Florida House, District 71
Represents District 71 in the Florida House of Representatives; votes on state laws and the state budget. Term: 2 years.
Partly verified. Either the November opponent could not be confirmed from available sources, or only a few positions are documented. Confirm the full candidate list on your county sample ballot; unknown positions are shown as such.
How we verified who is on the ballot
Ballotpedia's HD 71 page lists Marie Masferrer (D) and Republicans Melton Little, Kristen Truong and Jordan Varnadore for the Aug. 18, 2026 primaries ; Pulse of Manatee reported the fields set at qualifying . Primary result not verified. Research limitation: every WebFetch (Ballotpedia, Wikipedia, Division of Elections, county SOEs, news sites) was blocked and the search budget was capped, so this roster comes only from search-result snippets and should be re-verified against the county Supervisor of Elections sample ballot.
Debates and forums
- No debate or candidate forum has been scheduled in this race (checked Oct. 17, 2026). Checked Vote411's Florida debates-and-forums calendar, the League of Women Voters of Florida newsroom, the county Leagues, chambers of commerce, Tiger Bay clubs and local NAACP branches; every legislative forum they list was held during the primary.
Candidates
Report an error ↗Candidates marked "Withdrew", "Defeated in the primary" or "Did not qualify" are not running in November, according to the Florida Division of Elections candidate list. A name may still be printed on the ballot if the withdrawal came late; such votes are not counted. They are excluded from match results.
Marie Masferrer
Democratic candidate for HD 71 (Manatee/Sarasota); advanced as the only Democrat.
Melton Little
Republican candidate in the Aug. 18, 2026 HD 71 Republican primary (result unverified).
Kristen Truong
Republican candidate in the Aug. 18, 2026 HD 71 Republican primary (result unverified).
Jordan Varnadore
Jordan Varnadore is a lifelong Palmetto resident and Palmetto High graduate with a marketing and communications degree from the University of Mississippi. He is vice president of marketing at GarrettRichard, a Palmetto commercial insurance and PEO brokerage he co-founded with his father, and performs locally as a duel…
Ocean Fitts
Qualified for the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot according to the Florida Division of Elections, 2026 general election candidate list (Qualified).
Joseph Hoolihan
Joseph Hoolihan is a Bradenton real estate professional and business consultant with more than 20 years in sales, customer service and business development, including work with several national homebuilders. He also produces a local podcast about development and housing in Southwest Florida. He is running with no part…
Side-by-side on the major issues
Each row is a statement. The chips show how each candidate's stated positions or record relate to that statement. Expand a row to read the evidence and sources. "No public position found" means we could not find a statement or record on the topic, not that the candidate has none.
| Issue | Marie Masferrer Democratic | Melton Little Republican | Kristen Truong Republican | Jordan Varnadore Republican | Ocean Fitts Democratic | Joseph Hoolihan No Party Affiliation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taxes & spendingCutting taxes should be a top priority, even if it means less government spending on services. | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found |
| Property taxesFlorida should eliminate or sharply reduce homestead property taxes, even if local governments must cut services or find other revenue. | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found | Leans disagree· stated position Open to property-tax reform but not to eliminating a major local revenue source without a replacement. | No public position found |
| Property insuranceThe state should intervene more directly in the property-insurance market (rate caps, expanding Citizens, stricter insurer regulation) rather than relying mainly on market-based reforms. | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found | Leans agree· stated position Wants enforceable claim timelines, home-hardening grants and properly funded insurance oversight agencies. | No public position found |
| Housing affordabilityGovernment should do more to make housing affordable (subsidies, zoning changes, rent measures). | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found | Strongly agrees· stated position Backs mixed-use and infill housing, stronger affordable-housing requirements on major developments and limits on corporate home purchases. | Leans agree· stated position Hoolihan's survey names housing affordability as one of the public policy areas he is most passionate about and says home and lifestyle affordability is a problem he wants to change. He did not specify which tools he would use. |
| ImmigrationImmigration enforcement should be stricter, including large-scale deportation of people in the country illegally. | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found | Leans disagree· stated position Supports fairer immigration pathways and separating civil immigration enforcement from ordinary policing. | No public position found |
| AbortionAbortion should be legal in most cases (Florida's six-week ban should be repealed or loosened). | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found | Strongly agrees· stated position Opposes Florida's six-week restriction; says the decision belongs to patients and providers. | No public position found |
| GunsGun laws should be stricter (keep the red-flag law and the age-21 purchase rule; expand background checks) rather than looser (permitless or open carry, lower purchase age). | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found | Strongly disagrees· stated position Varnadore's campaign site describes him as a staunch supporter of the Second Amendment and individual liberty and says he is committed to preserving those freedoms. | Strongly agrees· stated position Supports universal background checks, waiting periods, safe storage, magazine and assault-weapon limits, and repealing permitless carry. | No public position found |
| Health careGovernment should expand its role in health coverage (expand Medicaid in Florida, extend Affordable Care Act subsidies). | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found | Strongly agrees· stated position Says health care is a human right, supports expanding Medicaid and moving toward universal coverage. | No public position found |
