Election season is upon us, with Florida's presidential primary about 100 days away, the regular party primaries less than nine months in the future and just short of a year until the general election.
While the nation's attention will be on the presidential race,Escambia County also has a handful of races that are shaping up to be competitive.
More than 20 public offices are up for election in Escambia County in 2020 and candidates have been pre-filing and knocking on doors to get enough signatures to be on the ballot. Qualifying isn't until June so more candidates could step forward before the ballot is finalized.
But for now, here's a look at the races to watch in Escambia County as we enter election season:
Florida House of Representatives
Rep. Mike Hill, the District 1 representative in the Florida House, will be fending off a Republican primary challenge from Michelle Salzman.
Hill has struggled to raise much money since a public talk in Pensacola earlier this year, whenhe laughed off a suggestion that gay people should be executed. The reaction drew bipartisan condemnation from across the state.
Before the talk in May, Hill had raised more than $11,000 in three months for his re-election bid, but in the six months since then, he has only brought in another $4,880.
Reaction to the talk:Rep. Mike Hill apologizes for how 'tone of his response was received'
Bill refiled:Rep. Mike Hill files fetal heartbeat abortion ban bill that removes all medical exceptions
Meanwhile, Salzman has almost caught up to Hill, with $11,494 raised so far. Both campaigns have about $7,000 left in the bank.
Hill sought the District 1 seat in 2018 after previously representing District 2 in the House. Hill beat out better financed Republican candidate Rebekah Bydlak in a low-key, bitterly fought race that saw Hill's mailing out negative flyers and personal attacks on social media. Hill won the contest by 3 percentage points.
Escambia County sheriff
Sheriff David Morgan is not seeking a fourth term,leaving the top law enforcement spot in the county open as two former Pensacola police chiefs viefor the seat in November.
Chip Simmons is running as Republican and has somewhat of an incumbent's advantage as he is a current chief deputy in the Escambia County Sheriff's Office. ECSO billboards have gone up across the county with public safety messages warning the public to lock their cars or be prepared for hurricanes with photos of Simmons and Morgan appearing side by side.
David Alexander is running as a Democrat and faces a steep climb to catch up his former Pensacola Police Departmentcolleague's fundraising advantage.
Simmons:ECSO Chief Deputy Chip Simmons files to run for Escambia County sheriff in 2020
Alexander:Former Pensacola police chief David Alexander III to run for Escambia County sheriff
Alexander has raised $11,728, with $10,000 coming as loan from himself to his campaign, while Simmons is approaching $200,000 after pulling in $38,000 in October alone.
Simmons has donations from businesses owners and attorneys from throughout Pensacola including Simmons' and Alexander's former boss, former Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward, who gave a $250 donation in October.
Escambia County Commission
Incumbent Jeff Bergosh is seeking his second term as the County Commissioner for District 1, but he'll have to fend off a primary challenge from Republican Jesse Casey.
The 2020 primary is Casey's third attempt to run for the seat. Casey nearly unseated then-District 1 Commissioner Wilson Robertson in 2012, but Robertson narrowly came out ahead in that race with a 32-vote lead.
Bergosh and Casey faced each other in the 2016 Republican primary, with Karen Sindel making it a three-way race for the open commission seat that was vacated by Robertson.
Bergosh won the race by a 10-point margin with 40% of the vote, and Sindel and Casey each getting 30%.
With the incumbent advantage, Bergosh has built up a campaign war chest with more than $77,000 raised nine months before the Republican primary.
Casey, a general contractor, is aiming to pose aserious challenge to Bergosh with more than $44,000 raised, but $29,000 of that comes from his own money as a loan to his campaign.
Growth in the Beulah area and the upcoming master plans for both Beulah and former Navy Outlying Field 8 are likely to be key focuses of the campaign.
Two other County Commission incumbents are also running for re-election, District 3 Commissioner Lumon May and District 5 Commissioner Steven Barry.
May, a Democrat, has not drawn an opponent in his campaign. Barry, a Republican, has drawn a challenge from Democrat Barbara Goins.
Escambia County School Board
The Escambia County School Board will take on a larger role as it hires its first ever appointed superintendent in 2020, but current board members don't appear to be thinking about the 2020 election yet.
Patty Hightower, the school board's current chairwoman, has filed for reelection for her District 4 seat but has not raised any money yet.
District 5 is also up in 2020, but no one has filed for the race yet. The seat is currently occupied by Bill Slayton.
CivicCon:How do we get the best school superintendent? These experts tell us how.
Emerald Coast Utilities Authority
With no word from Gov. Ron DeSantis' office on an appointment for the vacant District 3 seat for the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority board, the seat is wide open for the 2020 election.
Four Democrats have pre-filed for the seat, but none have raised any money for their campaigns yet.
The current District 3 ECUA candidates are:
- Ellison Bennett
- Eric Jordan
- Clorissti Bernie Shoemo
- Larry Williams
ECUA District 5 board member Larry Walker is being challenged in the Republican primary by Hope Lunsford.
While Walker has served on the ECUA board since 1988, Lunsford may carry name recognition with voters as the wife of current Escambia County Tax Collector Scott Lunsford, who is also running for reelection unopposed in 2020.
District 1 board member Vicki Campbell is facing a Republican primary challenge from Debra Brusso.
Pensacola City Council
The death of Councilman Gerald Wingate has created an open seat for Pensacola's District 5. The seat is currently filled by Councilman John Jerralds, who has pledged that he will notrun for reelection.
Ron Helms, a business owner and retired pastor, has been campaigning for the seat since October 2018, raising more than $35,000.
Rodney Jones, president of the Pensacola branch of the NAACP, is also seeking the District 5 seat and has raised $1,600.
Other seats up on the council include District 1, District 3 and District 7.
District 7 incumbent Councilwoman Jewel Cannada-Wynn announced in October she was not seeking reelection. Delarian Wiggins, an ECSO deputy, is the only candidate who has filed for the District 7 seat.
No candidates have filed for the District 1 and District 3 seats, which are currently occupied by Councilman P.C. Wu and Councilman Andy Terhaar.
Jim Little can be reached at jwlittle@pnj.com and 850-208-9827.
