Election 2026 | Escambia County Commission
Vinson Unseats Hofberger by 19 Votes in District 4
Joe Vinson becomes the first No Party Affiliate candidate to win an Escambia County race in modern history, and he did it by knocking on doors.
It’s official. Local historian Joe Vinson is Escambia County District 4’s new commissioner, defeating incumbent Ashlee Hofberger, 13,096 to 13,077.
In yesterday’s count of the overseas ballots, Vinson picked up 8 votes and Hofberger 3.
The final numbers
- Joe Vinson (NPA): 13,096 votes
- Ashlee Hofberger (R): 13,077 votes
- Margin: 19 votes
- Campaign spending: Hofberger $151,854; Vinson $43,614 (3.48 times more for Hofberger)
Historical Significance
Vinson is the first No Party Affiliate (NPA) candidate to win a race in modern Escambia County history. It is a crushing blow to Escambia County Republican Party leaders and to Hofberger, who whined that Vinson was really a liberal Democrat without offering any proof.
- Hofberger thought she could rely on Trump-loving Republicans, a high-paid political consultant, wealthy donors and a list of supposedly influential endorsements to win re-election easily. Vinson didn’t ignore any voter when he walked District 4 neighborhoods.
“I didn’t have a campaign manager, so everything was done by me pretty much: the website, social media posts, the palm card and mailers,” Vinson told me. “For my canvassing lists, I was looking for active voters. My walking lists were all parties, but if you had voted in two of the last four or five elections.”
| NPA Candidate Results: 2006-2026 | ||
| Race | Candidate | Percentage |
| Commission D4:2026 | Joe Vinson | 50.04% |
| Commission D5:2024 | Joshua Robinson | 38.23% |
| Commission D1: 2012 | Bobby Spencer | 34.64% |
| Commission D5: 2012 | Packy Mitchell | 29.99% |
| State Rep: 2008 | Zane Bentley | 27.22% |
| Sheriff: 2016 | Rex Blackburn | 25.12% |
| Tax Collector: 2020 | Wendy Rich | 24.69% |
| ECUA D2: 2010 | Dave Carlson | 23.65% |
| State Rep: 2016 | Bill Fetke | 23.55% |
| ECUA D4: 2010 | Scott Schroeder | 23.11% |
| Commission D5:2016 | Jim Hunt | 22.12% |
| Commission D4: 2010 | Danny Lewis | 19.73% |
| ECUA D1: 2012 | Elizabeth Campbell | 19.22% |
| Commission D4: 2006 | Andy Kowalski | 18.82% |
| Commission D3:2016 | Delarian Wiggins | 17.22% |
| State Rep: 2010 | Mathias Venditto | 15.10% |
| Commission D3:2016 | Derrick Gainer | 12.52% |
| Commission D3:2016 | Dooley Johnson | 9.80% |
| Commission D3:2016 | Tiffany Washington | 8.30% |
| Commission D3:2016 | Mirza Ahmad | 6.67% |
| ECUA D1: 2012 | James Kirkland | 6.63% |
| Commission D3:2012 | Hugh King | 6.56% |
| State Rep: 2024 | Kim Kline | 5.97% |
| ECUA D4: 2026 | Ralph Schofield | 5.82% |
| Commission D3:2008 | Dooley Johnson | 5.33% |
| Commission D3:2016 | Benell English | 5.25% |
| ECUA D3: 2020 | Calvin Avant | 4.29% |
| ECUA D1: 2012 | Tom Brame | 3.19% |
| ECUA D3: 2020 | Dooley Johnson | 2.27% |
| Commission D3:2012 | Dooley Johnson | 1.74% |
Money and Endorsements
Incumbents never have trouble raising money. Developers and anyone seeking a favorable vote from the Board of County Commissioners love to improve their chances by contributing to sitting commissioners, especially those who chair the board, as Hofberger did this year. The more money incumbents raise, the more they have to spend. Hofberger outspent Vinson $151,854 to $43,614.
The endorsement gap. Hofberger touted the endorsements of successful GOP politicians:
- Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves
- Sheriff Chip Simmons
- County Clerk Pam Childers
- State Sen. Don Gaetz
- State Rep. Michelle Salzman
Vinson had a long list of men and women, young and old, Republican, Democrat and independent, who voiced their support for him.
Why Vinson Won
In the end, Vinson won because District 4 voters knew him, liked him and saw him as the more authentic candidate.
In 2024, few voters knew Ashlee Hofberger. After two years of watching her, District 4 voters decided they didn’t want her on the Board of County Commissioners any longer.
Presume the 12th vote (only 11 of 12 D4 ballot votes are reported above) was an “undervote.” It would be very interesting to find out if Hofberger sent her two nasty mailers to overseas voters. Had I still been in the military, and stationed overseas (I spent about seven years overseas), getting those two mailers directly attacking the Vinson’s religious faith and church would have struck me as very anti-American. Joe worked hard to earn the win. He spent so many hours knocking on D4 doors that I presume he must have worn out at least a few pairs of shoes. When he was in my Scenic Heights neighborhood, his mother and friends were out campaigning with him too. Joe knocked on the doors of some neighbors with Hofberger signs, to introduce himself. Several then replaced their Hofberger sign with a Vinson sign.
Hooray! Wish my District 1 had so great a candidate/winner.