| Education & school choicePublic money should follow students to private, charter or home schools (universal school vouchers). | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found | Strongly disagrees· stated position Opposes expanding private-school vouchers with public dollars and wants accountability standards for charters. | No public position found |
| Environment & waterProtecting water quality, conservation land and climate resilience should take priority even if it slows development or raises costs. | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found | Strongly agrees· stated position Opposes fracking and expanded drilling, wants phosphate-mining oversight, wetland protection and stronger flood-resilience investment. | No public position found |
| Growth & developmentGrowth and development should be slowed or more tightly regulated (higher impact fees, density limits, stronger local control). | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found | Strongly agrees· stated position Opposes SB 180's limits on local land-use authority and wants growth that funds infrastructure first. | Leans agree· stated position In his 2026 Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey, Hoolihan said Manatee County's growth is good but that growth without accountability has left roads jammed, schools packed and home prices high, and he named responsible growth as a policy area he is passionate about. |
| MarijuanaRecreational marijuana should be legal for adults. | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found | Strongly agrees· stated position Supports legalizing recreational cannabis alongside medical use. | No public position found |
| Elections & votingVoting should be made easier (mail voting, drop boxes, restoring voting rights) rather than adding new restrictions. | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found | Strongly agrees· stated position Backs Fair Districts, restoring voting rights after sentences are completed, and closing the write-in loophole. | No public position found |
| Crime & policingCriminal penalties should be tougher and police funding increased, rather than emphasizing reform and rehabilitation. | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found | Strongly disagrees· stated position Supports civilian oversight of police, opposes police militarization and the death penalty, and wants trained responders rather than armed officers for many calls. | No public position found |
| Gender identity lawsFlorida's laws restricting gender-affirming care for minors and classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity should remain in place. | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found | Leans agree· stated position His campaign site says schools should teach values, not "extremist ideologies," and that he will protect children from "radical classroom agendas." | Strongly disagrees· stated position Supports medically appropriate transgender health care, inclusive schools and a ban on conversion therapy. | No public position found |
| Energy & utilitiesGovernment should promote renewable energy and tighten oversight of utility rate increases, even at the expense of fossil-fuel production. | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found | Strongly agrees· stated position Supports clean energy and a much bigger role for solar, and disclosure rules for large data centers. | No public position found |
| Trump administrationI approve of the direction of the Trump administration. | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found |
| VeteransExpanding VA services and veterans' benefits should be a top priority. | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found |
Where they sit on the map
Each candidate is placed by the average of their documented stances. It is a summary of the table above, not an extra judgment.
How the axes are computed
Each axis is the average of a candidate's coded stances (+2 to −2) on a fixed set of statements, so it comes straight from the documented positions and nothing else. A candidate needs at least three documented statements on an axis to be placed.
Economic issues (toward "Smaller government (lower taxes, less spending)"): Taxes & spending (agree), Property taxes (agree), Health care (disagree), Housing affordability (disagree), Property insurance (disagree), Energy & utilities (disagree), Social Security & Medicare (disagree), Teacher and staff pay (disagree).
Social & legal issues (toward "Conservative side of the statements"): Immigration (agree), Abortion (disagree), Guns (disagree), Education & school choice (agree), Elections & voting (disagree), Crime & policing (agree), Gender identity laws (agree), Marijuana (disagree), Environment & water (disagree), Trump administration (agree), Library and classroom materials (agree), School safety approach (agree).
| Candidate | Economic issues | Social & legal issues |
|---|---|---|
| Marie Masferrer | not enough data | not enough data |
| Melton Little | not enough data | not enough data |
| Kristen Truong | not enough data | not enough data |
| Jordan Varnadore | not enough data | not enough data |
| Ocean Fitts | -1.60 (5 statements) | -1.89 (9 statements) |
| Joseph Hoolihan | not enough data | not enough data |
Other issues the candidates have raised
Priorities each candidate has brought up on their own, beyond the major-issue list above.
Marie Masferrer
No additional issues found in public statements as of the last data review.
Melton Little
No additional issues found in public statements as of the last data review.
Kristen Truong
No additional issues found in public statements as of the last data review.
Jordan Varnadore
- Parental rights in schools — Varnadore says parents deserve a voice in their children's education and that schools should teach values rather than what he calls extremist ideologies.
- Business regulation — Varnadore says he would reduce what he calls burdensome regulations and support job creators, citing his experience running a family business.
Ocean Fitts
No additional issues found in public statements as of the last data review.
Joseph Hoolihan
- Independent leadership and responsible growth — Hoolihan's campaign is built around independent leadership, government accountability, responsible growth and what he describes as practical, community-focused solutions. His campaign website was still largely unbuilt as of late September 2026 and carried no detailed issue positions.