Ted Yoho Takes Gilchrist Tea Party Straw Ballot

Tea party members in Gilchrist County backed Ted Yoho, a large-animal doctor from Gainesville, in a straw ballot among party members in the congressional GOP primary for the new District 3 seat held by incumbent U.S. Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Ocala.

Yoho, who has also received the support of the OBrien Tea Party, picked up 69 percent of the votes in the Gilchrist polling.

Florida Sen. Steven Oelrich garnered 13 percent of the vote, Stearns received 10 percent and Clay County Clerk of Court James Jett landed at 1 percent. Another 7 percent of the local Tea Party members declared they had yet to decide.

The number of votes cast was not released.

The district includes: Alachua, Gilchrist, Levy, Dixie, Lafayette, Suwannee, Columbia, Bradford, Union, Hamilton and Clay counties, along with the eastern portion of Madison County and the north-western portion of Marion County.