{"id":46826,"date":"2026-08-15T15:09:48","date_gmt":"2026-08-15T10:09:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=46826"},"modified":"2026-08-15T15:09:48","modified_gmt":"2026-08-15T10:09:48","slug":"what-to-watch-in-floridas-primary-election","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=46826","title":{"rendered":"What to watch in Florida&#8217;s primary election"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F2%2F2026%2F08%2F137454746.jpg?quality%3D90%26strip%3Dall\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Several major races are on the ballot next week in Florida\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/08\/12\/us-news\/takeaways-from-primary-night-in-wisconsin-minnesota-south-carolina-and-connecticut\/\">primary election<\/a>, where voters will choose nominees to replace <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/05\/05\/us-news\/ron-desantis-making-moves-for-2028-white-house-bid\/\">term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis<\/a>; decide the fate of a scandal-plagued congressman and consider yet another insurgent socialist looking to unseat a centrist Democratic incumbent.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The Aug. 18 contests will also be the first since the Sunshine State implemented <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/05\/04\/us-news\/desantis-signs-new-congressional-map-paving-way-for-4-possible-gop-seat-pick-ups\/\">new congressional maps<\/a> that experts believe will give Republicans an edge in four House districts come the November midterm elections.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Here are the races to watch:\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>DeSantis has not made an endorsement in the Florida governor\u2019s race.  <span class=\"credit\">USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Four districts where redistricting boosted Republicans<\/h2>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Florida\u2019s 14th Congressional District, held by Rep. Kathy Castor\u2019s (D-Fla.), who is running unopposed. President Trump has not endorsed a Republican ahead of the primary. The leading contenders in the GOP primary include former state Reps. Mike Beltran and Kevin Steele and Bea Valenti, a former adviser to Sen. Ashley Moody (R-Fla.) and White House staffer during Trump\u2019s first term.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Florida\u2019s 9th Congressional District, held by Rep. Darren Soto (D-Fla.), who is running unopposed. Trump has not endorsed a candidate on the GOP side. The leading Republicans include businessman Jorge Martinez, former Osceola County School Board member Thomas Chalifoux and rancher Ben Butler.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Florida\u2019s 22nd Congressional District, held by Rep. Lois Frankel (D-Fla.), who has opted to run in the 23rd District Democratic primary. Trump has not endorsed in the GOP race. The leading GOP candidates include university administrator\u00a0 Belinda Keiser, businessman Casey Askar and entrepreneur Michael Carbonara.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Florida\u2019s 25th Congressional District, held by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), who has opted to run in the vacant 20th District Democratic primary. Trump has not endorsed a Republican. Businessman Dan Franzese, former state Rep. George Moraitis, and former Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer are the top contenders for their party\u2019s nomination.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Incumbent Dem faces Hasan Piker-backed DSA challenger\u00a0<\/h2>\n<p>The Democratic primary in the newly drawn 25th Congressional District will see centrist Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) face off against insurgent socialist candidate Oliver Larkin.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Larkin, 33, proudly touts endorsements from far-left streamer Hasan Piker and controversial kids YouTuber Ms. Rachel on his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oliverforcongress.com\/endorsements\">campaign website<\/a>, along with his active membership with the Broward County Democratic Socialists of America.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>A former organizer with the 2016 Bernie Sanders presidential campaign, Larkin has expressed support for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/news\/politics\/articles\/candidate-wants-abolish-senate-arrest-162546394.html?guccounter=1&amp;guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&amp;guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAG-xSaMoNLt7ErS3nQCEDkRiqWEwNr9JBEeVX7Qnm1Zuuac8diXrc6l_FzdCWzeicWwWpesdFfYxa09SVyWV4JjWv_EHyaVXm53XAV7IZe-NQCy4fMLRfAbMG5MYPSOloVRMNVYqPF_sO_AtAizaiuP6WNxIurn3N3P9cT06NeRC\">abolishing the Senate<\/a> and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), arresting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged war crimes in Gaza and many other far-left policy positions.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Moskowitz, who has served in the House since 2023, is a staunch supporter of Israel and is backed by Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC).\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The incumbent is polling ahead of Larkin, and has the fundraising advantage, heading into primary night.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Moskowitz, a pro-Israel centrist, is facing a primary challenge from the left.  <span class=\"credit\">CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Longtime Democratic rep faces primary challenge from indicted former congresswoman and rapper\u00a0<\/h2>\n<p>Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), the former chair of the Democratic National Committee and a member of Congress since 2005, is running in the black-majority 20th Congressional District this year and facing a slew of challengers.