Ricardo De La Fuente

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Ricardo De La Fuente

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

August 23, 2022

Personal

Birthplace

San Diego, Calif.

Religion

Catholic

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign Instagram

Personal Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Ricardo De La Fuente (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. Senate to represent Florida. He lost in the Democratic primary on August 23, 2022.

Biography

Ricardo De La Fuente was born in San Diego, California. De La Fuente earned a degree from Harvard University.

Elections

2022

See also: United States Senate election in Florida, 2022

General election

General election for U.S. Senate Florida

The following candidates ran in the general election for U.S. Senate Florida on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Marco Rubio (R)	57.7	4,474,847
		Val Demings (D)	41.3	3,201,522
		Dennis Misigoy (L)	0.4	32,177
		Steven B. Grant (No Party Affiliation)	0.4	31,816
		Tuan Nguyen (No Party Affiliation)	0.2	17,385
		Edward A. Gray (No Party Affiliation) (Write-in)	0.0	190
		Uloma Ekpete Kama (No Party Affiliation) (Write-in)	0.0	42
		Moses Quiles (No Party Affiliation) (Write-in)	0.0	33
		Howard Knepper (No Party Affiliation) (Write-in)	0.0	2

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 7,758,014
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Jason Holic (No Party Affiliation)
• Carlos Barberena (No Party Affiliation)
• Shantele Bennett (No Party Affiliation)
• Ahmad Saide (No Party Affiliation)
• Timothy Devine (No Party Affiliation)
• Grace Granda (No Party Affiliation)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Florida

Val Demings defeated Brian Rush, William Sanchez, and Ricardo De La Fuente in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Florida on August 23, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Val Demings	84.3	1,263,706
		Brian Rush	6.3	94,185
		William Sanchez	5.6	84,576
		Ricardo De La Fuente	3.8	56,749

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,499,216
= 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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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Allen Ellison (D)
• Edward Abud (D)
• Joshua Weil (D)
• Alan Grayson (D)
• Allek Pastrana (D)
• Ken Russell (D)
• Coleman Watson (D)
• Albert Fox (D)

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Marco Rubio advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Florida.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Calvin Driggers (R)
• Angela Marie Walls-Windhauser (R)
• Jake Loubriel (R)
• Luis Miguel (R)
• Josue Larose (R)
• Ervan Katari Miller (R)
• Earl Yearicks IV (R)
• Kevin DePuy (R)

Libertarian primary election

The Libertarian primary election was canceled. Dennis Misigoy advanced from the Libertarian primary for U.S. Senate Florida.

2020

U.S. House Texas

See also: Texas' 27th Congressional District election, 2020

Texas' 27th Congressional District election, 2020 (March 3 Democratic primary)

Texas' 27th Congressional District election, 2020 (March 3 Republican primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Texas District 27

Incumbent Michael Cloud defeated Ricardo De La Fuente and Phil Gray in the general election for U.S. House Texas District 27 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Michael Cloud (R)	63.1	172,305
		Ricardo De La Fuente (D)	34.9	95,466
		Phil Gray (L)	2.0	5,482

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 273,253
= 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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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 27

Ricardo De La Fuente defeated Charlie Jackson in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 27 on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ricardo De La Fuente	61.4	20,767
		Charlie Jackson	38.6	13,030

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 33,797
= 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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Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 27

Incumbent Michael Cloud advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 27 on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Michael Cloud	100.0	60,945

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 60,945
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Michael Lawrence (R)

Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for U.S. House Texas District 27

Phil Gray advanced from the Libertarian convention for U.S. House Texas District 27 on March 21, 2020.

