2026 Primary Election Ballot Guide
The Libertarian Party of Miami-Dade County offers the following endorsement and recommendations for the August 18, 2026 election.
ENDORSEMENT vs. RECOMMENDATION
An ENDORSEMENT means LPMD affirmatively supports the candidate.
A RECOMMENDATION means that, among the choices actually available, LPMD believes one candidate or position is preferable based on limited government, individual liberty, fiscal restraint, decentralization, transparency, peace, free markets or accountable government.
A recommendation is not an endorsement and does not mean agreement with every position or action of that candidate. Some recommendations are necessarily defensive votes. Where government has become too powerful, too expensive or too entrenched, electing an imperfect alternative can still provide an important check on power.
Where there is no sufficiently meaningful liberty-oriented distinction, our position is NO RECOMMENDATION.
DON’T LEAVE YOUR BALLOT BLANK
The Libertarian Party advocates for a None of the Above (NOTA) option on the ballot. The closet option to a NOTA vote in Florida ballot is the OVERVOTE where you mark two or more options on the ballot. A OVERVOTE purposely spoils the single ballot question (not the entire ballot). Leaving it blank provides an opportunity for someone else to fill in your blank without you knowledge.
LIBERTARIANS HAVE MORE INFLUENCE THAN OUR NUMBERS SUGGEST
Florida voter-registration statistics measure party registration, not political philosophy.
Libertarian ideas influence Republicans, Democrats, independents and voters with no party affiliation on taxes, spending, war, gun rights, civil liberties, property rights, school choice, free speech, government surveillance and decentralization. Libertarians do not need to constitute a majority to matter. In competitive elections and political coalitions, relatively small groups of principled voters can have an outsized influence.
The objective of this guide is therefore simple: More liberty. Less government.
I. FEDERAL OFFICES
UNITED STATES SENATE
Republican Primary — NO RECOMMENDATION
Democratic Primary — NO RECOMMENDATION
No candidate presents a sufficiently clear liberty-oriented advantage.
UNITED STATES HOUSE
District 24
Republican Primary — NO RECOMMENDATION
Democratic Primary — NO RECOMMENDATION
District 25
Republican Primary — RECOMMEND RAVEN HARRISON
Harrison’s emphasis on reducing federal spending, balancing the budget and government accountability provides the strongest case in this primary.
Democratic Primary — NO RECOMMENDATION
District 27
Republican Primary — NO RECOMMENDATION
Democratic Primary — NO RECOMMENDATION
II. STATEWIDE OFFICES
GOVERNOR
Republican Primary — NO RECOMMENDATION
Democratic Primary — NO RECOMMENDATION
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
Republican Primary — NO RECOMMENDATION
Democratic Primary — NO RECOMMENDATION
COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE
Republican Primary — RECOMMEND MATT “THE WELDER” TAYLOR
Taylor offers an anti-establishment alternative emphasizing bureaucratic accountability, property rights, gun rights and greater scrutiny of government.
Democratic Primary — NO RECOMMENDATION
III. FLORIDA LEGISLATURE
STATE SENATE DISTRICT 34
Democratic Primary — NO RECOMMENDATION
FLORIDA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
District 106
Democratic Primary — NO RECOMMENDATION
District 108
Democratic Primary — NO RECOMMENDATION
District 109
Democratic Primary — NO RECOMMENDATION
District 113
Republican Primary — RECOMMEND TONY DIAZ
Diaz supports replacing political appointments to legislative vacancies with special elections so voters, rather than political insiders, choose their representatives.
Democratic Primary — NO RECOMMENDATION
District 118
Republican Primary — RECOMMEND MIKE REDONDO
Redondo’s emphasis on affordability and reducing property taxes makes him the preferable choice in this primary.
IV. NONPARTISAN JUDICIAL OFFICES
Judicial candidates should be judged differently from legislators. LPMD considers legal experience, independence, courtroom experience and willingness to hold government to the law.
Circuit Judge, Group 5
RECOMMEND ARTHUR LeMAR “MARTY” McNEIL
McNeil brings extensive public-defense and criminal courtroom experience.
Circuit Judge, Group 35
RECOMMEND RENEE GORDON
Gordon brings approximately three decades of legal experience, including extensive public-defense work.
Circuit Judge, Group 67
RECOMMEND MAVEL RUIZ
Experience and demonstrated willingness to require government to follow legal process weigh in Ruiz’s favor.
