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Florida's 13th Congressional District election, 2026 (August 18 Democratic primary)

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← 2024
Florida's 13th Congressional District
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Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: June 12, 2026
Primary: August 18, 2026
General: November 3, 2026
How to vote
Poll times:

7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Voting in Florida

Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Likely Republican
DDHQ and The Hill: Pending
Inside Elections: Likely Republican
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Likely Republican
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds
U.S. House battlegrounds
Federal and state primary competitiveness
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026
See also
Florida's 13th Congressional District
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Florida elections, 2026
U.S. Congress elections, 2026
U.S. Senate elections, 2026
U.S. House elections, 2026

A Democratic Party primary takes place on August 18, 2026, in Florida's 13th Congressional District to determine which Democratic candidate will run in the district's general election on November 3, 2026.

Candidate filing deadline Primary election General election
June 12, 2026
August 18, 2026
November 3, 2026



A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Florida utilizes a closed primary process, in which the selection of a party's candidates in an election is limited to registered party members.[1][2]

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

This page focuses on Florida's 13th Congressional District Democratic primary. For more in-depth information on the district's Republican primary and the general election, see the following pages:

Candidates and election results

Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:

  • Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
  • Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies

Democratic primary

Democratic primary for U.S. House Florida District 13

The following candidates are running in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Florida District 13 on August 18, 2026.

Candidate
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Fatima Aguerjout
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John Fay
Image of Earle Ford
Earle Ford
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Leela Gray
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Karla Kemp
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Susan Leff
Image of John Liccione
John Liccione  Candidate Connection
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Jeff Moore
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Reggie Paros
Image of Brandt Robinson
Brandt Robinson  Candidate Connection

There are no incumbents in this race.

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

John Liccione

Image of John Liccione

WebsiteFacebookXYouTube

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Submitted Biography:  "John Liccione is an engineer, Veteran USAF/NSA intelligence analyst, cybersecurity executive, author, and entrepreneur. The son of Italian immigrants, he was raised with a strong belief in family, hard work, the teachings of Jesus as a moral guide, and service to country. He built his career at the intersection of national security and technology, later serving as Vice President of Worldwide Services at Tenable where he served as executive program manager for the U.S. Department of Defense’s continuous cybersecurity monitoring program deployed across military installations worldwide. Liccione is the Founder and CEO of RussiLeaks, an independent American media platform he publicly launched in 2022, with a mission to expose Putin’s secrets in defense of Ukraine and democracy. He is the author of The Grand Unifying Theory of Putin-Trump: Vladimir Putin's Fascist, Race-baiting, Wizard of Oz Strategy to Take Down America Without Firing a Shot. It set the foundation for the RussiLeaks mission and for his 2024 conressional run for Conress. A father of three and stepfather to one, John has founded and operated technology start-ups, and media ventures centered on hard-hitting investigative journalism, corruption-fighting, both domestically and geopolitically. John ran for Congress in FL district 13 in 2024."

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

Our children our Americas' most precious national treasure. A society that cannot defend its children is morally bankrupt. I won’t have it. Not here. Not on my watch. I've declared war on child sex trafficking, proposing a new National Child Defense Act of 2026. Seize $100B from DHS/ICE, launch a Strategic Child Defense Initiative- A dedicated interagency anti-child sex trafficking special operations center: “KID-SOC.” Fight child trafficking from space, air, land, and sea. Fight it in cyber, financial, psy ops. Infiltrate and interdict the networks, roll up the kingpins. Seize their assets, superyachts, offshore accounts,. Indict and prosecute the enabling bankers. Get justice for the victims, and eradicate this scourge.

We must defend our democracy by patching our critical constitutional and legislative security vulnerabilities, such as requiring presidential candidats to pass a basic polygraph. Pass a law to vacate the DOJ policy that sitting presidents can't be indicted. These vulnerabilities are now being exploited by Putin and Trump and their outlaw DOJ. In addition, defending the integrity of our elections and voting rights, is paramount.

Ensuring Ukraine’s victory over Russia is both a national security imperative and a moral one. Russia’s aggression is part of a broader authoritarian operation to destabilize democracies and enable transnational criminal networks that exploit corruption, chaos, and weaken rule of law. A decisive Ukrainian victory weakens the power structures that sustain organized crime, human trafficking, and malign influence operations worldwide. Supporting Ukraine strengthens NATO, deters future aggression, and advances the global fight against child exploitation and abuse.

Brandt Robinson

Image of Brandt Robinson

WebsiteFacebook

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Submitted Biography:  "As a teacher and community leader, Brandt has spent years navigating conflict, differing viewpoints, and policy changes. He stood up to defend his students, his classroom, and his profession. Brandt knows how to listen, find common ground, and bring people together around shared solutions — exactly what Congress needs more of. His actions as a community activist—addressing the PCSB and standing up to groups like Moms for Liberty—have resulted in significant victories for truth in education. Years of teaching history have trained Brandt to explain complex topics simply and accurately. In Congress, he will have the experience necessary to write clear legislation, hold government accountable, and keep constituents informed."

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

Brandt believes that terms like “inflation”, “affordability” or “the cost of living” are directly tied to our values and priorities. He knows that the billions of taxpayer dollars funneled to ICE or DOGE or lost in misguided tariffs, are dollars that could address and solve deep inequalities that plague Americans of all political persuasions. He also believes that by defending unions and worker rights, while also demanding that corporations and the wealthy contribute to the greater good, our economy will rest as much on fairness, as productivity and profit.

