As part of our commitment to providing you with what you need to make an informed decision in the 2026 elections, News 6 joined with the News Collaborative of Central Florida to present the Voting Central Florida 2026 Voter’s Guide.
Tuesday, Aug. 18 is the Florida Statewide Primary election, a mix of party primaries and nonpartisan local elections, such as school board races, judicial races, and county commission races in some counties.
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Florida has a closed primary system, which means only members of a political party may vote in party primaries. To be eligible, a voter had to identify with that party by July 20.
However, judicial races and local races, for the most part, are open to all registered voters, regardless of political party.
Everything you need to know in order to vote in the Aug. 18 Statewide Primary, including how to vote by mail, vote early, and vote on Election Day, can be found in our Election 2026 section HERE.
Republican U.S. Senate candidates
The Republican U.S. Senate primary is a statewide race open to all registered Republicans in Florida to decide who will represent the party in the November general election.
The News Collaborative of Central Florida created a list of common questions to ask the candidates. Questionnaires were sent to all candidates. However, none of the Republican candidates for Senate responded to our questions. They did, however, respond to our news partners at WJXT News4Jax in Jacksonville.
You can find those responses in the News4Jax Voting Guide HERE.
Chris Gleason
WEBSITE: www.voteforgleason.com/
Mr. Gleason did not respond to our questionnaire.
Ashley Moody - Incumbent
WEBSITE: ashleymoody.com/
Sen. Moody did not respond to our questionnaire.
Neelam Taneja Perry
WEBSITE: www.perryforfl.com/
Ms. Perry did not respond to our questionnaire.
Ernest Rivera
WEBSITE: ernie4senate.com/
Ms. Perry did not respond to our questionnaire.