Call For FL To Ban Weather Modification
May 21, 2024
TBYR Goes to El Salvador
August 28, 2024
METHODOLOGY – The TBYR sent unique email surveys to 556 Respondents. All respondents are Tampa Bay Young Republican members, 18-40 years old, Registered Republicans in the State of Florida, considered “Republican Primary Voters”, and living in the Tampa Bay region. Results were calculated through a secure online survey, only accessible through member’s emails. (via www.Surveymonkey.com). Respondents were prompted to provide their political philosophy, confidence in this election, and the biggest issues facing the country before providing their preference for each competitive primary in the region.
Potential Bias – Results skew based on TBYR members’ positive bias for Republican candidates who are members of the organization or interact with the organization personally. However, all candidates listed have been invited on several occasions over many years to meet members and attend events. Candidate write-ups are opinions of the authors of the study and do not reflect official positions.
***These results do not indicate endorsements from the TBYR, and non-competitive primaries were excluded.*** For Press, comments, questions please email President@tbyr.com
Question 1: As things stand today (7/31/2024), ignoring who you WANT to win, which party do you THINK will win the Presidential election in 2024?
Republicans: 84.55%
Democrats: 15.45%
Question 2: What is the biggest issue facing the country & Floridians today? Rank from most important to least.
Question 3: Which of these options most closely describes your political philosophy?
MAGA: 37.40%
Traditional/Fiscal Conservative: 23.58%
Libertarian: 17.07%
Religious Conservative: 15.45%
Moderate: 6.50%
Question 4: Do you believe the Democrats will try to “steal” the election in 2024?
YES: 90.24%
NO: 9.76%
Question 5: Which Candidate do you prefer for Congressional District 14? (Tampa/St. Pete)
Ehsan Joarder (R): 76.42%
Robert “Rocky” Rochford (R): 16.26%
John Peters (R): 5.69%
Neelam Taneja Perry (R): 0.81%
Kathy Castor (D)(Incumbent): 0.81%
TBYR Board Opinion: Ehsan Joarder is far and away the most qualified candidate in the race, not to mention a member of our organization. While it will be an uphill battle in this district, the rest of the challengers to Kathy Castor are not viable. Period.
Question 6: Which Candidate do you prefer for Congressional District 15? (Tampa Area)
Laurel Lee (R)(Incumbent): 41.46%
James Judge (R): 40.65%
Jennifer Barbosa (R): 17.89%
Pat Kemp (D): 0%
TBYR Board Opinion: While we like Laurel Lee and have continued to support her, she has had her challenges with the Republican base after Donald Trump briefly called for a primary challenger before reversing course and now endorsing her. James Judge switched districts to challenge her. Reflected in the polling, James Judge is a grassroots favorite much to the dismay of the establishment Republicans. The close results of this straw poll should not be ignored. Jennifer Barbosa is a Tampa Bay Native who also is calling for a change from Laurel Lee. She has previously run for Congress in California in 2020 against Adam Schiff as an independent. Pat Kemp is as bad of a liberal candidate as they come, she will get no love from the TBYR.
Question 7: Which Candidate do you prefer for Congressional District 16? (Tampa/Manatee Area)
Vern Buchanan (R)(Incumbent): 80.49%
Eddie Speir (R): 19.51%
TBYR Board Opinion: Vern Buchanan is one of the most powerful Republicans in Congress. Eddie Speir is a deeply flawed candidate not to be taken seriously. Buchanan by 80%.
Question 8: Which Candidate do you prefer for Hillsborough State Attorney?
Suzy Lopez (R) (Incumbent): 100%
Andrew Warren (D) 0%
Elizabeth Martinez Strauss (D) 0%
TBYR Board Opinion: The most consequential race in Hillsborough County this cycle is for State Attorney. Will we return to Andrew Warren, a George Soros funded prosecutor removed by DeSantis, or will we be a County of law and order under Suzy Lopez? While the media would like to focus on how she arrived at the position, it is irrelevant now. Suzy Lopez is an excellent State Attorney that has stepped into a position with a ton of pressure and handled it with poise and grace. Andrew Warren could not muster a single vote from the 556 surveys we sent out for a reason.
