Early voting for the primary election started in Hillsborough County this week and kicks off Aug. 10 in Pinellas and Pasco counties.

While some of the counties’ more than 1.7 million registered voters might think about skipping a primary and just jump in for the general election this fall, we encourage you to reconsider.

Sure, primaries are closed for partisan races, but there’s so much more on the ballots including contentious school board contests, plus elections of judges

Have a look at some of the races below.

Creative Loafing Tampa Bay’s preferred candidate/candidates are shown in bold where applicable, even in Republican races, especially ones with total psychopaths in them.  These choices are based partially on responses in the Tampa Bay Times candidate survey, and the candidate guide in print newspaper La Gaceta.

If you missed last month’s registration deadline for the primary, you can still register to vote in the general.

Last Friday, Aug. 2, Hillsborough’s Supervisor of Elections Craig Latimer invited the media to watch a team of election worker set up the early voting site at the Seffner-Mango Branch Library. The workers unloaded equipment, then set up privacy booths, ballot scanners, voter check-in equipment and secure ballot intake boxes for vote-by-mail drop off. See those photos at the bottom of this post.

Statewide

Democratic primary for U.S. Senate

  • Stanley Campbell
  • Rod Joseph
  • Debbie Mucarsel-Powell
  • Brian Rush

Republican primary for U.S. Senate

  • Rick Scott (incumbent)
  • Keith Gross
  • John S. Columbus

Hillsborough

Republican primary for U.S. Rep. (District 14)

  • Ehsan Joarder
  • Neelam Perry
  • John Peters
  • Robert Rochford

Republican primary for U.S. Rep. (District 15)

  • Jennifer Barbosa
  • James Judge
  • Laurel Lee (incumbent)

Democratic primary for State Rep. (District 65)

  • Ashley Brundage
  • Nathan Albert Kuipers

Republican primary for State Rep. (District 67)

  • Lisette Bonano
  • Ronrico Smith

Democratic primary for State Attorney (13th judicial circuit)

  • Elizabeth Martinez Strauss
  • Andrew Warren

Democratic Primary for Public Defender (13th judicial circuit )

  • Rocky Brancato
  • Lisa McLean

Republican primary for Clerk of Circuit Court and Comptroller

  • Victor Crist
  • Melony Williams

Republican primary for County Commissioner (District 2)

  • Ken Hagan
  • Melissa Nordbeck

Democratic primary for County Commissioner (District 4)

  • Jonathon T. Chavez
  • Nicole Payne

Republican primary for County Commissioner (District 4)

  • Christine Miller
  • Cody Powell

Democratic primary for County Commissioner (District 6)

  • Sean Shaw
  • Joseph Ryan Taylor

Republican primary for County Commissioner (District 6)

  • Chris Boles
  • Jim Davison

School Board Member (District 1)

  • Layla Collins
  • Nadia Combs
  • Julie Magill

School Board Member (District 3)

  • Myosha Powell
  • Jessica Vaughn

School Board Member (District 5)

  • Kenneth Gay
  • Elvis Piggott
  • Henry Washington

School Board Member (District 7)

  • Karen Bendorf
  • Johnny Bush
  • Jen Flebotte
  • Lynn Gray

County Judge (Group 11)

  • Linette Brookins
  • Christine Edwards

County Judge (Group 21)

  • Dee Jones
  • Matt Smith

Pinellas

Democratic primary for U.S. Rep. (District 13)

  • Sabrina Bousbar
  • Liz Dahan
  • Whitney Fox
  • John Liccione
  • Mark Weinkrantz

Republican primary for State Senate (District 21)

  • Ed Hooper (incumbent)
  • John Siamas

Circuit Judge, 6th Circuit, Group 14

  • Cornelius Christopher Demps
  • Jenn Dubbeld
  • Nick Fiorentino

Circuit Judge, 6th Circuit, Group 9

  • Nicole Pearlman
  • Kate Spurlock

Supervisor of Elections

  • Chris Gleason
  • Julie Marcus

Republican Primary County Commission (District 3)

  • David Scott Leatherwood
  • Vince Nowicki

School Board Member (District 1)

  • Laura Hine
  • Danielle Marlof

School Board Member (District 4)

  • Eileen M. Long
  • Erika Picard

School Board Member (District 5)

  • Katie Blaxberg
  • Brad DeCorte
  • Stacy Geier

St. Petersburg City Council (District 3)

