ORLANDO, Fla. – At noon on Friday, Florida’s candidate qualifying came to an end with hundreds of candidates qualified for congressional races across Florida’s 28 Congressional districts.
However, according to the Florida Division of Elections website, incumbent Congressman Maxwell Alejandro Frost faces only a write-in candidate in November.
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While the Division of Elections has cautioned that it is still processing qualifications, the Orlando Democrat was the only candidate from a political party listed as qualified.
Vibert White, who filed to run as a Republican, was still listed as “active.”
Brent Lawhon, a write-in candidate, has apparently qualified for November. However, his name will not be listed on the ballot. Anyone who wants to vote for him will have to write his name in.
Every other Central Florida incumbent has drawn a challenger in either the Aug. 18 statewide primary or the Nov. 3 general election.
Republicans line up for chance to unseat Soto
Frost likely benefited from the way Florida lawmakers redrew the Congressional map during a special session last month.
[INTERACTIVE: Slide the middle bar to see how the district map would change if approved]
The new map, designed and pushed through by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office, draws a tighter box around Central Florida’s Democratic stronghold in Orange County.
The map also includes a redrawn U.S. House District 9. The new map includes less of Orange County, all of Osceola County, and extends south into Glades County, expanding the pool of Republican voters for the formerly Democratic district.
The Republican Party has targeted incumbent Democratic Congressman Darren Soto for defeat come November, and they hope the district’s new boundaries will aid in that quest.
Seven Republicans have qualified for the Aug. 18 primary to decide who will be the one to face Soto in November.
The qualified candidates include:
- Ben Butler
- Marcus Carter
- Thomas Chalifoux Jr.
- Dan Green
- Jorge Martinez
- Steve Rance
- Justin Story
Fine, Mills draw primary challengers
Further north, two Republican incumbents will face several challengers in party primaries in order to get to November.
In U.S. House District 6, which includes Flagler and parts of Lake, Marion, and Volusia counties, incumbent Congressman Randy Fine will battle a slate of Republican challengers in the August primary.
So far, the list of qualified Republican challengers includes:
- Manuel Asensio
- Aaron Baker
- Dan Bilzerian
- Charles Gambaro
Meanwhile, four Democrats will campaign for the right to appear on the ballot in November.
The following candidates qualified for an Aug. 18 Democratic primary for U.S. House District 6:
- Robert David Cooper II
- Steve Morgan
- Ronnie “Ron” Murchinson-Rivera
- Eric Yonce
In U.S. House District 7, incumbent Republican Cory Mills has three primary challengers in August:
- Ryan Elijah
- Michael Don Johnson
- Sarah Ulrich
The congressional district includes Seminole and part of Volusia counties.
Mills is considered vulnerable by the Democrats as a congressional ethics investigation continues into charges of sexual and financial misconduct. He’s had to fend off several censure attempts in Congress, some by members of his own party.
Three Democrats are vying for the right to face the Republican winner in November.
They include:
- Bale Dalton
- Alan Grayson
- Marialana Kinter
Grayson will be a familiar name to longtime Central Florida voters. He represented Orange County in Congress off and on from 2009 to 2017, and has since become a perennial candidate for office.
Sabatini exits U.S. House District 11 race, throws support to Baker
U.S. House District 11, which includes Sumter and parts of Lake and Orange counties, will have a new representative, with longtime Republican Congressman Daniel Webster retiring.
Four Republicans will vie for the seat in the August primary, but Lake County Commissioner Anthony Sabatini will not be one of them.
The GOP firebrand announced on Friday that he is ending his campaign and throwing his support behind former Lake County Property Appraiser Cary Baker.
CAMPAIGN UPDATE: While it would’ve been an honor to serve our great community in Congress, today I’m withdrawing from the race for FL-11. I based my decision on 2 reasons.
— Anthony Sabatini (@AnthonySabatini) June 12, 2026
First, qualifying to run for Congress would require me to immediately resign from the Lake County… pic.twitter.com/aJJN3jwxKh
Sabatini is refusing to resign from the county commission in order to campaign for the seat, as required by state law. Sabatini is suing to have the law declared unconstitutional, but a federal judge would not issue an injunction that would have allowed Sabatini to run without resigning.
Other Republicans running for the seat include:
- Nick Razack
- Joe Strada
- Tim Wilkins
On the Democratic side, three will run in the August primary. Barbara Harden Hall, who ran against Webster in 2024 and planned to run for the seat again this year, dropped out of the race last week, citing illness.
Democrats listed as qualified by the state include:
- James Pericola
- Royal Webster
- Dan Williams
Cammack, Haridopolos face November challengers
Two other Central Florida Republican incumbents can be marked safe from party primaries.
In U.S. House District 3, which includes part of Marion County, Kat Cammack drew no Republican challengers.
Four Democrats qualified for the August primary:
- Troy Albers
- Seth Harp
- George Hubac
- Tom Wells
In U.S. House District 8, which includes Brevard and part of Orange counties, incumbent Republican Mike Haridopolis will face a Democratic challenger, former Brevard County School Board member Jennifer Jenkins, in November.