In the wealthiest nation on earth, no American should face the choice between paying bills or health care. Brandt will defend the Affordable Care Act to protect vulnerable citizens, while working towards our goal of universal health care.He will fight to protect the Medicare benefits that so many of our seniors here in Pinellas County depend on. We will not give voice to the profit motives outlined in Project 2025.

Brandt supports aggressive federal investment in affordable housing, so that teachers, nurses, law enforcement and first responders who serve our communities, can actually afford to live in them. This includes legislation that increases our housing supply, provides direct assistance to first-time homeowners, tax credits for renters and innovative building materials and zoning reforms. Because Florida’s property insurance market is collapsing, Brandt supports a federal insurance backstop to stabilize premiums immediately, welcoming more homeowners.

Voting information

See also: Voting in Florida

Election information in Florida: Aug. 18, 2026, election.

What is the voter registration deadline?

  • In-person: July 20, 2026
  • By mail: Postmarked by July 20, 2026
  • Online: July 20, 2026

Is absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

Yes

What is the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

  • In-person: Aug. 6, 2026
  • By mail: Received by Aug. 6, 2026
  • Online: Aug. 6, 2026

What is the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

  • In-person: Aug. 18, 2026
  • By mail: Received by Aug. 18, 2026

Is early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What are the early voting start and end dates?

Aug. 8, 2026 to Aug. 15, 2026

Are all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, is a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When are polls open on Election Day?

7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. (ET/CT)

Campaign finance

Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
Fatima Aguerjout Democratic Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
John Fay Democratic Party $896 $396 $500 As of December 31, 2025
Earle Ford Democratic Party $138,203 $60,025 $78,177 As of December 31, 2025
Leela Gray Democratic Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
Karla Kemp Democratic Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
Susan Leff Democratic Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
John Liccione Democratic Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
Jeff Moore Democratic Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
Reggie Paros Democratic Party $15,864 $15,864 $0 As of December 31, 2025
Brandt Robinson Democratic Party $24,103 $3,408 $20,695 As of December 31, 2025

Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2026. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee."
** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election.
*** Candidate either did not report any receipts or disbursements to the FEC, or Ballotpedia did not find an FEC candidate ID.

District analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about voter composition, past elections, and demographics in both the district and the state.

  • District map - A map of the district in place for the election.
  • Competitiveness - Information about the competitiveness of 2026 U.S. House elections in the state.
  • Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the district and the state.
  • State party control - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.


Below is the district map in place for this election. Click the map below to enlarge it.

2023_01_03_fl_congressional_district_013.jpg
See also: Primary election competitiveness in state and federal government, 2026
Information about competitiveness will be added here as it becomes available.

Partisan Voter Index

See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Heading into the 2026 elections, based on results from the 2024 and 2020 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district is R+5. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 5 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Florida's 13th the 186th most Republican district nationally.[3]

2020 presidential election results

The table below shows what the vote in the 2024 presidential election was in this district. The presidential election data was compiled by The Downballot.

2024 presidential results in Florida's 13th Congressional District
Kamala Harris Democratic PartyDonald Trump Republican Party
44.0%55.0%

Presidential voting history

See also: Presidential election in Florida, 2024

Florida presidential election results (1900-2024)

  • 17 Democratic wins
  • 15 Republican wins
Year 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024
Winning Party D D D D D D D R D D D D D R R R D R R D R R R R D R R D D R R R
See also: Party control of Florida state government

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of Florida's congressional delegation as of October 2025.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Florida
Party U.S. Senate U.S. House Total
Democratic 0 8 8
Republican 2 20 22
Independent 0 0 0
Vacancies 0 0 0
Total 2 28 30

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in Florida's top four state executive offices as of October 2025.

State executive officials in Florida, October 2025
OfficeOfficeholder
GovernorRepublican Party Ron DeSantis
Lieutenant GovernorRepublican Party Jay Collins
Secretary of StateRepublican Party Cord Byrd
Attorney GeneralRepublican Party James Uthmeier

State legislature

Florida State Senate

Party As of January 2026
     Democratic Party 11
     Republican Party 27
     Other 1
     Vacancies 1
Total 40

Florida House of Representatives

Party As of January 2026
     Democratic Party 33
     Republican Party 84
     Other 0
     Vacancies 3
Total 120

Trifecta control

Florida Party Control: 1992-2025
One year of a Democratic trifecta  •  Twenty-six years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Governor D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R I R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
Senate D S S R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
House D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R

Ballot access

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Florida in the 2026 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Florida, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2026
State Office Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
Florida U.S. House Ballot-qualified party 1% of the registered voters in the geographical area of candidacy $10,440 6/12/2026 Source
Florida U.S. House Unaffiliated 1% of the registered voters in the geographical area of candidacy $6,960 6/12/2026 Source

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ The Florida Senate, "Fla. Stat. § 101.021," accessed November 26, 2025
  2. ↑ The Florida Senate, "Fla. Stat. § 97.055," accessed November 26, 2025
  3. ↑ Cook Political Report, "2025 Cook PVI℠: District Map and List (119th Congress)," accessed July 1, 2025


Florida's current delegation to the United States Congress
Senators
Ashley Moody (R)
Rick Scott (R)
Representatives
District 1
District 2
Neal Dunn (R)
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 10
District 11
District 12
District 13
Anna Luna (R)
District 14
District 15
District 16
District 17
District 18
District 19
District 20
District 21
District 22
District 23
District 24
District 25
District 26
District 27
District 28
Republican Party (22)
Democratic Party (8)


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