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2018 Elections
Blue surge or red surprise?
A number of competitive seats statewide could set the tone nationally.
U.S. Congress
The Big Picture -- Nationally, Democrats need to pick up 24 seats to reclaim a majority in the 435-seat chamber. Five of Florida’s 27 congressional districts — Republicans now hold 16 — are in play this year. There’s a good chance Democrats will gain at least one.
Hot Spots
District 15: Republican incumbent Rep. Dennis Ross is retiring. Democratic attorney Kristen Carlson faces Republican state Rep. Ross Spano in the Lakeland-anchored district.
District 16: The district, which includes Sarasota and Bradenton, is currently held by Republican Rep. Vern Buchanan. Democrats think they have a strong challenger in personal injury attorney David Shapiro.
District 26: Republican candidates like U.S. Rep. Carlos Curbelo represent the best chance his party has of staving off a blue wave that could give Democrats control of the U.S. House. Curbelo’s district 26, which extends from Miami to Key West, voted for Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump by 16 percentage points in 2016. Yet Curbelo, a former Miami-Dade County school board member, has proven remarkably resilient, governing and campaigning about as far to the left as a Republican can. That has made things especially hard for Democratic challenger Debbie Mucarsel-Powell in what is likely the most competitive congressional race in Florida.
Districts 6: The Northeast Florida district, which GOP Rep. Ron DeSantis gave up to run for governor, pits Democrat Nancy Soderberg against Republican Michael Waltz.
District 18: The district, along the Treasure Coast, is held by first-term GOP Rep. Brian Mast. He’s being challenged by Democrat Lauren Baer, an attorney and member of the family behind Baer’s Furniture.
District 25: Republican Rep. Mario Diaz- Balart faces Democrat Mary Barzee Flores in district 25, which runs along Alligator Alley.
District 27: Democrat Donna Shalala, the former University of Miami president and Secretary of Health and Human Services under President Bill Clinton, is favored to win district 27 in Miami, which has opened with the retirement of longtime GOP incumbent Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. But she faces a strong Republican opponent in Maria Elvira Salazar, a former local TV news anchor.
