Florida: who should earn your vote for Congress in 2026
Opinion · The paper’s scorecard
Florida: every race for Congress on the 3 November 2026 ballot, and how the candidates measure up against our standards.
Sitting and former members are scored on the same key votes, read from the official House and Senate roll calls; each vote links to the record. Candidates who have never served in Congress have no votes to score, and outside the battlegrounds we have not researched them, so they are marked as not scored. Where only one candidate could be measured, the mark rates that record on its own; it is not a verdict on the opponent. How the marks work · All states
U.S. Senate (special election) R+5
Closer to our standards: Ashley Moody
A battleground: read our full case, with every source.
District 1 R+18
Leans our way: Jimmy Patronis
Leans our way
Jimmy Patronis
Republican · incumbent
Scored on 11 key votes · total +1
- ✓Smaller government
- ✓Small business over giants
- ?Live and let live
- ✓Light touch on tech
- ?Free speech
- ✗No surveillance state
- ✗Home first, open trade
- ✗Checks on power
- ?Right to bear arms
- ✓Hard on violent crime
With us (6)
Gay Valimont
Democrat
No congressional voting record; not scored
District 2 R+8
No mark
Neal Dunn (R): incumbent retiring.
Amanda Green
Democrat
No congressional voting record; not scored
Austin Rogers
Republican
No congressional voting record; not scored
District 3 R+10
✓ Meets our standards: Kat Cammack
Meets our standards
Kat Cammack
Republican · incumbent
Scored on 26 key votes · total +4
- ✓Smaller government
- ~Small business over giants
- ✓Live and let live
- ✓Light touch on tech
- ✗Free speech
- ✓No surveillance state
- ✗Home first, open trade
- ~Checks on power
- ✓Right to bear arms
- ✓Hard on violent crime
With us (19)
Seth Harp
Democrat
No congressional voting record; not scored
District 4 R+5
✓ Meets our standards: Aaron Bean
Meets our standards
Aaron Bean
Republican · incumbent
Scored on 21 key votes · total +5
- ✓Smaller government
- ✓Small business over giants
- ?Live and let live
- ✓Light touch on tech
- ✗Free speech
- ✓No surveillance state
- ✗Home first, open trade
- ✓Checks on power
- ✓Right to bear arms
- ✓Hard on violent crime
With us (14)
LaShonda Holloway
Democrat
No congressional voting record; not scored
District 5 R+10
Leans our way: John Rutherford
Rachel Grage
Democrat
No congressional voting record; not scored
Leans our way
John Rutherford
Republican · incumbent
Scored on 24 key votes · total +1
- ✓Smaller government
- ~Small business over giants
- ✗Live and let live
- ✓Light touch on tech
- ✗Free speech
- ✗No surveillance state
- ✗Home first, open trade
- ✓Checks on power
- ✓Right to bear arms
- ✓Hard on violent crime
With us (12)
District 6 R+14
Leans our way: Randy Fine
Leans our way
Randy Fine
Republican · incumbent
Scored on 11 key votes · total +1
- ✓Smaller government
- ✓Small business over giants
- ?Live and let live
- ✓Light touch on tech
- ?Free speech
- ✗No surveillance state
- ✗Home first, open trade
- ✗Checks on power
- ?Right to bear arms
- ✓Hard on violent crime
With us (6)
Eric Yonce
Democrat
No congressional voting record; not scored
District 7 R+5
No mark
Cory Mills (R): incumbent lost renomination.
