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Florida's 8th Congressional District election, 2024 (August 20 Democratic primary)

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Florida's 8th Congressional District
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Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: April 26, 2024
Primary: August 20, 2024
General: November 5, 2024
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Voting in Florida
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Solid Republican
DDHQ and The Hill: Safe Republican
Inside Elections: Solid Republican
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Republican
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds
U.S. House battlegrounds
Federal and state primary competitiveness
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2024
See also
Florida's 8th Congressional District
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Florida elections, 2024
U.S. Congress elections, 2024
U.S. Senate elections, 2024
U.S. House elections, 2024

A Democratic Party primary took place on August 20, 2024, in Florida's 8th Congressional District to determine which Democratic candidate would run in the district's general election on November 5, 2024.

Sandy Kennedy advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Florida District 8.

All 435 seats were up for election. At the time of the election, Republicans had a 220 to 212 majority with three vacancies.[1] As of June 2024, 45 members of the U.S. House had announced they were not running for re-election. To read more about the U.S. House elections taking place this year, click here.

In the 2022 election in this district, the Republican candidate won 64.9%-35.1%. Daily Kos calculated what the results of the 2020 presidential election in this district would have been following redistricting. Donald Trump (R) would have defeated Joe Biden (D) 58.3%-40.6%.[2]

This is one of 45 open races for the U.S. House in 2024 where an incumbent did not run for re-election. Across the country, 24 Democrats and 21 Republicans did not run for re-election. In 2022, 49 representatives did not seek re-election, including 31 Democrats and 18 Republicans.

Candidate filing deadline Primary election General election
April 26, 2024
August 20, 2024
November 5, 2024


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.[3][4]

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

This page focuses on Florida's 8th 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


Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Florida District 8

Sandy Kennedy defeated Daniel McDow in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Florida District 8 on August 20, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Sandy Kennedy
Sandy Kennedy Candidate Connection
 
60.7
 
24,701
Image of Daniel McDow
Daniel McDow Candidate Connection
 
39.3
 
15,999

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 40,700
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.

Sandy Kennedy

Image of Sandy Kennedy

WebsiteFacebookTwitter

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography:  "I am a native Floridian, female attorney with almost 3 decades of experience. I am Board Certified in Construction Law, which involves complex litigation, multiple complex issues of law and expert facts, and numerous parties and attorneys in a single case. I am accustomed to working incredibly hard, working very late hours when necessary, and will continue that hard work in Congress. I have a law degree from the University of Miami (1994), and a B.A. in Political Science from Florida State University (1989). I started college at age 16, with a full scholarship to Centenary College of Louisiana. I am married and have a son who is about to turn twenty-one. My husband is a financial manager in the space industry at NASA. My father was an officer in the Air Force, and I lived several years in Italy near a NATO Air Force Base. I’ve lived in Florida about 40 years, most of my life, unlike two other candidates who came here from out of state to run for Congress. My 3rd-great-grandparents settled Florida in the mid 1800’s, and various of my grandparents lived in Brevard County. I am deeply committed to Florida in all its beauty, purpose and people, and to District 8 and its people, industries and businesses."

Key Messages

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

I am the most qualified candidate for Congress in District 8. My education and work history have been verified by the Florida Bar. My party affiliation is a matter of state record since the early 1990's. Being a native Floridian is also qualifying.

I am the candidate most committed to fairly and uniformly protect everyone’s constitutional rights, and to benefit and improve the lives of all people in District 8, and our space industry and military complex, without regard to political party or beliefs.

Merely expressing a belief in a goal or value is not enough. It takes having the appropriate education and professional experience to know what needs to be done, how to do it, and how to make it pass constitutional scrutiny; willingness to take action to achieve the goal or value; and excellent speaking and writing ability to persuade members of Congress to take that action. I meet all of these criteria.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Florida District 8 in 2024.