Question 9: Which Candidate do you prefer for Hillsborough Public Defender? (No Republicans Running)
Rocky Brancato (D) 83.74%
Lisa McLean (D) 16.26%
TBYR Board Opinion: First, there are no Republican candidates running for Public Defender. It is our responsibility to advocate for the most qualified candidate in the race and that is Rocky Brancato by a mile. Lisa McLean is currently running ads to Democrats claiming to ‘reform the criminal justice system’ and to ‘stand up for abortion access’. This isn’t a position we need to experiment with a defund-the-police-type candidate. Please vote for Rocky Brancato.
Question 10: Which Candidate do you prefer for State House D67? (New Tampa)
Rico Smith (R): 95.12%
Lisette Bonano (R) 3.25%
Fentrice Driskell (D) (Incumbent): 1.63%
TBYR Board Opinion: Fentrice Driskell is the current sitting Minority Leader in the FL State House. She is a dishonest, virtue signaling mouthpiece for the liberal agenda in Florida. Our best chance to unseat her is with Rico Smith, an air force veteran and young Republican candidate. Lisette Bonano has had her chance in the past and we believe that Rico provides us with the best path forward now and in the future in this New Tampa district.
Question 11: Which Candidate do you prefer for Hillsborough Clerk of Courts?
Victor Crist (R): 95.12%
Melony Williams (R) 4.07%
Cindy Stuart (D) (Incumbent): 0%
TBYR Board Opinion: While serving in the FL Senate, Victor Crist spearheaded innovative reforms, crafted budgets, and served on numerous committees, councils, and commissions dealing with Florida’s Courts, Clerks, and Justice matters. He chaired the Joint Committee/Task Force responsible for developing the plan and legislation to implement the revision of the Florida Constitution that required the transition of all local Courts and Clerks to a unified, state-funded system. He is significantly more qualified than his primary opponent and the current incumbent to fill this overlooked role leading to him dominating our member poll by 95%.
Question 12: Which Candidate do you prefer for Hillsborough Property Appraiser?
John Ballance (R): 97.56%
Bob Henriquez (D) (Incumbent): 2.44%
TBYR Board Opinion: This race will be expounded on during the general election and is not on the primary ballot. For now, know that only 2% of young Republicans want to see Bob Henriquez return as our property appraiser.
Question 13: Which Candidate do you prefer for Hillsborough County Commission D2?
Ken Hagan (R): 83.74%
Melissa Nordbeck (R): 16.26%
Patricia Altagracia Alonzo (D): 0%
TBYR Board Opinion: Ken Hagan has been a stalwart member of our County Commission for a long time. His primary challenger as well as his general opponent have no business bothering to run against a solid public servant. Hagan by 80%
Question 14: Which Candidate do you prefer for Hillsborough County Commission D4?
Christine Miller (R): 95.93%
Cody Powell (R): 3.25%
Jonathan T. Chavez (D) 0.81%
Nicole Payne (D): 0%
Matthew Taylor (NPA) 0%
TBYR Board Opinion: Governor DeSantis made the right call appointing Christine Miller to the County Commission in District 4. She is an excellent leader that will do great things on the Commission. We’re not sure why any other candidates are bothering to challenge her in this race and aren’t to be taken seriously.
Question 15: Which Candidate do you prefer for Hillsborough County Commission D6?
Chris Boles (R): 65.85%
Jim Davison (R): 33.33%
Sean Shaw (D): 0.81%
Joseph Ryan Taylor (D) 0%
TBYR Board Opinion: We have two great Republican candidates in the primary for this County-wide Commission seat. Both Boles and Davison would be excellent on the County Commission and will face a close primary. Boles will have more resources to compete come time for the general, while Davison appears to have more grassroots support. Either way, we need to come together after that to ensure that Republicans win this seat and keep control of this body for years to come…we’ve seen how bad it gets if Democrats get a majority of seats. Chris Boles gets the nod from 65% of TBYR members.