Circuit Judge, Group 69
RECOMMEND BONITA JONES-PEABODY
Jones-Peabody brings decades of legal and criminal-defense experience.
Circuit Judge, Group 76
RECOMMEND SPENCER EIG
Eig’s extensive judicial experience provides no compelling reason for replacing him.
County Judge, Group 25
RECOMMEND LUIS PEREZ-MEDINA
Perez-Medina is an experienced sitting judge with no demonstrated performance problem sufficient to justify replacement.
V. MIAMI-DADE COUNTY
COUNTY COMMISSION DISTRICT 2
ENDORSE MIGUEL “SKIP” QUINTERO
Miguel “Skip” Quintero is LPMD’s sole formal candidate endorsement in the August 18 election.
Quintero offers District 2 an independent commissioner willing to challenge runaway county spending, demand transparency and provide a genuine check on the power of the County Mayor.
Vote Miguel “Skip” Quintero.
COUNTY COMMISSION DISTRICT 5
RECOMMEND JOE SANCHEZ — WITH RESERVATIONS
Sanchez deserves criticism for supporting the publicly financed Marlins stadium, an awful example of billionaire welfare and taxpayer-subsidized professional sports.
Nevertheless, the alternative offers more of the same county establishment. A defensive vote for Sanchez can provide another independent check on the County Mayor and Miami-Dade’s runaway budget.
This is a recommendation, not an endorsement.
COUNTY COMMISSION DISTRICT 8
RECOMMEND MARTHA “VEGA” HERO
Hero offers voters an alternative to continued incumbent control and another opportunity for greater fiscal accountability and independent scrutiny of county government.
VI. MIAMI-DADE SCHOOL BOARD
District 1
RECOMMEND KATRINA WILSON
Wilson brings extensive experience in education, including leadership in charter education. Her support for school choice recognizes a basic principle: schools should compete to serve students and families rather than expect families to serve educational institutions. Parents should have meaningful choices, education dollars should follow students, and competition should encourage every school to improve.
District 8
RECOMMEND MONICA COLUCCI
Colucci is the preferable choice for voters who value parental authority, educational choice, transparency and accountability.
VII. MUNICIPAL OFFICES
CITY OF MIAMI GARDENS
Council Seat 2 — NO RECOMMENDATION
Council Seat 4 — NO RECOMMENDATION
No sufficiently clear limited-government distinction exists in either race.
VIII. BALLOT QUESTIONS
CITY OF MIAMI
Referendum 1 — Moving Municipal Elections to Even-Numbered Years
RECOMMEND NO
Miami elections should remain focused on Miami.Combining municipal elections with federal and statewide elections dilutes the influence of communities and neighborhood issues while strengthening political slates, large campaign organizations and candidates with greater financial resources. Local elections should remain local.
NO.
Referendum 2 — Marine Stadium / Flex Park 40-Year Management Agreement
RECOMMEND NO
A 40-year government-negotiated management agreement is not genuine privatization. Economic risk should be transferred away from taxpayers rather than preserving a municipal entertainment enterprise through a decades-long public-private arrangement.
NO.
CITY OF SWEETWATER
Referendum 1 — Mayoral Vacancy
RECOMMEND YES
When the mayor’s office becomes vacant, voters should choose the replacement through a timely special election.
YES.
Referendum 2 — Disposition of City Property
RECOMMEND NO
Government should not unnecessarily accumulate real estate, and disposing of surplus government property should not be made artificially difficult.
NO.
Referendum 3 — Traffic-Control Cameras
RECOMMEND YES
LPMD opposes automated traffic-camera enforcement and the substitution of mass automated surveillance for individualized law enforcement.
YES.
Referendum 4 — Canvassing Board
RECOMMEND NO
Election oversight should include meaningful institutional independence rather than concentrating authority within a single administrative chain.
NO.
VOTE FOR MORE LIBERTY
Liberty does not require pretending that every ballot offers a libertarian candidate. Where someone meaningfully advances liberty, we should support them. Where an imperfect candidate is nevertheless preferable to continued concentration of government power, a defensive vote can be justified. Where neither choice deserves support, No Recommendation is itself a meaningful position.
Libertarians may represent only a portion of Florida’s officially registered electorate, but our influence extends far beyond a party-registration number. We can decide close elections. We can force larger political coalitions to address our issues. We can reward politicians who move toward liberty and punish those who move toward greater government.
On August 18: More liberty. Less government.