Update: Brian Hodgers has cruised to victory in the GOP primary to retain his statehouse seat.
With all but late-arriving mail ballots counted, Hodgers got 58.5% of the vote vs. 41.5% for challenger Mark Lightner.
He will face Democrat Juan Hinojosa, whose unopposed in his party.
In District 31, Matt Woodside was the winner in a four-way race for the Republican nomination with 32.4% of the vote. He will face Democrat Daniel Lewis Cicirelli, who is unopposed in his party.
Final but unofficial results show District 34 Incumbent Robert Brackett also cruising to an easy win. With 35 of 36 in Indian River and 7 of 7 precincts in Brevard, Brackett received 85.7% of the vote. He goes up against Democrat Jordyn Guadalupe Balderas, who’s unopposed in his party.
Original story below:
Polls have closed on who in the GOP primaries to represent Brevard County in the Florida House of Representatives.
With early voting completely reported and mail-ballots partially reported, incumbents Brian Hodgers (District 32) and Robert Brackett (District 34) had jumped to early leads, as did Matt Woodside (District 31). (See early results below).
The five open seats that represent Brevard are districts 30-34.
There’s no primary for District 30, because incumbent Republican Chase Tramont and Democrat Edwin Munoz are unopposed in their parties. The same is true in District 33, where incumbent Republican Monique Miller and Democrat challenger Daniel McDow will face off Nov. 3.
District 31 GOP candidates include Mindy Gibson of Satellite Beach, Robyn Hattaway of Merritt Island, Marcus Herman of Merritt Island and Matt Woodside of Merritt Island.
The GOP winner in District 31 will face Democrat Daniel Lewis Cicirelli, who is unopposed in his party.
Whoever wins the seat Nov. 3 will replace House Majority Leader Tyler Sirois, R-Merritt Island. Sirois, in his fourth two-year term, can’t seek reelection in 2026 because of term limits. Instead, he’ll join Brevard County Commission; he is unopposed for the District 2 Brevard County Commission seat.
Florida House District 31 represents much of northeast Brevard.
For the Florida House District 32 seat, incumbent Brian Hodgers is squaring off against newcomer Mark Lightner.
The winner will face Democrat Juan Hinojosa, whose unopposed in his party.
For District 34, incumbent Robert Brackett faces challenger Paul Sohi. The winner goes up against Democrat Jordyn Guadalupe Balderas, who’s unopposed in his party.
Florida House representatives may serve four consecutive 2-year terms (8 years total) before they have to leave the House because of term limits. They get paid $29,697 per year.
Early results
With early voting completely reported and mail-ballots partially reported, here’s where the GOP primary candidates for Florida House seats representing Brevard stand:
District 31
Mindy Gibson (REP)
11.91%
1,868
Robyn Hattaway (REP)
30.17%
4,731
Marcus Herman (REP)
26.25%
4,116
Matt Woodside (REP)
31.66%
4,964
District 32
Brian Hodgers (REP)
Brian Hodgers (REP)
58.04%
9,310
Mark Lightner (REP)
41.96%
6,731
District 34 (Brevard County only; Indian River County results pending)
Robert Brackett (REP)
86.12%
1,253
Paul Sohi (REP)
13.88%
202
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Contact Waymer at (321) 261-5903 or jwaymer@floridatoday.com. Follow him on X at @JWayEnviro.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Hodgers, Woodside, Brackett cruise to GOP State House victories
Reporting by Jim Waymer, Florida Today / Florida Today
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jim Waymer, Florida Today | USA TODAY Network
