Florida democrats hold ground in redrawn U.S. House seats, but GOP avoids washout
Democrats were able to hold on to four heavily reworked U.S. House districts in the midterm elections Tuesday, even as Republicans eked out victories in several contests thought to be safe GOP seats.
The new Congressional maps pushed by President Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis redrew 20 of Florida’s 28 U.S. House districts. When the state Legislature passed the map in April, four districts held by Democrats looked set to flip to the Republican column.
But incumbent U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Coral Springs, was able to fend off a challenge from Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer in Congressional District 25 in South Florida. And Kathy Castor, D-Tampa, was able to do the same with Mike Beltran, a former Republican state House member, in Congressional District 14.
In Congressional District 22, first-time candidate Pia Dandiya defeated businessman Casey Askar, in a district that stretched from Collier County on the Gulf coast to Palm Beach and Broward counties on the Atlantic coast. The district was previously centered on urban and coastal areas in Palm Beach County and was held by U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel, who moved to Congressional District 23 after the redraw.
And in Congressional District 9, U.S. Rep. Darren Soto was in a tight contest with Republican Dan Green, holding onto a 50.26 percent to 49.74 percent lead according to late Tuesday night returns. The result, if it holds, would be just outside the 0.5 percent threshold to trigger a recount under state law.
Castor’s district was emblematic of the shift in the maps that favored Republicans. Her old district included part of Pinellas County, with more Democratic voters, but moved to take in more Republican-leaning parts of Hillsborough County. The old district leaned Democratic, but the new one voted for Trump by 11 points in 2024.
“Republicans tried to gerrymander her out of Congress, but Tampa voters know who has their backs,” Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairwoman Suzan DelBene said in a released statement. “Kathy’s victory is a testament to her deep roots in the community, her independent leadership, and her unwavering commitment to the people she serves.”
Despite Republican advantages, with a redrawn map and a voter registration edge in many tight districts, Democrats in targeted seats were able to seize on voter disenchantment with Trump amid high gas and grocery prices.
Yet Republicans held on for narrow victories in districts that were tossups and even in some that were supposedly safe GOP seats.
In Congressional District 7, which covers all of Seminole County and part of Volusia County, Republican Ryan Elijah had a 49.8 to 49.2 percent lead on Democrat Bale Dalton, enough to avoid a recount.
U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Tampa, hung onto her Congressional District 13 seat with a 49.5 percent lead over Democrat Leela Gray, who garnered 48.7 percent of the vote. And in Congressional District 4, which includes Nassau, Clay and Duval counties in north Florida, U.S. Rep. Aaron Bean, R-Jacksonville, avoided a shock upset by Democrat LaShonda Holloway, winning 50 percent to 48.3 percent.
Also, in Miami-Dade County, U.S. Reps. Maria Elvira Salazar and Mario Diaz-Balart held onto thin leads in their reelection races late Tuesday evening.
In Salazar’s Congressional District 27, she held a 50.27 percent lead over Democrat Eliott Rodriguez, who had 49.73 percent of the vote – a margin that would narrowly avoid a recount. In Congressional District 26, Diaz-Balart held a 49.9 percent lead over Democrat Nicole Locklin, who had 49.08 percent of the vote – enough to avoid a recount.
If the results in tight races hold, the partisan makeup of the Florida delegation in the U.S. House would remain the same as it was before the election: 20 Republicans and eight Democrats.
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