Daniel McDow

Image of Daniel McDow

WebsiteFacebookTwitter

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography:  "I am Dan McDow, the Pro Choice Candidate for Congress, Florida, District 8. I have been an activist for women's rights, the environment and racial equality all my life. I am proud to have been endorsed by the Democratic Environmental Caucus of Florida and to be the candidate of choice for both the Brevard Federation of Teachers and the IBEW. My professional career has spanned 30 years, both as a small businessman and as an executive for corporations. I understand budgets and fiscal accountability. I also know that you must invest in your PEOPLE if you are to succeed. I hold a Master's Degree in Sustainability. I have worked with a variety of nonprofit organizations and advocacy groups in Florida for the past 14 years. I have been active in the Brevard Democratic Party as their former Treasurer and Fundraising Chair. I served as the President of the LGBTA Caucus, am an original founder of Awake Brevard, am a Board Member of Space Coast Progressive Alliance and have served as a member of: The Black Caucus, the Environmental Dem Caucus, the Human Rights Coalition, the Pushback Coalition, Space Coast Pride, The League of Women Voters, NAACP and the Sierra Club. I coordinated a regional Educational Program on Human Trafficking and was awarded the Yellow Roses Distinction from the ZONTA organization and am proud to say that this past year I won the Bill Nelson Leadership Award. I am currently the only Democratic member of the West Melbourne City Council."

Key Messages

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

I am pro choice. And my number one priority is to codify Roe vs. Wade at a national level to ensure the right to abortion in all states for all women. I fully support Amendment 4 here in Florida, but we must also assure that the right is guaranteed on a national level. There is no human right more precious than that of bodily autonomy. If a woman or girl cannot control what happens with her body, she becomes powerless over her economic, personal and professional future. In addition, abortion is health care. There is no debate here. When physicians are debating their legal liability when considering the most appropriate treatment for a woman in the emergency room -- we have sacrificed health and wellbeing to political game playing.

I will work to make living in Florida AFFORDABLE again. Right now Floridians at both ends of the life spectrum are finding it impossible to become or stay housed. Seniors are being priced out of their lifelong homes because of the cost of insurance & younger Floridians are finding it impossible to rent or buy because of high costs. If elected, I would first work to pass the INSURE act (HR 6944) so property insurance would be accessible to all Floridians. In addition, I would work in a federal/state/local & business partnership to increase the availability of affordable housing. Local governments & developers have been reaping the benefits of high housing costs & increased property taxes. Now it's time they invest that gain.

Our kids feel unsafe in their schools. This travesty can be addressed in part by closing the more gaping background check loopholes, banning bump stocks, denying guns to "red flagged" individuals with restraining orders against them, freezing production of domestic assault weapons and ensuring those who have weapons store them responsibly. Most of this is common sense. Our kids deserve to feel safe in their schools and arming teachers is NOT an answer.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Florida District 8 in 2024.

Voting information

See also: Voting in Florida

Election information in Florida: Aug. 20, 2024, election.

What was the voter registration deadline?

  • In-person: July 22, 2024
  • By mail: Received by July 22, 2024
  • Online: July 22, 2024

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

N/A

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

  • In-person: Aug. 8, 2024
  • By mail: Received by Aug. 8, 2024
  • Online: Aug. 8, 2024

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

  • In-person: Aug. 20, 2024
  • By mail: Received by Aug. 20, 2024

Was early voting available to all voters?

N/A

What were the early voting start and end dates?

Aug. 10, 2024 to Aug. 17, 2024

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

N/A

When were polls open on Election Day?

7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. (EST)


Campaign finance

Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
Sandy Kennedy Democratic Party $36,847 $36,847 $0 As of December 31, 2024
Daniel McDow Democratic Party $72,559 $72,559 $0 As of November 15, 2024

Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2024. 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.

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 2024 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 was the map in use at the time of the election. Click the map below to enlarge it.

2023_01_03_fl_congressional_district_08.jpg
See also: Primary election competitiveness in state and federal government, 2024

This section contains data on U.S. House primary election competitiveness in Florida.

Florida U.S. House competitiveness, 2014-2024
Office Districts/
offices 		Seats Open seats Candidates Possible primaries Contested Democratic primaries Contested Republican primaries % of contested primaries Incumbents in contested primaries % of incumbents in contested primaries
2024 28 28 1 101 56 9 21 53.6% 15 55.6%
2022 28 28 6 151 56 14 24 67.9% 17 73.9%
2020 27 27 2 114 54 10 19 53.7% 10 40.0%
2018 27 27 4 104 54 19 12 57.4% 11 47.8%
2016 27 27 7 100 54 11 13 44.4% 9 47.4%
2014 27 27 0 75 54 5 10 27.8% 8 29.6%

Post-filing deadline analysis

The following analysis covers all U.S. House districts up for election in Florida in 2024. Information below was calculated on May 7, 2024, and may differ from information shown in the table above due to candidate replacements and withdrawals after that time.

