Hillsborough County Commissioner Donna Cameron Cepeda’s incumbent status was not enough to deliver a win in Tuesday’s primary election.
Stacy Hahn, a Hillsborough school board member, beat Cam1eron Cepeda in an upset Tuesday night with nearly 55% of the vote and strong fundraising support, setting up a likely competitive general election in November.
In other races, public affairs executive Aileen Rodriguez cruised to a win in the District 7 race with more than 62% of the vote against former county clerk of court Cindy Stuart.
And in the heart of the county, Democratic incumbent Gwen Myers beat political newcomer Twanda Bradley for the District 3 seat by a commanding margin. She got nearly 70%.
The countywide race between Cameron Cepeda, 62, and Hahn drew unexpected attention. Cameron Cepeda, a reliable — yet quiet — Republican commissioner, raised roughly $32,500 in individual contributions as of Tuesday. Hahn, 59, raised more than $114,900.
It was the second time Cameron Cepeda has faced a campaign foe with far more money. When she won the seat in 2022 as part of a “red wave,” then-incumbent Mariella Smith raised 10 times as much on the campaign trail.
Hahn told the Tampa Bay Times last month that she decided to run because of a lack of leadership, and said she would be a data-driven official.
She will face Democrat Neil Manimala — who has raised more than $173,200 — in the November general election.
In the District 7 countywide race, Rodriguez, 54, a former GOP U.S. Senate staffer, will face incumbent Joshua Wostal in the November general election. Wostal, who won the countywide seat from a Democrat in 2022, has already raised more money through his campaign than Rodriguez and Stuart combined.
In District 3, Myers out-raised and outspent opponent Bradley by tens of thousands of dollars. She worked for the county for 25 years before she was elected in 2020.
Myers, 72, will face Republican coffee shop owner Luiz F. F. Garcia in November, and already holds a steep fundraising edge. She raised more than $138,700 in individual campaign contributions, compared with $8,200 to Garcia’s campaign as of Tuesday.
Her district covers East Tampa, Ybor City, Progress Village and parts of Brandon and Riverview.
