Craig Latimer

Craig Latimer (Democratic Party) is the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections in Florida. His current term ends on January 2, 2029.

Latimer (Democratic Party) ran for re-election for Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections in Florida. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Latimer completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Elections

2024

General election

General election for Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections

Incumbent Craig Latimer defeated Billy Christensen in the general election for Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections on November 5, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Craig Latimer (D)	52.8	342,812
	Billy Christensen (R)	47.2	306,924

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 649,736
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Craig Latimer advanced from the Democratic primary for Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections.

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Billy Christensen advanced from the Republican primary for Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Latimer in this election.

2020

General election

The general election was canceled. Craig Latimer (D) won without appearing on the ballot.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

Craig Latimer completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Latimer's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Elections are a complex challenge that require organization, experience, a strong and dependable team, a clear understanding of the law, and an ability to plan for and adapt to the unexpected. I consider it a great honor and a serious responsibility to serve as the chief elections official in the community that has always been my home.

I began working in the elections office in 2009, after retiring as a Major from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. My law enforcement background has served me well as Supervisor of Elections. I am methodical, thorough, community-focused, and I follow the law.

I’m extremely proud of my accomplishments while serving as Supervisor. I’ve run 40 successful elections -- each one verified by a post-election audit and certified by independent canvassing boards. I've served in leadership roles related to the conduct of safe and secure elections on a local, state and national level. And after earning the Governor’s Sterling Award, I met the state’s rigorous expectations by serving as a role model for other government offices. This year, I earned national awards for excellence in training poll workers and communicating with voters.

I spend a lot of time working to make sure our community has the facts about how our elections are conducted. Many of my colleagues have been worn down by the challenging atmosphere we find ourselves in, but it has only strengthened my resolve and I hope to continue to do this important work for my community.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Reliable elections are the foundation of our government. We have to get them right. I take this responsibility seriously. Since 2009, I’ve been a hands-on leader working to give voters the best possible experience, and to achieve my vision of making Hillsborough County the best place in America to vote.
My top priorities for my next term are to continue to educate voters on the safeguards and transparency that afford us with secure and reliable elections, to continue to ensure convenient access to voting for all voters in our rapidly growing county, and to foster a culture of ongoing innovation and efficiency at the Supervisor of Elections Office. Communicating with voters is especially important in this age of mis- and dis-information. I want voters to rely on my office as a trusted source of information about voting and elections.
Florida has strong election laws in place that I endorse. We use paper ballots. We require ID to vote and accept 12 different forms. We have no-excuse Vote By Mail. We can have 8 to 14 days of Early Voting, allowing Supervisors to make decisions based on the size of their electorate. We provide for transparency by allowing observers to watch voting and canvassing activities. And we begin tabulating Vote By Mail ballots several weeks before Election Day to eliminate delays in results reporting.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I'm passionate about ensuring free and fair voting to elect our leaders. Ideally, I would like everyone who is eligible to vote to be registered -- and everyone who is registered to vote to vote.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

My mother was a poll worker for many years. At some point in my early adulthood, I grew concerned about the tiring election day she had ahead of her -- getting up before the sun and working through the evening. So I went to my mother and told her that she didn't need to do that anymore, and that I would give her the money she earned as a poll worker if she needed it.

Well, that was when I got a very memorable civics 101 lesson from my mom. She explained to me that being a poll worker was her opportunity to check in on all the neighbors. She had been a kindergarten teacher, and when she worked the polls on Election Day, she got to see the children of her former students. She found out if anyone was sick or needed help. She was there to help people vote, but she was doing so much more than that.

This was way before I ever considered working in the elections office, but it definitely made an impact on me and I think about it to this day. I hope that the work I'm doing honors her and the example she set to always look for ways to be one of the helpers in our community.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Our elected officials must be honest, law-abiding, accountable and open. They should also take the time to know their constituents and the work they do should be focused on meeting the needs of those constituents.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

As Supervisor of Elections, most of the work I do is outlined in law and administrative rule. It's important that the elected Supervisor of Elections knows, respects and carries out their duties in accordance with those laws. It should go without saying that a Supervisor of Elections must be an advocate for all voters, acting in a completely non-partisan manner, and must lead an office staff to do the same. The Supervisor of Elections must also do everything in their power to protect and ensure the safety and security of the voting systems and processes.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Tampa Bay Times, La Gaceta, Sheriff Chad Chronister, Mayor Jane Castor, FL Rep Daryl Rousson, Hon. Pam Iorio, Hon. Bob Buckhorn, Hon. Sandy Freedman, Hon. Manuel Menendez, Jr., Hon. Doug Belden, Hillsborough Cnty Firefighters Local #2294, W. Central FL Police Benevolent Assn, Tampa Police Benevolent Assn, Tampa Firefighters Local 754, W. Central FL Labor Council, Hillsborough Cnty LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus, FL LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus, Stephen Shaiken, Barbara Bolt, M. Karen Clarke

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2020

Craig Latimer did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

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Candidate

Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections

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Footnotes

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Craig Latimer

Contents

Elections

2024

General election

General election for Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections

Democratic primary election

Republican primary election

Endorsements

2020

General election

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

2020

See also

External links

Footnotes

Information about voting

2025 Elections

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2024 Election analysis

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