Polk County Commission candidate Judi New says she will not qualify to be on ballot

Judi New, one of five candidates for the Polk County Commission in District 1, announced that she will not qualify to be on the ballot for the Republican primary.

New, a Lakeland resident, said she realized last week that she will not meet the requirement for a candidate to be registered with their party for one year before an election. New said she had been a Republican for years but switched to non-party status about 20 years ago when she became an ordained minister.

When she filed to run for the County Commission in October, New changed her registration to Republican. As of Monday, she was one of four Republicans in the race. The seat is open because incumbent Commissioner George Lindsey faces term limits.

New said she learned last week about the requirement for one year of continuous party registration status. The Republican primary will take place in August. New accepted responsibility for not investigating the candidate requirements but said that she does not think County Commission races should be partisan.

New’s campaign signs had already started appearing in yards in Lakeland. She left open the possibility of running for office in the future.

"I've learned a lot, and I can't wait to see where God takes me next," New said Monday. "And I definitely want to run for something one day again."

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New had reported $16,885 in campaign contributions. Her donors included retired Publix Super Markets executive Barney Barnett, former Lakeland Mayor Howard Wiggs, former Lakeland City Commissioner Don Selvage and retired Florida Southern College President Thomas Reuschling.

The remaining candidates in the District 1 race are Republicans Henry Coker, Jennifer Price and Becky Troutman and Democrat Kay Klymko.

Gary White can be reached at [email protected] or 863-802-7518. Follow on X @garywhite13.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: County Commission candidate says she won't qualify for GOP primary