Bale Dalton
Democrat
No congressional voting record; not scored
Ryan Elijah
Republican
No congressional voting record; not scored
District 8 R+8
Leans our way: Mike Haridopolos
Leans our way
Mike Haridopolos
Republican · incumbent
Scored on 11 key votes · total +1
- ✓Smaller government
- ✓Small business over giants
- ?Live and let live
- ✓Light touch on tech
- ?Free speech
- ✗No surveillance state
- ✗Home first, open trade
- ✗Checks on power
- ?Right to bear arms
- ✓Hard on violent crime
With us (6)
Jennifer Jenkins
Democrat
No congressional voting record; not scored
District 9 R+8
No mark
Dan Green
Republican
No congressional voting record; not scored
Darren Soto
Democrat · incumbent
Scored on 26 key votes · total -1
- ✗Smaller government
- ~Small business over giants
- ✓Live and let live
- ✓Light touch on tech
- ✗Free speech
- ✗No surveillance state
- ✓Home first, open trade
- ~Checks on power
- ✗Right to bear arms
- ~Hard on violent crime
With us (10)
District 10 D+13
No mark
Maxwell Frost
Democrat · incumbent
Scored on 21 key votes · total -3
- ✗Smaller government
- ✗Small business over giants
- ?Live and let live
- ✗Light touch on tech
- ✓Free speech
- ✓No surveillance state
- ✓Home first, open trade
- ✗Checks on power
- ✗Right to bear arms
- ✗Hard on violent crime
With us (10)
- Voted against the 2024 law forcing TikTok's sale or ban. Source
- Voted against the Antisemitism Awareness Act, which civil-liberties groups opposed as a limit on campus speech. Source
- Voted for the amendment requiring a warrant to search Americans' communications under FISA Section 702 (it failed 212-212). Source
District 11 R+7
No mark
Daniel Webster (R): incumbent retiring.
James Pericola
Democrat
No congressional voting record; not scored
Joe Strada
Republican
No congressional voting record; not scored
District 12 R+7
✓ Meets our standards: Gus Bilirakis
Meets our standards
Gus Bilirakis
Republican · incumbent
Scored on 26 key votes · total +3
- ✓Smaller government
- ~Small business over giants
- ✗Live and let live
- ✓Light touch on tech
- ✗Free speech
- ✓No surveillance state
- ✗Home first, open trade
- ✓Checks on power
- ✓Right to bear arms
- ✓Hard on violent crime
With us (17)
Kimberly Overman
Democrat
No congressional voting record; not scored
District 13 R+6
✓ Meets our standards: Anna Paulina Luna
Leela Gray
Democrat
No congressional voting record; not scored
Meets our standards
Anna Paulina Luna
Republican · incumbent
Scored on 18 key votes · total +5
- ✓Smaller government
- ✓Small business over giants
- ?Live and let live
- ✓Light touch on tech
- ~Free speech
- ✓No surveillance state
- ✗Home first, open trade
- ~Checks on power
- ✓Right to bear arms
- ✓Hard on violent crime
With us (13)
District 14 R+4
No mark
Mike Beltran
Republican
No votes in Congress: scored on platform and record, promises at half weight · total -1
- ✗Smaller government
- ✓Small business over giants
- ✗Live and let live
- ✗Light touch on tech
- ✗Free speech
- ✓No surveillance state
- ?Home first, open trade
- ✗Checks on power
- ✓Right to bear arms
- ✓Hard on violent crime
With us (13)
- Voted against the final 2024-25 Florida budget (HB 5001 conference report), one of 3 no votes in a 105-3 House roll call. Source
- Told WUSF: 'Every area of the economy that's heavily regulated – food, education, medical care – are more expensive… The government needs to get out of these businesses,' and said he 'repeatedly voted against his own leadership' when it 'increased the size of government and spending.' Source
- Voted for HB 5 (2023), which abolished Enterprise Florida, the state's public-private business-incentive agency, and repealed a list of economic-incentive programs (House 112-0). Source
Against us (10)
- Voted for SB 664 (2020), which required public employers and contractors to use E-Verify and private employers to use E-Verify or keep I-9 records (House passed 73-45). Source
- Voted against HB 49 (2024), which loosened state limits on working hours for 16- and 17-year-olds; he was among 33 no votes on final passage (76-33). Source
- Was one of 11 House members to vote against SB 182 (2019), which repealed Florida's ban on smoking medical marijuana (passed 101-11). Source
Kathy Castor
Democrat · incumbent
Scored on 26 key votes · total -4
- ✗Smaller government
- ~Small business over giants
- ✓Live and let live
- ✗Light touch on tech
- ✗Free speech
- ✗No surveillance state
- ✓Home first, open trade
- ~Checks on power
- ✗Right to bear arms
- ✗Hard on violent crime
With us (8)
District 15 R+9
✓ Meets our standards: Laurel Lee
Meets our standards
Laurel Lee
Republican · incumbent
Scored on 20 key votes · total +3
- ✓Smaller government
- ✓Small business over giants
- ?Live and let live
- ✓Light touch on tech
- ✗Free speech
- ✗No surveillance state
- ✗Home first, open trade
- ✓Checks on power
- ✓Right to bear arms
- ✓Hard on violent crime
With us (11)
Robert People
Democrat
No congressional voting record; not scored
District 16 R+6
No mark
Vern Buchanan (R): incumbent retiring.
