Democrats are competing in every Florida House race for the first time since 2018

Florida Democrats will have a candidate running for their party in every one of the 28 state House districts for the first time since 2018, the Florida Democratic Party announced.

Last Friday was the state’s election filing deadline, and the Florida Democratic Party made a conscious effort this election cycle to recruit Democrats to run for every seat in the Republican-dominated state.

“Florida Democrats just filed to compete for every congressional seat,” Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Nikki Fried said. “It does not matter if we’re running in Pensacola or Key West, every part of this state is worth fighting for and we are not going to let Florida Republicans walk into office without being held accountable. Florida Democrats are fired up and ready to compete everywhere.”

The GOP holds 20 out of the state’s 28 House seats, and 19 of those seats are rated “solid Republican” by the Cook Political Report. Only three seats in the state are listed as competitive by the Cook Political Report.

But Democrats have candidates trying in every district, even in districts that have popular Republican incumbents.

Florida 1 – Matt Gaetz (R-FL), COOK PVI R+19

Gaetz has one of the safest seats in the state as voters have elected him in landslides the past four election cycles.

Gay Valimont, a mother and self-described gun violence prevention activist, will be Gaetz’s lone challenger. Valimont has raised a little over $280,000 for her campaign, against over $4.5 million for Gaetz.

Florida 12 – Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), COOK PVI R+17

Bilirakis is a longtime incumbent for Florida’s 12th Congressional District, holding his House seat with dominant victories in every House election in the district since 2012.

His opponent is Democrat Rock Aboujaoude Jr., a recent University of Florida graduate student who ran unsuccessfully for a Florida House seat in 2020. Aboujaoude Jr. filed on April 26, the last day candidates can file to run for election in Florida. He has no listed funds raised.

Florida 27 – Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL), COOK PVI EVEN

Two Democrats are running against Salazar in a district that nearly tied in votes for President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump in the 2020 election. Salazar has been much more popular, with voters electing her by about 15 points in the 2022 election. Lucia Baez-Geller and Michael Davey have raised about $550,000 together against Salazar’s over $1.8 million.

Florida 13 – Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), COOK PVI R+6

Luna’s district is the only Republican district in Florida that looks to be competitive. The Cook Political Report has rated it as “Likely Republican,” and Democrats have responded by recruiting six candidates to run against Luna in the district.

Luna flipped the district in 2022 with an eight-point victory, but will face a crowded Democratic group headlined by lead fundraiser Whitney Fox, the former Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority communications director. Fox has raised about $420,000 to Luna’s nearly $1.3 million.

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While Democrats are unlikely to coax any seats away from Republicans in 2024, they’ll not leave a House race unopposed.

“When we have candidates running everywhere, we give Democrats in every corner of the state a reason to show up and vote on Election Day,” Fried said. “If I were Rick Scott or Donald Trump, I would be very nervous. In 2024, we are going to elect Democrats to help Take Back the House and defend the Senate majority.”

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