board seats are nonpartisan. Under Florida Statute 105.051, a nonpartisan race with only two candidates is decided at the primary and never appears on the November ballot. A race with three or more candidates is decided at the primary only if someone clears 50%; otherwise the top two advance to the general election on November 3, 2026.
Lee County School Board
Four of the board’s seven seats were on this ballot. Two are settled. Two go to November.
This board sets the budget for roughly 100,000 students, approves every district contract, hires and evaluates the superintendent, and decides the policies that reach a classroom — grading, class size, transportation, special education services.
School Board, District 1
Two candidates, so under Fla. Stat. 105.051 the primary decides it. This seat is not on the November ballot.
- Sam Fisher — 57.59% (17,510 votes)
- Jenn McDaigle — 42.41% (12,892 votes)
School Board, District 4
Four candidates and nobody reached 50%, so the top two advance to the November 3 general election.
- Debbie Jordan — 39.28% (7,823 votes)
- Tony Beougher — 31.52% (6,277 votes)
- Gisele "Gigi" Gentile — 17.07% (3,399 votes)
- Carl Baxter — 12.13% (2,416 votes)
School Board, District 5
Three candidates and nobody reached 50%, so the top two advance to the November 3 general election.
- Armor Persons — 43.38% (7,337 votes)
- Crystal Johnson — 31.42% (5,315 votes)
- Carline Saintilus — 25.20% (4,263 votes)
School Board, District 6 (At-Large)
Two candidates, so under Fla. Stat. 105.051 the primary decides it. This seat is not on the November ballot.
- Jada Langford Fleming — 66.10% (83,165 votes)
- India Palencia — 33.90% (42,645 votes)
Lee County government
One county commission seat was on this ballot, in a Republican primary.
The county commission controls the property-tax rate, roads, utilities, parks, EMS and land-use approvals — the decisions that put rooftops in front of a school before the school is built.
Board of County Commissioners, District 5
A party primary picks a nominee, not an officeholder. Whether this seat appears on the November ballot depends on who else qualified for it.
- Amanda Cochran — 54.76% (67,038 votes)
- Trish Petrosky — 45.24% (55,392 votes)
Cape Coral
Two council seats and the mayor’s office head to November. Three charter amendments passed outright.
Cape Coral is the largest city in Lee County and its council sets the city budget, utilities, and the development rules for the fastest-growing school attendance zones in the district.
Cape Coral Mayor
Six candidates and nobody reached 50%. The top two advance to the November 3 general election.
- Rick Erickson — 32.05% (12,160 votes)
- Lisa Cohen-Adkinson — 24.46% (9,280 votes)
- John Gunter — 14.93% (5,665 votes)
- Kara Rogers — 14.47% (5,489 votes)
- Dan Sheppard — 8.01% (3,040 votes)
- Richard Leon — 6.07% (2,301 votes)
Cape Coral City Council, District 1
Four candidates and nobody reached 50%. The top two advance to the November 3 general election.
- Tom Shadrach — 35.36% (12,279 votes)
- Dave Newton — 29.65% (10,296 votes)
- Sean Hartman — 20.58% (7,146 votes)
- Thomas J. Senatore — 14.40% (5,000 votes)
Cape Coral City Council, District 6
Five candidates and nobody reached 50%. The top two advance to the November 3 general election.
- Liza King — 28.68% (9,984 votes)
- Annette Warren — 26.64% (9,273 votes)
- Joe Angrisano — 18.11% (6,303 votes)
- Ray Mule — 16.71% (5,816 votes)
- Jeffrey Huddleston — 9.87% (3,437 votes)
Cape Coral Charter Amendment — Mayor Pro Tem
- Yes — 74.22% (27,571 votes)
- No — 25.78% (9,575 votes)
Cape Coral Charter Amendment — Eligibility Requirements
- Yes — 92.94% (35,133 votes)
- No — 7.06% (2,669 votes)
Cape Coral Charter Amendment — Proof of Residency
- Yes — 94.97% (34,184 votes)
- No — 5.03% (1,809 votes)
Bonita Springs & Estero
Voters approved general obligation bonds for the Bonita Estero Rail Trail.
A general obligation bond is repaid out of property taxes, so this is one of the few times a resident votes directly on their own tax bill.
Bonita Estero Rail Trail (BERT) General Obligation Bonds
- Yes — For Bonds — 68.23% (8,968 votes)
- No — Against Bonds — 31.77% (4,175 votes)
The courts
One county judgeship was decided by Lee County voters. Two circuit judgeships were decided across five counties.
