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Florida's 18th Congressional District election, 2026

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← 2024
Florida's 18th Congressional District
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General election
Election details
Filing deadline: April 24, 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: Solid Republican
DDHQ and The Hill: Pending
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, 2026
See also
Florida's 18th Congressional District
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Florida elections, 2026
U.S. Congress elections, 2026
U.S. Senate elections, 2026
U.S. House elections, 2026

All U.S. House districts, including the 18th Congressional District of Florida, are holding elections in 2026. The general election is November 3, 2026. To learn more about other elections on the ballot, click here.

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

Note: At this time, Ballotpedia is combining all declared candidates for this election into one list under a general election heading. As primary election dates are published, this information will be updated to separate general election candidates from primary candidates as appropriate.

General election

The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.

General election for U.S. House Florida District 18

Incumbent Scott Franklin and Deva Simmons are running in the general election for U.S. House Florida District 18 on November 3, 2026.

Candidate
Image of Scott Franklin
Scott Franklin (R)
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Deva Simmons (No Party Affiliation)

Incumbents are bolded and underlined.

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.

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Candidate profiles

There are currently no candidate profiles created for this race. Candidate profiles will appear here as they are created. Encourage the candidates in this race to complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey so that their profile will appear here. You can ask candidates in this race to fill out the survey by clicking their names below:

Voting information

See also: Voting in Florida

Election information in Florida: Nov. 3, 2026, election.

What is the voter registration deadline?

  • In-person: Oct. 5, 2026
  • By mail: Postmarked by Oct. 5, 2026
  • Online: Oct. 5, 2026

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

N/A

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

  • In-person: Oct. 22, 2026
  • By mail: Received by Oct. 22, 2026
  • Online: Oct. 22, 2026

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

  • In-person: Nov. 3, 2026
  • By mail: Received by Nov. 3, 2026

Is early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What are the early voting start and end dates?

Oct. 24, 2026 to Oct. 31, 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)


Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

No candidate in this race has completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Ballotpedia is seeking 100 percent participation so voters can learn more about all the candidates on their ballots.

You can ask candidates in this race to fill out the survey by clicking their names below:

Campaign finance

Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
Scott Franklin Republican Party $309,853 $187,728 $604,020 As of September 30, 2025
Deva Simmons No Party Affiliation $0 $0 $0 Data not available***

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.

General election race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

  • Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
  • Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
  • Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[1]
  • Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[2][3][4]

Race ratings: Florida's 18th Congressional District election, 2026
Race trackerRace ratings
12/23/202512/16/202512/9/202512/2/2025
The Cook Political Report with Amy WalterSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid Republican
Decision Desk HQ and The HillPendingPendingPendingPending
Inside Elections with Nathan L. GonzalesSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid Republican
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal BallSafe RepublicanSafe RepublicanSafe RepublicanSafe Republican
Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week.

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 4/24/2026 Source
Florida U.S. House Unaffiliated 1% of the registered voters in the geographical area of candidacy $6,960 4/24/2026 Source


District history

The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2020.

General election

General election for U.S. House Florida District 18

Incumbent Scott Franklin (R) defeated Andrea Doria Kale (D) in the general election for U.S. House Florida District 18 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Scott Franklin
Scott Franklin (R)
 
65.3
 
225,170
Image of Andrea Doria Kale
Andrea Doria Kale (D)  Candidate Connection
 
34.7
 
119,637

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 344,807
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.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary

Democratic primary for U.S. House Florida District 18

Andrea Doria Kale (D) defeated Peter Braunston (D) in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Florida District 18 on August 20, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Andrea Doria Kale
Andrea Doria Kale  Candidate Connection
 
66.9
 
16,778
Image of Peter Braunston
Peter Braunston  Candidate Connection
 
33.1
 
8,291

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

Total votes: 25,069
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.

Republican primary

The Republican primary scheduled for August 20, 2024, was canceled. Incumbent Scott Franklin (R) advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Florida District 18 without appearing on the ballot.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

General election

General election for U.S. House Florida District 18

Incumbent Scott Franklin (R) defeated Keith R. Hayden Jr. (No Party Affiliation) and Leonard Serratore (No Party Affiliation) in the general election for U.S. House Florida District 18 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Scott Franklin
Scott Franklin (R)
 
74.7
 
167,429
Image of Keith R. Hayden Jr.
Keith R. Hayden Jr. (No Party Affiliation)  Candidate Connection
 
25.3
 
56,647
Image of Leonard Serratore
Leonard Serratore (No Party Affiliation) (Write-in) Candidate Connection
 
0.1
 
158

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 224,234
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.

Democratic primary

The Democratic primary scheduled for August 23, 2022, was canceled.

Republican primary

Republican primary for U.S. House Florida District 18

Incumbent Scott Franklin (R) defeated Jennifer Raybon (R), Wendy Schmeling (R), Kenneth Hartpence (R), and Eddie Tarazona (R) in the Republican primary for U.S. House Florida District 18 on August 23, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Scott Franklin
Scott Franklin
 
73.1
 
44,927
Image of Jennifer Raybon
Jennifer Raybon  Candidate Connection
 
10.7
 
6,606
Image of Wendy Schmeling
Wendy Schmeling  Candidate Connection
 
6.7
 
4,099
Image of Kenneth Hartpence
Kenneth Hartpence
 
6.5
 
3,999
Image of Eddie Tarazona
Eddie Tarazona  Candidate Connection
 
3.0
 
1,864

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 61,495
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.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

General election

General election for U.S. House Florida District 18

Incumbent Brian Mast (R) defeated Pam Keith (D) and K.W. Miller (No Party Affiliation) in the general election for U.S. House Florida District 18 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Brian Mast
Brian Mast (R)
 
56.3
 
253,286
Image of Pam Keith
Pam Keith (D)  Candidate Connection
 
41.5
 
186,674
Image of K.W. Miller
K.W. Miller (No Party Affiliation)  Candidate Connection
 
2.2
 
9,760

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 449,720
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.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary

Democratic primary for U.S. House Florida District 18

Pam Keith (D) defeated Oz Vazquez (D) in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Florida District 18 on August 18, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Pam Keith
Pam Keith  Candidate Connection
 
79.8
 
52,921
Image of Oz Vazquez
Oz Vazquez  Candidate Connection
 
20.2
 
13,385

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

Total votes: 66,306
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.

Republican primary

Republican primary for U.S. House Florida District 18

Incumbent Brian Mast (R) defeated Nicholas Vessio (R) in the Republican primary for U.S. House Florida District 18 on August 18, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Brian Mast
Brian Mast
 
86.0
 
62,121
Image of Nicholas Vessio
Nicholas Vessio
 
14.0
 
10,081

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 72,202
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.

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_018.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+14. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 14 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Florida's 18th the 84th most Republican district nationally.[5]

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 18th Congressional District
Kamala Harris Democratic Party Donald Trump Republican Party
35.0% 64.0%

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
Office Officeholder
Governor Republican Party Ron DeSantis
Lieutenant Governor Republican Party Jay Collins
Secretary of State Republican Party Cord Byrd
Attorney General Republican Party James Uthmeier

State legislature

Florida State Senate

Party As of October 2025
     Democratic Party 11
     Republican Party 26
     Other 1
     Vacancies 2
Total 40

Florida House of Representatives

Party As of October 2025
     Democratic Party 32
     Republican Party 86
     Other 0
     Vacancies 2
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

See also

Florida 2026 primaries 2026 U.S. Congress elections
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Florida congressional delegation
Voting in Florida
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Ballot access

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
  2. ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
  3. ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
  4. ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
  5. ↑ 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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