		Candidate
✔		Phil Gray (L)

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.
= 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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U.S. House California

See also: California's 21st Congressional District election, 2020

General election

General election for U.S. House California District 21

David G. Valadao defeated incumbent TJ Cox in the general election for U.S. House California District 21 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		David G. Valadao (R)	50.4	85,928
		TJ Cox (D)	49.6	84,406

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 170,334
= 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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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for U.S. House California District 21

David G. Valadao and incumbent TJ Cox defeated Ricardo De La Fuente and Roque De La Fuente in the primary for U.S. House California District 21 on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		David G. Valadao (R)	49.7	39,488
✔		TJ Cox (D)	38.7	30,697
		Ricardo De La Fuente (D)	9.2	7,309
		Roque De La Fuente (R)	2.4	1,912

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 79,406
= 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

• Ruben Macareno (D)

U.S. House Florida

See also: Florida's 24th Congressional District election, 2020

Florida's 24th Congressional District election, 2020 (August 18 Democratic primary)

Florida's 24th Congressional District election, 2020 (August 18 Republican primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Florida District 24

Incumbent Frederica S. Wilson defeated Lavern Spicer, Christine Alexandria Olivo, Howard Knepper, and Hector Rivera in the general election for U.S. House Florida District 24 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Frederica S. Wilson (D)	75.6	218,825
		Lavern Spicer (R)	20.4	59,084
		Christine Alexandria Olivo (No Party Affiliation)	4.0	11,703
		Howard Knepper (R) (Write-in)	0.0	17
	Submit photo	Hector Rivera (No Party Affiliation) (Write-in)	0.0	9

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 289,638
= 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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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Florida District 24

Incumbent Frederica S. Wilson defeated Sakinah Lehtola and Ricardo De La Fuente in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Florida District 24 on August 18, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Frederica S. Wilson	84.7	68,505
		Sakinah Lehtola	7.7	6,267
		Ricardo De La Fuente	7.6	6,134

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 80,906
= 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 election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Lavern Spicer advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Florida District 24.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Kirk Chong (R)

2018

General election

General election for U.S. House Florida District 24

Incumbent Frederica S. Wilson won election in the general election for U.S. House Florida District 24 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		Frederica S. Wilson (D)

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

Democratic primary for U.S. House Florida District 24

Incumbent Frederica S. Wilson defeated Ricardo De La Fuente in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Florida District 24 on August 28, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Frederica S. Wilson	83.7	66,202
		Ricardo De La Fuente	16.3	12,924

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 79,126
= 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 election

No Republican candidates ran in the primary.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Louis Sola (R)

2017

See also: California's 34th Congressional District special election, 2017

U.S. House, California District 34, 2017
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Jimmy Gomez	59.2%	25,569
	Democratic	Robert Lee Ahn	40.8%	17,610
Total Votes				43,179
Source: California Secretary of State

The election replaced Xavier Becerra (D), who was appointed as California's attorney general. Democrats Jimmy Gomez and Robert Lee Ahn were the top two vote-getters in a primary field of 23 candidates and advanced to the general election. Gomez and Ahn competed in the runoff election on June 6, 2017, when Gomez defeated Ahn by more than 20 percent, 60.1 percent to 30.9 percent. The previous two elections in the district have also featured a general election contest between two Democrats.

Ahn and Gomez participated in a candidate forum on May 25, 2017, where they discussed the Trump administration, infrastructure, job creation, healthcare, and local issues. During the forum, Ahn emphasized his legal and business background and knowledge of Korean relations, while Gomez highlighted his legislative experience in the California State Assembly and endorsements from progressive organizations like the Bernie Sanders-backed Our Revolution. For an overview of the forum and the candidates' responses, click here.

In the fundraising race, Ahn outpaced Gomez, raising $353,000 between April 1 and May 17. His campaign capital was boosted by an additional $195,000 personal loan. In the same time period, Gomez raised $327,000.