Sydney Gruters
Republican
No congressional voting record; not scored
Kelly Kirschner
Democrat
No congressional voting record; not scored
District 17 R+10
✓ Meets our standards: Greg Steube
Matthew Montavon
Democrat
No congressional voting record; not scored
Meets our standards
Greg Steube
Republican · incumbent
Scored on 25 key votes · total +2
- ✓Smaller government
- ~Small business over giants
- ✗Live and let live
- ✓Light touch on tech
- ~Free speech
- ✓No surveillance state
- ✗Home first, open trade
- ✗Checks on power
- ✓Right to bear arms
- ✓Hard on violent crime
With us (16)
District 18 R+8
No mark
Scott Franklin
Republican · incumbent
Scored on 27 key votes · total +0
- ✓Smaller government
- ~Small business over giants
- ✗Live and let live
- ✓Light touch on tech
- ✗Free speech
- ✗No surveillance state
- ✗Home first, open trade
- ~Checks on power
- ✓Right to bear arms
- ✓Hard on violent crime
With us (14)
Curtis Gibson
Democrat
No congressional voting record; not scored
District 19 R+14
No mark
Byron Donalds (R): incumbent retiring to run for governor.
Victor Arias
Democrat
No congressional voting record; not scored
Jim Schwartzel
Republican
No congressional voting record; not scored
District 20 D+20
No mark
Brent Andersen
Republican
No congressional voting record; not scored
Debbie Wasserman Schultz
Democrat · incumbent
Scored on 27 key votes · total -4
- ✗Smaller government
- ~Small business over giants
- ✓Live and let live
- ✗Light touch on tech
- ✗Free speech
- ✗No surveillance state
- ✓Home first, open trade
- ~Checks on power
- ✗Right to bear arms
- ✗Hard on violent crime
With us (8)
District 21 R+7
✓ Meets our standards: Brian Mast
James Martin
Democrat
No congressional voting record; not scored
Meets our standards
Brian Mast
Republican · incumbent
Scored on 27 key votes · total +2
- ✓Smaller government
- ~Small business over giants
- ✗Live and let live
- ✓Light touch on tech
- ✗Free speech
- ✓No surveillance state
- ✗Home first, open trade
- ~Checks on power
- ✓Right to bear arms
- ✓Hard on violent crime
With us (17)
District 22 R+4
No mark
Casey Askar
Republican
No congressional voting record; not scored
Pia Dandiya
Democrat
No congressional voting record; not scored
District 23 D+9
No mark
Deborah Adeimy
Republican
No congressional voting record; not scored
Lois Frankel
Democrat · incumbent
Scored on 25 key votes · total -2
- ✗Smaller government
- ~Small business over giants
- ✓Live and let live
- ✓Light touch on tech
- ✗Free speech
- ✗No surveillance state
- ✓Home first, open trade
- ~Checks on power
- ✗Right to bear arms
- ✗Hard on violent crime
With us (8)
District 24 D+22
No mark
Frederica Wilson (D): incumbent retiring.