County and circuit judges handle evictions, injunctions, dependency and delinquency cases — the courtrooms most families actually end up in.
County Judge, Group 5
Two candidates in a nonpartisan race, so the primary decides it.
- Mike Colombo — 56.56% (70,298 votes)
- Javier A. Pacheco — 43.44% (54,002 votes)
Circuit Judge, 20th Judicial Circuit, Group 19
These are Lee County votes only. The seat is decided by the five-county total, which the Florida Division of Elections reports, not the county.
- James Stewart — 56.99% (71,343 votes)
- Vera Bergermann — 43.01% (53,853 votes)
Circuit Judge, 20th Judicial Circuit, Group 27
These are Lee County votes only. The seat is decided by the five-county total, which the Florida Division of Elections reports, not the county.
- Amanda Levy-Reis — 61.08% (75,658 votes)
- Ryan Kuhl — 38.92% (48,211 votes)
State & federal: how Lee County voted
These are Lee County totals only. None of these contests is decided by Lee County alone.
The Legislature writes the school funding formula, the voucher rules and the class-size law that the Lee County board then has to live inside. Lee County is one piece of each of these results.
Governor and Lieutenant Governor
- Byron Donalds — 64.91% (54,106 votes)
- Jay Collins — 16.23% (13,526 votes)
- James Fishback — 7.67% (6,391 votes)
- Paul Renner — 5.34% (4,455 votes)
- Bobby Williams — 2.50% (2,088 votes)
- Rachel Rodriguez — 1.38% (1,147 votes)
- Jim Holcomb — 0.63% (526 votes)
- James W. Shaw — 0.40% (330 votes)
- Caneste Succe — 0.36% (303 votes)
- Arthur Joseph McCaffrey — 0.31% (260 votes)
- Daniel Nokovich — 0.27% (229 votes)
Governor and Lieutenant Governor
- David Jolly — 63.60% (22,532 votes)
- Dayna Marie Foster — 12.80% (4,536 votes)
- Evelyn Castillo-Bach — 8.56% (3,034 votes)
- Dotie Joseph — 7.90% (2,799 votes)
- Thomas Eloy Fernandez — 4.48% (1,587 votes)
- Stephann Norman — 2.66% (942 votes)
United States Senator
- Ashley Moody — 79.24% (63,795 votes)
- Chris Gleason — 14.65% (11,793 votes)
- Ernest "Ernie" Rivera — 4.19% (3,372 votes)
- Neelam Taneja Perry — 1.93% (1,552 votes)
United States Senator
- Alex Vindman — 53.50% (19,180 votes)
- Angie Nixon — 46.50% (16,673 votes)
Representative in Congress, District 19
- Jim Schwartzel — 29.39% (19,125 votes)
- Catalina Lauf — 21.39% (13,920 votes)
- Jim Oberweis — 15.82% (10,299 votes)
- Madison Cawthorn — 8.38% (5,457 votes)
- Chris Collins — 7.42% (4,830 votes)
- Mike Pedersen — 6.95% (4,526 votes)
- John Strand — 3.28% (2,136 votes)
- Ola Hawatmeh — 3.11% (2,027 votes)
- Greg "Tex" Bukowski — 2.34% (1,523 votes)
- Linda J. Sawyer — 1.90% (1,238 votes)
Representative in Congress, District 19
- Victor Arias — 45.89% (11,983 votes)
- Howard Sapp — 40.06% (10,459 votes)
- Robert M. Neeld — 14.05% (3,668 votes)
Representative in Congress, District 17
- Allen L. Spence Jr. — 51.34% (4,391 votes)
- Matthew Montavon — 48.66% (4,161 votes)
State Representative, District 76
- Vanessa Oliver — 63.77% (5,830 votes)
- Julie McCormack — 36.23% (3,312 votes)
State Representative, District 78
- Susan Frantz — 71.01% (11,150 votes)
- Audrey Brooks — 28.99% (4,551 votes)
Chief Financial Officer
- Blaise Ingoglia — 59.33% (44,762 votes)
- Frank William Collige — 40.67% (30,678 votes)
Chief Financial Officer
- Annette Taddeo — 70.03% (23,959 votes)
- Earle Ford — 29.97% (10,252 votes)
Commissioner of Agriculture
- Wilton Simpson — 67.41% (51,910 votes)
- Matt Taylor — 32.59% (25,100 votes)
Commissioner of Agriculture
- Joey Mendoza Atkins — 63.82% (21,479 votes)
- Donald A. "Don" Prichard — 36.18% (12,176 votes)