A redder congressional district turns out a packed field vying to challenge Darren Soto

Seven Republicans are competing in Florida’s 9th Congressional District, vying for what could be the state’s newest Republican stronghold.

Held by Democrat Rep. Darren Soto since 2017, congressional redistricting approved by Florida’s Legislature and Gov. Ron DeSantis is expected to churn the partisan makeup of the district to include more voters who picked President Donald Trump over former Vice President Kamala Harris.

According to campaign consultant and data analyst Matt Isbell, CD 9 voted +3.5% in favor of Kamala Harris in 2022. After 2026’s drawing of the map, she would’ve been down -17.7%. 

According to the Cook Partisan Voting Index, CD 9 was D+4 in 2025 and in 2026 is R+8. That’s the largest shift among Florida’s 28 congressional districts, per the Cook metric. As of May, the seat was considered “Likely R,” from its previous rating of “Solid D.”

Cook expects as many as four congressional seats to flip toward Republicans. 

The district includes Osceola, Highlands, Indian River, Okeechobee, and Glades counties. It includes parts of Orange and Polk counties, too.

According to Isbell’s analysis, the new CD 9 is 36% Hispanic; previously, it was 50% Hispanic.

Soto is running in the Democratic primary unopposed. The primary election is Aug. 18.

None of the candidates responded to questions emailed by the Phoenix.

Learn about the candidate’s information, compiled from their websites:

Thomas Chalifoux Jr.

Chalifoux, of Orlando, was Soto’s general election challenger two years ago. Soto won with 55.1% of the vote compared to Chalifoux’s 42.6%.

Chalifoux bills himself as a “political outsider.” He has the most money in the race, by far, as detailed below, although he is largely self-financed.

He spent 30 years in the Army, served on the Osceola County School Board, and was Osceola Republican state committeeman.

Chalifoux says that, if elected, he would serve only two terms. His four main platform points are focused on money: affordable homeownership, “rebuild the skilled workforce,” stopping waste and fraud, and “making sure work pays more than staying on the sidelines.”

Ben Butler

Butler, of Okeechobee, bills himself as a ninth-generation Floridian, cattle farmer, former Florida FFA state president, and UF alumnus.

He’s campaigning to “Send a farmer to Congress,” launching an advertisement promising to clean up Washington’s “bull—.” Butler is endorsed by GOP U.S. Reps. Greg Steube and Kat Cammack. He is a three-time DeSantis appointee to the South Florida Water Management District. His top issues are term limits, backing Trump, securing the border, and protecting water and agriculture.

Marcus Carter

Carter, of Kissimmee, who ran in this district two years ago, is an Army veteran of Afghanistan and Iraq and an investment adviser. His platform focuses on mental health, proposing a national emergency declaration to address it. Priorities also include banning congressional stock trading, imposing term limits, and removing the income cap on Social Security contributions.

Carter created a driver-owned rideshare system and, after getting trumped by Uber and Lyft, hit a “turning point” at which he “saw clearly how deeply corporate interests had infiltrated government, even at the local level.”

Carter ran in the 2024 election as an NPA candidate, earning 2.3% of the vote. 

According to his campaign website, Carter says, “President Trump delivered on his promise to end the crisis at the southern border, but our broken immigration problem continues to persist.”

Dan Green

Green, of Vero Beach, is campaigning heavily on his military experience — the first sentence of his bio stating that he was working in the Pentagon during the attacks in 2001. The experience “has made him an expert in counterterrorism, foreign policy, and the toll of war on our brave veterans,” his bio says.

Seven members of Congress have endorsed Green, but none from Florida. He was a 2019 Trump appointee as deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy and force development. His campaign website states, “Floridians deserve proven leaders in Washington who will stand with President Trump.”

Green’s platform would “stop over-development in Florida,” lower property insurance rates, and seek housing and grocery affordability. 

Jorge Martinez

Martinez, of Orlando, left Cuba as an 8-year-old. He founded an accounting firm in Orlando in the 1990s. His campaign bio highlights that he campaigned for former President Ronald Reagan, adding, “I still believe in what he believed: limited government, lower taxes, a balanced budget, a strong defense, and parental rights.”

Martinez says he is “running to support President Trump and the America First agenda.” His top priority is cost of living, followed by expanding school choice. Third, he wants to “protect Social Security and Medicare.”

Steve Rance

Rance, of Ocoee, identifies himself as “a pastor, military veteran, and proud supporter of President Trump.”

He likens himself to Trump in not being “a career politician,” noting on his campaign website the widely-circulated picture of Trump pumping his fist after the 2024 attempted assassination in Butler, Pennsylvania. Rance’s campaign is “taking on the radical left,” he says.

Justin Story

Story, of St. Cloud, was an F-18 fighter pilot in the Marine Corps, flying missions in Iraq and Afghanistan following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. He now is a commercial airline pilot.

“I’m running as a Republican for Florida’s 9th Congressional District to make sure our community, not the lobbyist, is represented in Washington, D.C.,” his campaign website states.

Before his military service, he worked at Disney World. Story lists his principles as “faith, family and freedom,” “defending the Constitution and the Second Amendment,” supporting veterans, police, and first responders, and “fiscal sanity and American prosperity.”

Story’s campaign video begins by stating, “President Trump can’t change Washington alone. He needs new leaders in Congress who will fight for our values and principles, not stand against them like our current representative.”

Money

According to Federal Election Commission filings, Chalifoux at the end of June had $2.7 million on hand, while the next closest, Green, had $878,848. Martinez was not far behind, with $756,631 on hand. 

The cash on hand for candidates drop off after that, with Butler having $282,437, Story with $43,383, Rance with $8,545, and Carter with $3,113. 

Chalifoux loaned more than $3 million to his campaign. Green loaned his more than $1 million, leaving less than $100,000 from other sources. Martinez supplied most of his own money, too — $500,000 of his nearly $800,000 overall.