Question 16: Which Candidate do you prefer for Hillsborough School Board D1?
Layla Collins (R): 99.19%
Julie Magill (R): 0.81%
Nadia Combs (D) (Incumbent): 0%
TBYR Board Opinion: Layla Collins absolutely crushed our straw poll and has our full support. Endorsed by DeSantis, she is pivotal in our efforts to rectify the Hillsborough County School Board. Do not be fooled by Democrat Nadia Combs, who runs around pretending to be conservative to gain votes during the election; she is just as responsible for the issues on our School Board as any of the incumbent Democrats are. Additionally, Julie Magill has no business running for dog catcher, let alone school board in a race she could cost Republicans by being on the ballot. After switching from NPA this year before filing (she would not qualify as a Republican in any partisan races), all she has done is give a leg up to the Democrat Party in a race you only need 51% to win in the primary, making us question if she’s a liberal plant put in this race to sabotage Layla. Vote for Layla Collins.
Question 17: Which Candidate do you prefer for Hillsborough School Board D3?
Myosha Powell (R): 100%
Jessica Vaughn (D) (Incumbent): 0%
TBYR Board Opinion: Myosha Powell is a DeSantis-endorsed candidate that will serve us very well on the school board. Jessica Vaughn is a legitimate communist with an arrest record and should not be in public office. If you had to forge bad checks, you shouldn’t be in charge of a $4 Billion budget. Maybe that’s why the school board is always broke? Myosha garnered 100% of votes in our straw poll and has our full support.
Question 18: Which Candidate do you prefer for Hillsborough School Board D5?
Elvis Piggott (R): 95.93%
Kenneth Gay (R): 4.07%
Henry ‘Shake’ Washington (D) (Incumbent): 0%
Tammy Shamburger (D-Write in) 0%
TBYR Board Opinion: Elvis Piggott is a bright young candidate deeply entrenched in his community. He is the best chance we have at making a run in a deeply blue school board district. Shake Washington has simply not served the community in a way that has garnered him support amongst his district which is why he’s drawing several opponents.
Question 19: Which Candidate do you prefer for Hillsborough School Board D7?
Jen Flebotte (R): 75.61%
Karen Bendorf (R): 24.39%
Lynn Gray (D) (Incumbent): 0%
Johnny Bush (D) 0%
TBYR Board Opinion: We have another race with two excellent Republican candidates in it. However, Jen Flebotte received an overwhelming amount of support in our straw poll and is best positioned to make an impact on the school board. The incumbent, Lynn Gray, needs to be removed, something the Democrats seem to realize too, as they’re also running Johnny Bush. As always the Dems are getting support from the unions, so he will vote pretty much identically to the rest of the liberal board members-bringing nothing new to the table. We highly recommend voting Republican in the general election to get some variance to the board. Ron DeSantis has not weighed in on this race as he did the others in the district at the time of writing. Hopefully we will make these races partisan in the future because behind the scenes, they are anything but. Expect a runoff election for this race.
Question 20: Which Candidate do you prefer for County Court Judge, Grp. 21?
Matt Smith: 98.37%
Dee Jones: 1.63%
TBYR Board Opinion: Judge Matt Smith has been nothing but a stellar judge for Hillsborough County. The challenger, Dee Jones, is the Democrats’ attempt at unseating a perfectly reasonable judge with an activist. Vote for Matt Smith.
Question 21: Which Candidate do you prefer for County Court Judge, Grp. 11?
Christine Edwards: 65.85%
Linette “Starr” Brookins: 34.15%
TBYR Board Opinion: Unlike the previous Judicial race, both candidates here are well qualified to sit on the bench. Christine Edwards has the majority support of our organization and has the necessary prowess to run a courtroom. Starr has a lot of support across the county and we don’t have anything negative to say about her, other than Edwards is more experienced. We recommend Christine Edwards for Judge based on the internal polling.
Question 22: Which Candidate do you prefer for Hills. Republican State Committeewoman?