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Among them is <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/04\/21\/us-news\/rep-sheila-cherfilus-mccormick-resigns-from-congress-just-minutes-before-house-ethics-committee-was-to-sanction-florida-dem\/\">former Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.)<\/a>, who resigned from the House earlier this year after federal prosecutors indicted her on 15 counts related to her alleged use of $5 million in COVID-19 relief funds on her political campaigns and luxury goods, including a 3.14-carat yellow diamond ring.<\/p>\n<p>Cherfilus-McCormick is slated to go to trial in February and faces up to 53 years in prison if convicted of all charges.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Wasserman Schultz is also facing a challenge from Luther \u201cUncle Luke\u201d Campbell, the rapper behind the 1980s hip hop group 2 Live Crew.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Polling is all over the place in the 20th District race, with some surveys showing Campbell with a 24 point lead and others putting Wasserman Schultz ahead by 18 points.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Wasserman Schultz is running a new district this year and facing stiff competition.  <span class=\"credit\">TNS<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Trump-backed Republican fights to hold on amid scandals\u00a0<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/08\/06\/us-news\/rep-cory-mills-pressed-on-stolen-valor-claims-at-fiery-gop-primary-debate\/\">Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.) <\/a>is fighting to hold onto his 7th Congressional District seat amid allegations of domestic assault and \u201cstolen valor\u201d and reports he is under investigation by the Justice Department.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Mills, who is currently being probed by the House Ethics Committee over \u201cserious and complex\u201d accusations, is being challenged by several Republicans, including former Orlando news anchor Ryan Elijah.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Elijah has racked up dozens of endorsements in recent weeks, including from Reps. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) and Mike Haridopolos (R-Fla.).\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Mills, who vehemently denies any wrongdoing, has been endorsed by Trump three times and received a warm reception at a recent GOP debate in the district.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Mills has been endorsed by President Trump in the race. <span class=\"credit\">USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Polls predict landslide win for Byron Donalds in race to replace DeSantis\u00a0<\/h2>\n<p>Eleven GOP candidates, including Rep. Byron Donalds, Lt. Gov. Jay Collins , former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner and\u00a0businessman James Fishback, are vying for the Sunshine State\u2019s GOP nomination in the governor\u2019s race.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Donalds, a member of Congress since 2021, leads the field by 34 percentage points, according to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearpolling.com\/polls\/governor\/republican-primary\/2026\/florida\">RealClearPolitics<\/a> average of polls.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Donalds, who has Trump\u2019s endorsement, has raised <a href=\"https:\/\/floridapolitics.com\/archives\/809474-with-ken-griffins-help-byron-donalds-exceeds-103m-raised-in-race-for-governor\/\">more than $100 million<\/a> for his campaign and committees backing his bid.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>If elected in November, he would become Florida\u2019s first black governor.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Donalds has a massive lead in the polls.  <span class=\"credit\">AP Photo\/Rebecca Blackwell<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>On the Democratic side, former Republican Rep. David Jolly is the favorite to make it out of the primary.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Jolly served a term-and-a-half in the House between 2014 and 2017 before becoming a cable news pundit.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In 2018, Jolly left the Republican Party to become an independent. In 2022,\u00a0 he joined Andrew Yang\u2019s Forward Party. Finally, in 2025 he registered as a Democrat to run for governor in the Sunshine State.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Florida\u2019s last Democratic candidate for governor, Charlie Crist, who lost in a landslide to DeSantis, was also a former Republican.<\/p>\n<p>DeSantis has not made an endorsement in the race. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Several major races are on the ballot next week in Florida\u2019s primary election, where voters will choose nominees to replace term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis; decide the fate of a scandal-plagued congressman and consider yet another insurgent socialist looking to unseat a centrist Democratic incumbent.\u00a0 The Aug. 18 contests will also be the first since the&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":46827,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/137454746.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-46826","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-hub"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46826","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=46826"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46826\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/46827"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=46826"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=46826"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=46826"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}