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 se…