April Schiff (R)(Incumbent): 87.80%
Linda Beytin (R): 12.20%
TBYR Board Opinion: Don’t forget to vote all the way down the ballot during the primary! April Schiff has the experience and knowledge to retain her position of State Committeewoman. With the lopsided results, we recommend re-electing April Schiff.
Question 23: Where do you stand on FL Ballot Amendment 1? (Changes School Board races from non-partisan to partisan on ballots) Read full amendments here (https://ballotpedia.org/Florida_2024_ballot_measures)
Yes: 86.99%
No: 13.01%
TBYR Board Opinion: As we mentioned before, the School Board has never truly been a non-partisan position. One of the main reasons people rely on groups like ours every two years is for telling the public who the Republican is for these unlabeled races. Finally, we can end the confusion, and let people know on the ballot which candidates are being backed by which party.
TBYR overwhelmingly supports voting Yes on this Amendment.
Question 24: Where do you stand on FL Ballot Amendment 2? (Establishes State Constitutional right to hunt and fish) Read full amendments here (https://ballotpedia.org/Florida_2024_ballot_measures)
Yes: 98.37%
No: 1.63%
TBYR Board Opinion: We probably don’t need to put our thumb on this one, we expect it to pass overwhelmingly, but there are States that have tried to put restrictions on fishing and hunting. Amendment 2 enshrines it in our State constitution just in case, God Forbid, we have a liberal Governor that tries to infringe on it. TBYR Recommends voting Yes on Amendment 2.
Question 25: Where do you stand on FL Ballot Amendment 3? (Legalizes Recreational Marijuana, not requiring medical licenses) Read full amendments here (https://ballotpedia.org/Florida_2024_ballot_measures)
Yes: 61.79%
No: 38.21%
TBYR Board Opinion: We wouldn’t be the “Not Your Grandfarthers’ GOP” club if we didn’t break with the GOP’s official stance on at least one issue. The argument against recreational marijuana in Florida is not what it is being made out to be by our beloved Governor. The current landscape is not that of the 1960’s. We currently have legalized and unregulated marijuana in every one of the 10,000+ smoke shops across the State as well as over 1 million medical marijuana patients. It’s here and it’s not going anywhere. Despite what they say at the moment, the Florida legislature can interpret this amendment if it passes, where they will most likely put heavy restrictions on public use similar to tobacco. You can still get a DUI and you won’t be able to bring 20 joints to school. TBYR recommends you vote ‘Yes’ on Amendment 3.
Question 26: Where do you stand on FL Ballot Amendment 4? (Constitutional Right To An Abortion. Amendment states “before fetal viability”.) (https://ballotpedia.org/Florida_2024_ballot_measures)
No: 78.05%
Yes: 21.95%
TBYR Board Opinion: This is one issue that seems to cross all generations of Republicans. Our polling shows that 78% of our members support keeping the abortion law at 6 weeks and preventing this radical amendment from being put in the State Constitution. TBYR recommends voting No on Amendment 4.
Question 27: Where do you stand on FL Ballot Amendment 5? (Provides for an annual inflation adjustment for the value of the homestead property tax exemption) Read full amendments here (https://ballotpedia.org/Florida_2024_ballot_measures)
Yes: 95.12%
No: 4.88%
TBYR Board Opinion: Bidenflation has been horrific and we like tax breaks. That’s why 95% of our members support adjusting homestead exemptions to yearly inflation. TBYR recommends voting Yes on Amendment 5.
Question 28: Where do you stand on FL Ballot Amendment 6? (Repeal a constitutional provision providing for public campaign financing for candidates who agree to spending limits) Read full amendments here (https://ballotpedia.org/Florida_2024_ballot_measures)
Yes: 91.87%
No: 8.13%
TBYR Board Opinion: In 2022, 100’s of millions of dollars were spent on the FL Governor’s race. They don’t need public funds for any of it. TBYR Recommends voting Yes on Amendment 6.
For any questions or comments please email President@tbyr.com