One hundred three candidates ran for Florida’s 28 U.S. House districts, including 42 Democrats and 61 Republicans. That’s 3.68 candidates per district, less than in the previous three election cycles. There were 5.43 candidates per district in 2022, 4.22 candidates per district in 2020, and 3.86 in 2018.

The 8th Congressional District was the only open district, meaning no incumbents filed to run. That’s the fewest open seats in Florida since 2014 when no seats were open. Incumbent Rep. Bill Posey (R-8th) did not run for re-election because he is retired from public office.

Seven candidates—incumbent Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-23rd) and six Republicans—ran for the 23rd Congressional District, the most candidates who ran for a seat in 2024.

Thirty primaries—nine Democratic and 21 Republican—were contested in 2024. Thirty-eight primaries were contested in 2022, 29 primaries were contested in 2020, and 31 primaries were contested in 2018.

Fifteen incumbents—two Democrats and 13 Republicans—were in contested primaries in Florida in 2024. That’s less than the 17 incumbents in contested primaries in 2022 but more than the 10 incumbents in contested primaries in 2020.

The 20th Congressional District is guaranteed to Democrats because no Republicans will appear on the ballot. Democrats filed to run in every congressional district, meaning none are guaranteed to Republicans.

Partisan Voter Index

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

Heading into the 2024 elections, based on results from the 2020 and 2016 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was R+11. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 11 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Florida's 8th the 127th most Republican district nationally.[5]

2020 presidential election results

The table below shows what the vote in the 2020 presidential election would have been in this district. The presidential election data was compiled by Daily Kos.

2020 presidential results in Florida's 8th based on 2024 district lines
Joe Biden Democratic Party Donald Trump Republican Party
40.6% 58.3%

Inside Elections Baselines

See also: Inside Elections

Inside Elections' Baseline is a figure that analyzes all federal and statewide election results from the district over the past four election cycles. The results are combined in an index estimating the strength of a typical Democratic or Republican candidate in the congressional district.[6] The table below displays the Baseline data for this district.

Inside Elections Baseline for 2024
Democratic Baseline Democratic Party Republican Baseline Republican Party Difference
37.4 61.2 R+23.8

Presidential voting history

See also: Presidential election in Florida, 2020

Florida presidential election results (1900-2020)

  • 17 Democratic wins
  • 14 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
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
See also: Party control of Florida state government

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of Florida's congressional delegation as of May 2024.

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 May 2024.

State executive officials in Florida, May 2024
Office Officeholder
Governor Republican Party Ron DeSantis
Lieutenant Governor Republican Party Jeanette Nuñez
Secretary of State Republican Party Cord Byrd
Attorney General Republican Party Ashley B. Moody

State legislature

Florida State Senate

Party As of February 2024
     Democratic Party 12
     Republican Party 28
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 40

Florida House of Representatives

Party As of February 2024
     Democratic Party 36
     Republican Party 84
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 120

Trifecta control

The table below shows the state's trifecta status from 1992 until the 2024 election.

Florida Party Control: 1992-2024
One year of a Democratic trifecta  •  Twenty-five 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
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
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
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

Ballot access

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Florida in the 2024 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Florida, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2024
State Office Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
Florida U.S. House Ballot-qualified party 5,181[7] $10,440.00 4/26/2024 Source
Florida U.S. House Unaffiliated 5,181[8] $6,960.00 4/26/2024 Source

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ A majority in the U.S. House when there are no vacancies is 218 seats.
  2. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2020 presidential results by congressional district, for new and old districts," accessed September 15, 2022
  3. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Primary Election Types," accessed July 23, 2024
  4. ↑ Florida Division of Elections, "Closed Primary Election," accessed July 23, 2024
  5. ↑ Cook Political Report, "The 2022 Cook Partisan Voting Index (Cook PVI℠)," accessed January 10, 2024
  6. ↑ Inside Elections, "Methodology: Inside Elections’ Baseline by Congressional District," December 8, 2023
  7. ↑ Average number of signatures required for all congressional districts. Petition signatures only required in lieu of a filing fee.
  8. ↑ Average number of signatures required for all congressional districts. Petition signatures only required in lieu of a filing fee.


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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