Ballard Led Tight Manatee Commission Race: Bradenton Election Results 2026

Updated: Tuesday, 10:06 p.m.

Incumbent Amanda Ballard held only a slight lead — by less than 200 votes — in the Manatee County Board of County Commissioners District 2 race on Tuesday night, unofficial results show.

Ballard, the Republican candidate, won 50.43 percent of the vote compared to her Democratic challenger, Charles B. Smith, Sr., who earned 49.57 percent, according to unofficial results from the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections office.

GOP candidates hold greater leads in the District 1 and District 6 races.

In District 1, Elizabeth “Liz” Arnold led Democrat Sari Lindroos-Valimaki with 65.98 percent of the vote to 33.92 percent, the unofficial results show. A write-in candidate earned .1 percent.

Tara Poulton earned 58.09 percent of the vote in the race for the District 6 at-large seat, compared to Democrat Reggie Bellamy, a former commissioner, who earned 41.91 percent.

Another incumbent, Mike Rahn, held onto his District 4 seat after winning the Aug. 18 Republican primary.

Updated: Tuesday, 8:35 p.m.

MANATEE COUNTY, FL — Polls have closed on Election Day across Manatee County, though anyone still in line at the time of their 7 p.m. closure will still be allowed to cast a ballot.

Voters in the Bradenton area had a say in governor, U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives, and state legislative races, along with local contests, in the Nov. 3 midterm election.

They also made decisions on state constitutional amendments and county charter referendums on Tuesday.

In Bradenton, the local races of note included the Manatee County Board of County Commissioners, the School Board and Bradenton City Council.

Find the latest vote tally updates below:

(Note: Because the state has two time zones, preliminary election night results won’t be released until 8 p.m. EST. Be sure to check back here and refresh this page for the latest as results begin to flow in.)

Manatee County Races

Bradenton City Council