Republican candidates, three of them incumbents, easily won Tuesday’s five elections for seats in the Florida Legislature in districts that contain parts of Polk County.
The results continue a trend going back to 2016 in which Republicans have won all Polk County legislative elections.
As of 9:40 p.m., the Polk County Supervisor of Elections Office had posted unofficial results from 166 of 172 precincts, with complete early voting results and partial voting by mail.
Florida House-48
Republican Jon Albert routed Democrat John Hill to capture a seat that was open because term limits prevented Rep. Sam Killebrew, R-Winter Haven, from seeking reelection.
Albert, a Frostproof city commissioner since 2016 and now its mayor, captured 58.5% of the vote, to 41.5% for Hill.
Albert prevailed in the six-person Republican primary election, taking 35% of the vote.
Albert had a substantial advantage in campaign funding. He reported more than $124,000 in campaign contributions, while Hill reported $8,600. Contributors to Albert’s campaign included AtlanticBlue Capital; the GEO Group; Merck, Sharp and Dohme; and the Polk County Firefighters PAC.