U.S. House, California District 34 Primary, 2017
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Jimmy Gomez	25.4%	10,728
	Democratic	Robert Lee Ahn	22.3%	9,415
	Democratic	Maria Cabildo	10.1%	4,259
	Democratic	Sara Hernandez	5.6%	2,358
	Democratic	Arturo Carmona	5.2%	2,205
	Democratic	Wendy Carrillo	5.2%	2,195
	Green	Kenneth Mejia	4.6%	1,964
	Republican	William Morrison	3.2%	1,360
	Democratic	Yolie Flores	3.2%	1,368
	Democratic	Alejandra Campoverdi	2.4%	1,001
	Democratic	Tracy Van Houten	2.5%	1,042
	Democratic	Vanessa Aramayo	2%	853
	Democratic	Sandra Mendoza	1.6%	674
	Democratic	Steven Mac	1.6%	663
	Democratic	Raymond Meza	1.2%	509
	Independent	Mark Edward Padilla	1%	427
	Libertarian	Angela McArdle	0.8%	319
	Democratic	Ricardo De La Fuente	0.8%	331
	Democratic	Adrienne Nicole Edwards	0.4%	182
	Democratic	Richard Joseph Sullivan	0.4%	155
	Democratic	Armando Sotomayor	0.3%	118
	Democratic	Tenaya Wallace	0.2%	103
	Democratic	Melissa "Sharkie" Garza	0.2%	79
Total Votes				42,308
Source: California Secretary of State

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Ricardo De La Fuente did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign website

De La Fuente's campaign website stated the following:

“	ECONOMY A multilingual second generation immigrant, Ricardo de la Fuente was raised on the work ethic that made America great. During his education at Harvard Business School, Ricardo (“Ricky”) learned the managerial, motivational, and team-building skills that have made him a great leader and one of the youngest candidates to ever run for United States Congress. In his work in green energy entrepreneurship, assisted living modernization, and small business advocacy, he has applied those skills for real change. As a philanthropist, he has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for charities fighting against cancer, homelessness, and child poverty. With his wide and varied experience in bringing people together and supporting those in need, Ricardo is ready to fight for Florida’s future through the creation of meaningful well-paid jobs in green energy, infrastructure, and technology. HEALTH CARE An invited speaker to the Touch-a-Life Foundation World Kindness Day Conference and the creator of the Emmy nominated Earth Walker documentary, chronicling lives affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, Ricardo has always taken a personal interest in the mental and physical well-being of humanity. Throughout the pandemic, Ricardo’s leadership in vaccine distribution and emergency relief gave him a firsthand look into the critical importance of accessible high-quality health care for all. He also knows that this is not the case for millions of uninsured and underinsured Floridians. That’s why he’s excited to get to work finding sustainable long-term solutions for affordable prescriptions and medical care for all in the state. HOUSING Ricardo knows that the lives of many Floridians includes a struggle to pay the rent or mortgage, which has only been compounded by the Covid-19, rising inflation and the spiraling cost-of-living. With the circumstances of Post-Covid America often making it difficult to save for home ownership or even pay the rent without multiple jobs and credit card debt, he is committed to real progress on making home affordable. In the exploration of innovative policies that include subsidies, incentives, and tax breaks, Ricardo is prepared to jump in the ring and fight for hard working Floridians. ENVIRONMENT Florida is known the world over as one of the most desirable locations for vacations, tourism, and quality of life. From Key West to Pensacola, the natural beauty of the coastal beaches, Everglades National Park, and the numerous parks and waterways that criss-cross the state make the protection of the environment a top priority for Ricardo. He knows that the encroaching effects of global warming including rising sea levels and catastrophic hurricanes threaten the way of life for many Floridians. With all of these considerations in mind, Ricardo is prepared to enact legislation to increase Florida’s climate change oriented infrastructure and protect her natural assets and attractions from the southern reefs to Jacksonville beach.	”
—Ricardo De La Fuente's campaign website (2022)

2020

Ricardo De La Fuente completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Fuente's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a proud American that genuinely cares about our country. We live in extraordinary times where our President, Donald Trump, seeks to divide us based on income, race, and religion - often playing on our worst fears. It is a common tactic of oppression and has been happening throughout history. We must fight against these tactics, support our local businesses, support families, and fight for our ethnic heritages. My goal is to challenge the status quo and champion democratic reform on behalf of the people - including the oppressed.

