Incumbent Lisa Yeager will keep her Pasco County Commission District 4 seat after defeating challenger Jonathan Deckard by a nearly two-to-one margin in the Tuesday, Aug. 18, Republican primary.

Yeager collected 28,527 votes (62.39%) to Deckard's 17,199 (37.61%), according to unofficial results from the Pasco County Supervisor of Elections with all 122 precincts reporting as of early Wednesday, Aug. 19. Because no Democrat qualified for the Nov. 3 general election, the primary effectively decided who will represent the district that stretches from Land O' Lakes to New Port Richey, covering much of the Wesley Chapel area.

Write-in candidate Louie Rodriguez is the only other name in the race, but his name will not appear on the November ballot. Rodriguez entered on the final day to qualify, closing the primary to registered Republicans only. He used the same tactic in the District 2 race in 2022 and later withdrew.

What it means for Wesley Chapel

Yeager, 52, will serve a full four-year term after Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed her to the seat in May 2024 following the death of Commissioner Gary Bradford. She is a former educator who directed the Teen Parent Program at Pasco County Schools for a decade and is married to state Rep. Brad Yeager, R-New Port Richey. The seat pays $116,937 annually.

Both candidates acknowledged rapid growth as the district's central challenge. During the campaign, Yeager told Neighborhood News Online that "development is happening fast, too fast in many cases," and said growth should consider future needs and be in the best interests of Pasco residents.

Deckard, 40, a Marine Corps veteran who manages a Snap-on tool franchise, campaigned on a temporary moratorium on new residential developments to prioritize road construction and water supply. He also pledged to block large AI data centers entirely. Yeager supported the county's existing data center moratorium but stopped short of a blanket ban.

Money gap

Campaign finance reports showed a stark funding divide, the Hernando Sun reported. Yeager's political committee, Friends of Lisa Yeager, raised $68,500, with major contributions from developers and real estate firms including Deeb Construction ($5,000) and Harborlight Capital Group ($5,000). Her campaign account held more than $73,000 cash on hand as of late July.

Deckard spent $15,000 total, with $10,240 of that money he loaned himself. He had $500 remaining as of July 24.

Turnout

Countywide voter turnout hit 21.5%, with 86,103 of 400,459 registered voters casting ballots, according to the Hernando Sun. That trails the 24.8% turnout in the August 2022 midterm primary.

Yeager dominated mail-in and early voting (7,281 and 6,245 votes, respectively) while Deckard drew more of his support from Election Day voters (10,320 of his 17,199 total).

The results remain unofficial pending certification by the Pasco County canvassing board. Yeager's four-year term begins in November.