  • Pete Boland
  • Nick Carey
  • Mike Harting
  • Juan Lopez
  • Barry Rubin

St. Petersburg City Council (District 7)

  • Donald Bowens Jr.
  • Eritha Cainion
  • Treva Davis
  • Corey Givens Jr.
  • Wengay “Newt” Newton
  • Dan Soronen

Other counties

Republican primary for U.S. Rep. (District 12)

  • Gus Michael Bilirakis
  • Hank Dunlap

Democratic primary for U.S. Rep. (District 16)

  • Trent Miller
  • Jan Schneider

Republican primary for U.S. Rep. (District 16)

  • Vern Buchanan (incumbent)
  • Eddie Speir

Republican primary for State Rep. (District 56)

  • Kirk Phillips
  • Brad Yeager

Pasco County Superintendent of Schools

  • John M. Legg
  • Michelle R. Mandarin

Republican primary for Pasco County Commissioner (District 4)

  • Christina Fitzpatrick
  • Gabriel Papadopoulos
  • Lisa M. Yeager

Republican primary for Pasco County Commissioner (District 5)

  • Gina Finocchiaro
  • Jack Mariano

Pasco County School Board (District 4)

  • Alison G. Crumbley
  • Jessica J. Wright
Credit: Photo by Dave Decker
Credit: Photo by Dave Decker
Credit: Photo by Dave Decker
An early voting site at the Seffner-Mango Branch Library in Seffner, Florida on Aug. 2, 2024. Credit: Photo by Dave Decker
Credit: Photo by Dave Decker
Credit: Photo by Dave Decker
Credit: Photo by Dave Decker
Credit: Photo by Dave Decker
Credit: Photo by Dave Decker
Credit: Photo by Dave Decker
An early voting site at the Seffner-Mango Branch Library in Seffner, Florida on Aug. 2, 2024. Credit: Photo by Dave Decker
Credit: Photo by Dave Decker
Credit: Photo by Dave Decker
Credit: Photo by Dave Decker
Credit: Photo by Dave Decker
Credit: Photo by Dave Decker
Credit: Photo by Dave Decker
An early voting site at the Seffner-Mango Branch Library in Seffner, Florida on Aug. 2, 2024. Credit: Photo by Dave Decker
An early voting site at the Seffner-Mango Branch Library in Seffner, Florida on Aug. 2, 2024. Credit: Dave Decker / Creative Loafing Tampa Bay
Credit: Photo by Dave Decker
Credit: Dave Decker / Creative Loafing Tampa Bay
Credit: Photo by Dave Decker
Setup at a Hillsborough County early voting site on Aug. 2, 2024. Credit: Photo by Dave Decker
Credit: Photo by Dave Decker
Credit: Photo by Dave Decker
Credit: Photo by Dave Decker
Credit: Photo by Dave Decker
Credit: Photo by Dave Decker
Credit: Photo by Dave Decker
Credit: Photo by Dave Decker
Credit: Photo by Dave Decker
Credit: Photo by Dave Decker
Credit: Photo by Dave Decker
Credit: Photo by Dave Decker
Credit: Photo by Dave Decker
Credit: Photo by Dave Decker
Credit: Photo by Dave Decker
Credit: Photo by Dave Decker
Credit: Photo by Dave Decker
An early voting site at the Seffner-Mango Branch Library in Seffner, Florida on Aug. 2, 2024. Credit: Photo by Dave Decker
An early voting site at the Seffner-Mango Branch Library in Seffner, Florida on Aug. 2, 2024. Credit: Photo by Dave Decker
An early voting site at the Seffner-Mango Branch Library in Seffner, Florida on Aug. 2, 2024. Credit: Photo by Dave Decker
Credit: Photo by Dave Decker
Credit: Photo by Dave Decker
Credit: Photo by Dave Decker
Credit: Photo by Dave Decker
Credit: Photo by Dave Decker
Credit: Photo by Dave Decker
Credit: Photo by Dave Decker
Credit: Photo by Dave Decker
Credit: Photo by Dave Decker
An early voting site at the Seffner-Mango Branch Library in Seffner, Florida on Aug. 2, 2024. Credit: Photo by Dave Decker
Credit: Photo by Dave Decker

Read his 2016 intro letter and disclosures from 2022 and 2021. Ray Roa started freelancing for Creative Loafing Tampa in January 2011 and was hired as music editor in August 2016. He became Editor-In-Chief...