I have studied at the University of San Diego, and Harvard traveled extensively and currently speak eight languages fluently. I have started multiple businesses in the private sector and have an appreciation of the real world. As a Millennial, I also understand how social media has changed communication and will utilize it to gain the benefit of your insight. Congress desperately needs fresh ideas, and together, we can deliver them.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• We need a change in our district. Someone with the ability to lead, who always speaks the truth and puts aside their political interests. It is time to unite as a community and vote for Ricardo De La Fuente, who also has a plan to support the health sector to help combat COVID-19.
• We need a public health response that include free tests available, removal of cost barriers to treatment, and necessary facilities.
• In addition, we need a sound economic plan with relief to the unemployed and aid to small businesses. We need to provide all the resources at our disposal to the workers, families and business owners that will be seriously affected by this crisis in our district.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Healthcare, Covid 19, Jobs, Economy, Education

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign advertisements

Video submitted to Ballotpedia Released September 6, 2020

2017

The following issues were listed on De La Fuente's campaign website. For a full list of campaign themes, click here.

“	Small Businesses: We are lucky that Hispanic, Asian and African Americans profoundly influence our district – populations that are best served by an economic environment that encourages and supports the development of small business. We can improve our communities and contribute to our success if we receive the tools to establish small businesses that can provide entry-level jobs as well as higher paying opportunities. Homelessness: Our homeless deserve a secure, sanitary environment that restores a level of dignity to their lives and provides them with an opportunity to rejoin the general population. We need to provide essential services such as restrooms, showers and laundry service to our homeless both for public health reasons and to reflect fundamental human rights. Healthcare: Healthcare is a basic human need. As your congressman, I will be fighting hard to keep the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA)–otherwise known as Obamacare–and to improve upon it, rather than eliminate it and start from scratch as the Trump Administration is pushing to do. Americans with preexisting conditions should not need to worry that they will lose coverage based on a change in policy. We must preserve programs such as Medicare and Medicaid for our seniors, disabled, and others needing assistance. Additionally, the cost of health care, including prescription coverage, must be kept a level that is affordable to all Americans. Affordable Housing: Affordable housing for working individuals and families is a must, not an option. Local initiative, Measure S, will not help with this issue. Measure S, while not a federal issue, will worsen the affordability crisis in downtown Los Angeles. It will also cost the city an estimated $2 billion in lost revenue. No Border Wall: I don’t believe in building a wall across our entire southern border. A wall is little more than a publicity stunt to capitalize on the fear that some of our elected officials created. It will not materially alter our safety, but it will almost certainly further divide our country.	”
—Ricardo De La Fuente's campaign website

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Ricardo De La Fuente campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2022	U.S. Senate Florida	Lost primary	$22,800	$22,740
2020	U.S. House California District 21	Lost primary	$0	N/A**
2020	U.S. House Florida District 24	Lost primary	$161,000	$161,000
2020	U.S. House Texas District 27	Lost general	$1,262,408	$1,262,408
Grand total			$1,446,208	$1,446,148
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

See also

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Candidate

U.S. Senate Florida

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Footnotes

[show]

Florida's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Ashley Moody (R)

Rick Scott (R)

Representatives

District 1

Jimmy Patronis (R)

District 2

Neal Dunn (R)

District 3

Kat Cammack (R)

District 4

Aaron Bean (R)

District 5

John Rutherford (R)

District 6

Randy Fine (R)

District 7

Cory Mills (R)

District 8

Mike Haridopolos (R)

District 9

Darren Soto (D)

District 10

Maxwell Frost (D)

District 11

Daniel Webster (R)

District 12

Gus Bilirakis (R)

District 13

Anna Luna (R)

District 14

Kathy Castor (D)

District 15

Laurel Lee (R)

District 16

Vern Buchanan (R)

District 17

Greg Steube (R)

District 18

Scott Franklin (R)

District 19

Byron Donalds (R)

District 20

Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D)

District 21

Brian Mast (R)

District 22

Lois Frankel (D)

District 23

Jared Moskowitz (D)

District 24

Frederica Wilson (D)

District 25

Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D)

District 26

Mario Diaz-Balart (R)

District 27

Maria Elvira Salazar (R)

District 28

Carlos Gimenez (R)

Republican Party (22)

Democratic Party (8)