Te Mayonna Brown
Republican
No congressional voting record; not scored
Oliver Gilbert
Democrat
No congressional voting record; not scored
District 25 R+3
No mark
Jared Moskowitz
Democrat · incumbent
Scored on 21 key votes · total -1
- ✗Smaller government
- ✗Small business over giants
- ?Live and let live
- ✓Light touch on tech
- ✗Free speech
- ✗No surveillance state
- ✓Home first, open trade
- ✓Checks on power
- ✗Right to bear arms
- ✓Hard on violent crime
With us (10)
Scott Singer
Republican
No votes in Congress: scored on platform and record, promises at half weight · total -0.5
- ✗Smaller government
- ✓Small business over giants
- ?Live and let live
- ✓Light touch on tech
- ?Free speech
- ?No surveillance state
- ~Home first, open trade
- ✗Checks on power
- ✓Right to bear arms
- ~Hard on violent crime
With us (6)
- Campaign says that as mayor he 'voted for multiple years in a row to lower the property tax rate, never voted for a tax-rate increase' and that Boca Raton has 'the lowest property tax rate of any full-service city in Florida' (self-reported). Source
- Pledges to 'slash overregulation that burdens businesses,' has 'pledged not to raise taxes,' and says he would work to make President Trump's deregulatory executive orders permanent through legislation. Source
- Campaign says he 'removed harmful red tape negatively affecting our local businesses' as mayor and cites the 2025 tax law's refunds for small businesses; no specifics on subsidies or antitrust found. Source
Against us (4)
- Says he will 'push for greater action by Congress to expand insurance programs' for coastal flooding and windstorms and 'fight to expand existing federal funding for nonprofits at risk' of attack. Source
- Boca Magazine reported that Singer's pitch to New Yorkers included 'a $70,000 billboard in Times Square,' which residents criticized as a use of city resources for self-promotion. Source
- Championed a 2023 Boca Raton ballot measure to lengthen mayor and council terms from three years to four; 59% of voters rejected it, per Boca Magazine. Source
District 26 R+7
No mark
Mario Díaz-Balart
Republican · incumbent
Scored on 26 key votes · total +0
- ✓Smaller government
- ~Small business over giants
- ✗Live and let live
- ✓Light touch on tech
- ✗Free speech
- ✗No surveillance state
- ✗Home first, open trade
- ~Checks on power
- ✓Right to bear arms
- ✓Hard on violent crime
With us (14)
Nicole Locklin
Democrat
No congressional voting record; not scored
District 27 R+6
✓ Meets our standards: María Elvira Salazar
Eliott Rodriguez
Democrat
No congressional voting record; not scored
Meets our standards
María Elvira Salazar
Republican · incumbent
Scored on 26 key votes · total +2
- ✓Smaller government
- ✓Small business over giants
- ✗Live and let live
- ✓Light touch on tech
- ✗Free speech
- ✗No surveillance state
- ✗Home first, open trade
- ✓Checks on power
- ✓Right to bear arms
- ✓Hard on violent crime
With us (14)
District 28 R+10
✓ Meets our standards: Carlos Giménez
Phil Ehr
Democrat
No congressional voting record; not scored
Meets our standards
Carlos Giménez
Republican
Scored on 27 key votes · total +2
- ✓Smaller government
- ~Small business over giants
- ✓Live and let live
- ✓Light touch on tech
- ✗Free speech
- ✗No surveillance state
- ✗Home first, open trade
- ~Checks on power
- ✓Right to bear arms
- ✓Hard on violent crime
With us (15)
Photo credits. Official congressional portraits are works of the U.S. government and in the public domain. Others:
- Mike Beltran: Florida House of Representatives, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (file)