Floridians are heading to the polls Tuesday to vote in the state's primary election, with a number of important statewide and local races set to be decided.
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The most significant statewide race Tuesday is between the two Democratic gubernatorial candidates seeking to go against Gov. Ron DeSantis, who's unopposed in the Republican primary.
The race pits U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist against Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried.
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Fried is currently the only Democrat elected to a statewide office. Crist last served in statewide office from 2007 to 2011 as a Republican governor, then lost a 2010 race for U.S. Senate as an independent, and lost a 2014 run for governor as a Democrat.
The winner of the Fried-Crist matchup will face the Republican DeSantis in November.
Meanwhile, former Orlando-area State Attorney Aramis Ayala and Dan Uhlfelder are among three Democrats hoping to challenge Republican Attorney General Ashley Moody, who doesn’t have a primary opponent.
Ayala received national attention for refusing to seek the death penalty in murder cases. Uhlfelder has been a frequent critic of DeSantis and made headlines by walking Panhandle beaches dressed as the Grim Reaper to protest the governor’s COVID-19 policies.
In the agriculture commissioner race, Republican Senate President Wilton Simpson is running in the GOP primary against little-known candidate James Shaw. Three Democrats — Naomi Blemur, J.R. Gaillot and Ryan Morales — are also on the primary ballot.
CLICK HERE: How to Vote in Tuesday's Florida Primary Election in Miami-Dade and Broward
In the U.S. Senate race, Tuesday's primary is expected to cement a general election matchup between incumbent Republican Marco Rubio and Democratic congresswoman Val Demings, who is giving up her Orlando-based seat.
Meanwhile, hotly contested primaries stem from the departure of four House members, the acquisition of a new congressional district thanks to Florida's booming population, and new maps drawn by DeSantis' office that could boost Republicans even further.
DECISION 2022
One of the House's most controversial members, Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz, is facing a strong primary challenge from Mark Lombardo, a former Marine and former FedEx executive who has run a series of ads attacking Gaetz for being under federal investigation in a sex trafficking case. Gaetz has not been charged and denies wrongdoing.
Running for the Democratic nomination for Gaetz's seat is Rebekah Jones, a former Department of Health employee who received national attention after she questioned the state’s COVID-19 dashboard and claimed Florida wasn’t reporting accurate numbers — an allegation that an inspector general’s report said was unfounded. Jones is facing Peggy Schiller, a local Democratic Party activist.
In District 20, Democratic U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick is facing primary competition in the seat she won in a special election earlier this year. Former Broward County Mayor Dale Holness, who lost to Cherfilus-McCormick by five votes, and state Rep. Anika Omphroy, are also running for the seat that includes parts of Broward and Palm Beach counties.
CLICK HERE: How to Watch Coverage of the Florida Primary Election Results on NBC 6
In District 23, six Democrats and seven Republicans are running for the South Florida seat left open by Democratic Rep Ted Deutch’s decision to retire. The most prominent name among Democrats is Jared Moskowitz, the former state representative who helped pass gun legislation after the Parkland shootings, and who served as DeSantis’ emergency management director. The seat is firmly Democratic.
In District 27, State Sen. Annette Taddeo, who was Crist’s lieutenant governor running mate in 2014, and Miami City Commissioner Ken Russell are among three Democratic candidates hoping to challenge Republican Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar. The Miami-area district has switched parties several times in recent years.
A number of school board seats in South Florida and throughout the state will also be voted on Tuesday.
The normally lower-profile school board races have taken on special importance this year as the generally nonpartisan school boards have become a battleground for political fights over culture-war issues.
DeSantis and Republicans have thrown their support behind school board candidates as Democrats in the state are supporting others.
In Miami-Dade, Juan Carlos "JC" Bermudez and Sophia Lacayo are both vying for the District 12 commissioner seat, one of five commissioner seats up for grabs in the county. Three Broward commissioner races are also on the ballot.
