Putnam County REALTOR®, Leota Wilkinson defeated an incumbent to advance to the Putnam County Commission District 2 race in the general election. Wilkinson, a true REALTOR® Champion, is an active NEFAR member having served on several committees and as the Putnam Area Council Chair. REALTOR® Champion Aaron Bean won the Republican primary for US Congressional District 4 to advance to the general election on November 8. Bean, a former REALTOR® has been a strong supporter of real estate issues since he was first elected to the Florida House. He will face off against Democrat LaShonda Holloway in a heavily Republican district. Another NEFAR favorite, Representative Tracie Davis prevailed in a very competitive race to replace term-limited Senator Audrey Gibson. Davis will move to the Florida Senate representing the new District 5.
Members of NEFAR’s Candidate Screening Task Force interviewed 42 candidates for federal, state, and local races over the course of eight days in June and July. In all, 17 of the 26 candidates recommended for support by NEFAR members advanced in the primary election with a 65% success rate. While this is a lower rate than most elections, it is consistent with the average success rate of 65% for all other Florida Realtor Associations in the 2022 Florida primary election.
Think your vote doesn’t count? Consider two local races where only a handful of votes separated the candidates. In Putnam County, incumbent School Board member Bud McInnis has apparently lost by four votes to challenger Linda Wagner. Meanwhile, a recount is underway in St. Johns County where challenger Krista Keating-Joseph leads incumbent Jeremiah Blocker by just 12 votes in the County Commission District 4 race.
Other Realtor® Champions advancing in the primary include:
- US House of Representatives District 3 – Kat Cammack
- US House of Representatives District 4 – Aaron Bean
- US House of Representatives District 5 – John Rutherford
- US House of Representatives District 6 – Michael Waltz
- Florida Senate District 5 – Tracie Davis
- Florida Senate District 7 – Travis Hutson
- Florida House District 13 – Angie Nixon
- Florida House District 15 – Dean Black
- Florida House District 17 – Jessica Baker
- Florida House District 20 – Bobby Payne
- Duval County School Board District 6 – Charlotte Joyce
- Jacksonville City Council District 9 – Tyrona Clark-Murray
- Clay County Commission District 4 – Betsy Condon
- Clay County School Board District 5 – Ashley Gilhousen
- Putnam County Commission District 2 – Leota Wilkinson, REALTOR®
- Putnam County Commission District 4 – Larry Harvey
- Putnam County School Board District 5 – Phil Leary
