Live updates: All of the Election Day races called in Bradenton, Manatee Florida

Most of Manatee County’s voters participated in the 2022 midterm elections by Tuesday, which will see the county help elect a governor, new county commissioners and other political candidates.

Spray wins school board seat

Political newcomer Cindy Spray has won the race for the District 2 seat on Manatee County School Board. Spray claimed over 53% of the vote against opponent Harold E. Byrd Jr., a seasoned local politician.

In her campaign, Spray promised a “back to basics” approach to leading the district with a focus on reading, writing and arithmetic.

Though school boards in Florida are non-partisan, the races have become increasingly politically-charged in recent years. Spray received endorsements from Gov. Ron DeSantis and Republican groups and Byrd from Democratic groups.

— Ryan Ballogg

Buchanan cruises to an easy victory

Congressman Vern Buchanan defeated Democrat Jan Schneider by earning 62% of the vote to win his ninth term in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Buchanan, R-Longboat Key, issued a victory statement Tuesday night thanking local residents for their support and looking forward to the GOP retaking majority leadership in the House.

Florida’s 16th Congressional District includes all of Manatee and parts of Hillsborough counties.

During the next congressional session, Buchanan said he plans to continue pushing back against President Joe Biden’s agenda by pushing for more border security, lower taxes and less federal spending.

— Ryan Callihan

Sanders loses City Council re-election bid

Bradenton City Councilman Bill Sanders lost his bid for re-election to the Bradenton City Council, according to the unofficial election results posted by the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Office.

Local attorney Lisa Gonzalez Moore won 39% of the vote in the citywide election to defeat Sanders, who earned 25% of the vote. A third challenger, Kurt Landefeld, won 36% of the vote.

Moore is scheduled to be sworn into office Jan. 3. Her priorities include repairing the city’s aging infrastructure and creating a “long-range, viable plan” that makes the city a more attractive place to live for younger residents.

— Ryan Callihan

Ballard wins county commission seat

Republican Amanda Ballard has won the District 2 race for Manatee County Commission, defeating Democratic incumbent Reggie Bellamy. Ballard took about 59% of the vote.

Her victory flips the historically-Democratic district to Republican control.

Ballard’s stated priorities include ending the opioid epidemic, adding more workforce housing and fixing infrastructure problems.

— Ryan Ballogg

Palmetto FL city commission race called

Sunshine Matthews has been elected onto the Palmetto City Commission to take the seat left vacant by outgoing Commissioner Tambra Varnadore.

Varnadore was first elected to the commission on Aug. 31, 2004, taking office the following month, but choose not to run for reelection.

On Tuesday, Matthews took 57.7% of the vote, or 1,094 of ballots cast, while Mattingly took 42.3% of the vote, or 803 of ballots cast.

Sunshine Mathews, longtime Palmetto resident, is a worship pastor at Church On The Rock in Palmetto. Her parents founded the church 37 years ago and her father continues to serve as a senior pastor.

— Jessica De Leon

Strong leads in county commission races

In the race for the District 2 seat on the Manatee County Commission, Republican and political newcomer Amanda Ballard leads Democratic incumbent Reggie Bellamy with all but two precincts reporting.

Bellamy is the lone Democrat on the seven-person commission. Ballard would be the first Republican to hold the District 2 seat in at least 30 years.

In the District 4 race, Republican Mike Rahn has more than 90% of the vote against write-in candidates, with a majority of votes counted.

In the race for an at-large commissioner seat, Republican Jason Bearden has more than 92% of the vote against write-in candidates, with a majority of votes counted.

— Ryan Ballogg

Early results

As of 7:30 p.m., the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Office posted the latest unofficial results in local elections. Early voting and vote-by-mail ballots have been posted, as well as 51 of the county’s 71 precincts.

According to early results, there are a few races that remain too close to call, including the races for the District 2 seat on the Manatee School Board race and the Ward 4 seat on the Bradenton City Council.

In an interview with the Bradenton Herald, Supervisor of Elections Mike Bennett said he expects the county’s unofficial results to be posted this evening.

— Ryan Callihan

Polls close

Polls closed at 7 p.m. Tuesday, and results should start rolling in.

Due to the number of early votes that have been cast, election officials expect to post unofficial results shortly after polls closed.

According to the latest update from the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections, turnout was about 61% for local voters.

More than 110,000 people voted early or by mail and another 60,000 voted Tuesday.

Key races on the ballot include the governor’s race, the U.S. Senate and seats on local boards, including the Manatee County Commission, Bradenton City Council and the Manatee County School Board.

Some heavily contested races may be too close to immediately determine a winner tonight.

All of Florida’s polls will not be closed by 7 p.m. because some areas of the Panhandle are in Central Time, so will be an hour behind.

— Ryan Callihan and Jessica DeLeon

High voter turnout

As of Tuesday afternoon, more than 150,000 ballots have been turned in for a 55% voter turnout, according to the latest data from the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Office.

Most local voters decided to vote by mail, but another 44,000 voted on Election Day.

In an interview with the Bradenton Herald, Supervisor of Elections Mike Bennett described a “great turnout,” although he did not expect the final numbers to reflect record-breaking turnout in Manatee County.

As of 4 p.m., Bennett said there have been no major issues at any of the county’s polling precincts.

Polls close at 7 p.m. Tuesday. Due to the number of early votes that have been cast, election officials expect to post unofficial results shortly after polls close this evening.

Stay tuned to the Bradenton Herald for the latest Election Day updates.

— Ryan Callihan

This story was originally published November 8, 2022 at 4:33 PM.