Jerry Demings & Teresa Jacobs Could Clinch Re-Election In Primary Election On August 23

Incumbents Jerry Demings and Teresa Jacobs both have the ability to clinch their re-election in the upcoming Primary Election on August 23. In Orange County, elected local officials are non-partisan positions, which means candidates are not associated with a party and the primary elections are open to all voters. 

In non-partisan primary elections, the top two candidates who received the most votes proceed onto the general election, where the winner in the general election will win the seat. However, in the event a candidate secures greater than 50% of the vote in the primary election, that person outright wins the election, avoiding a runoff race.

This scenario played out in the 2020 election of District 1 Commissioner. Incumbent Betsy Vanderley was running against Nicole Wilson along with write-in candidate Hannah Burns. Nicole Wilson secured a major victory, earning over 57% of the vote. In the 2020 election, had the write-in candidate not entered the race, the head-to-head election between Betsy Vanderley and Nicole Wilson would’ve occurred in the General Election.

In 2018, Jerry Demings won the race for Orange County Mayor outright with 61.8% of the vote, bringing large name recognition to the campaign after serving as Orange County Sheriff. There are three candidates running against Demings in 2022; Chris Messina, Tony Sabb, and Kelly Semrad.

Teresa Jacobs also won the race for Orange County School Board Chair outright in 2018, securing 52.2% of the vote against three other candidates. There are two candidates running against Jacobs in 2022; Demensio Barton and Carl Brewer Jr.

All voters, regardless of political affiliation, need to be aware that the 2022 Primary Election is open to all voters and has multiple races, including Judges, that can be voted on. A full list of candidates is available in our 2022 Election Guide.

Early voting is currently open to all voters, with locations in Horizon West at the Orange County National Golf Center and the Tibet-Butler Preserve. Early voting is open daily from 9am to 7pm and voters can go to any Early Voting location. Additional locations and Early Voting details can be found at www.ocfelections.com.