Your monthly support provides voters the knowledge they need to make confident decisions at the polls. Donate today.
Stan McDaniels
From Ballotpedia
This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.
Stan McDaniels (No Party Affiliation) ran in a special election to the U.S. House to represent Florida's 1st Congressional District. He lost as a write-in in the special general election on April 1, 2025.
McDaniels completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Stan McDaniels was born in Tallahassee, Florida. He earned a high school diploma from Pensacola High School and a bachelor's degree from the University of West Florida in 2010. His career experience includes working as a businessman.[1]
Elections
2025
See also: Florida's 1st Congressional District special election, 2025
General election
Special general election for U.S. House Florida District 1
The following candidates ran in the special general election for U.S. House Florida District 1 on April 1, 2025.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Jimmy Patronis (R) | 56.9 | 97,370 |
 | Gay Valimont (D) | 42.3 | 72,375 | |
 | Stephen E. Broden (No Party Affiliation) | 0.8 | 1,384 | |
 | Stanley Gray (No Party Affiliation) (Write-in) | 0.1 | 88 | |
 | Stan McDaniels (No Party Affiliation) (Write-in)  | 0.0 | 31 | |
 | Richard Dembinsky (No Party Affiliation) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 0 | |
| Total votes: 171,248 | |||
| = 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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Tevin Channing Minus (No Party Affiliation)
- Alan Aversa (No Party Affiliation)
- Jonathan Green (No Party Affiliation)
- Tyler Davis (No Party Affiliation)
Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Gay Valimont advanced from the special Democratic primary for U.S. House Florida District 1.
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- C. Marcel Davis (D)
Republican primary election
Special Republican primary for U.S. House Florida District 1
The following candidates ran in the special Republican primary for U.S. House Florida District 1 on January 28, 2025.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jimmy Patronis | 65.7 | 33,742 |
 | Joel Rudman | 9.9 | 5,099 | |
 | Aaron Dimmock | 6.7 | 3,423 | |
 | Gene Valentino | 6.0 | 3,093 | |
 | Michael Dylan Thompson | 5.0 | 2,548 | |
 | Greg Merk | 2.5 | 1,287 | |
| Jeff Peacock | 1.4 | 743 | ||
 | Kevin Gaffney | 1.2 | 634 | |
 | John Mills | 1.1 | 574 | |
| Jeff Macey | 0.4 | 187 | ||
| Total votes: 51,330 | |||
| = 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
- Christopher Slater (R)
- Cindy Meadows (R)
- Jeff Witt (R)
- Uloma Ekpete Kama (R)
- Eric Hafner (R)
- Angela Marie Walls-Windhauser (R)
- Scott Trotter (R)
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for McDaniels in this election.
Campaign themes
2025
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Stan McDaniels completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by McDaniels' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
| Collapse all
I’m Stan McDaniels, a businessman and grassroots advocate running as a write in candidate for Florida’s 1st Congressional District in the special election to replace Matt Gaetz. I’m not a career politician—I’m an everyday man from Pensacola who’s fed up with government overreach and empty promises. Through my campaign at the1manstan.com and my voice on X as @the1manstan
, I’m fighting for the Constitution and the rights of the individual—the smallest minority our laws were meant to protect. With a track record of challenging unconstitutional laws, like my 2022 arrest for openly carrying to defend Second Amendment rights, I’m in this to act, not just talk. My mission is to restore freedom, cut through the noise, and represent the hardworking people of Northwest Florida with real, no-nonsense solutions.
- As your representative in Florida’s 1st District, my first mission is to defend our constitutional rights and protect our children from a broken system. Family and criminal courts too often trample due process, strip parental liberties, and fail the kids caught in the crossfire—whether through unjust rulings or overreach that tears families apart. I’ve fought the corrupt family courts myself, standing up to a system that puts power over people, because I believe freedom isn’t negotiable. Our children deserve courts that uphold justice, not bureaucrats who violate it. I’ll fight to dismantle these abuses, restore accountability, and ensure the Constitution shields every family in Northwest Florida.
- "My second mission is to protect our Second Amendment rights by defending open carry and dismantling dangerous red flag laws. In 2022, I put my freedom on the line—arrested for openly carrying in Pensacola to challenge unconstitutional restrictions that disarm law-abiding citizens. Red flag laws are just as bad, letting the government strip your rights without due process based on vague accusations, no evidence required. I’ve seen firsthand how these laws erode liberty, and as Northwest Florida’s voice in Congress, I’ll push to repeal them. Our right to self-defense isn’t up for debate—it’s a cornerstone of freedom, and I’ll stop at nothing to keep it that way for every Floridian.
- My third mission is to uphold the Constitution as the bedrock of our freedom—no exceptions, no compromises. Too many politicians and judges twist it to suit their agendas, eroding our rights with every ruling and law they pass. From the First Amendment to the Tenth, I’ll defend every word, holding corrupt politicians and activist judges accountable when they step out of line. I’ve lived this fight—battling unconstitutional courts and laws—because the Constitution isn’t optional; it’s our defense against tyranny. As Northwest Florida’s voice in Congress, I’ll make sure government, and those who run it, answer to it, keeping liberty alive for every one of us.
The Constitution and separation of powers giving power back to the States.
If you want to get where I’m coming from, pick up The Federalist Papers. It’s not some dusty relic—it’s the raw, unfiltered playbook for why individual liberty and limited government matter, straight from the minds that built this country. Hamilton, Madison, and Jay laid out the case against centralized power and for a system that trusts the people, not the politicians. I’ve lived that fight—taking on corrupt courts and overreach—because those principles aren’t optional; they’re the backbone of freedom. Read it, and you’ll see why I’m hell-bent on protecting your rights in Northwest Florida.
A Federal Representative’s core duty is to fiercely guard individual liberties and champion constituents crushed by the relentless lawfare poisoning our communities—it’s not just a job, it’s the whole damn point of being elected. The second you swear that oath, you’re there to protect every right the Constitution guarantees, no excuses, no backroom deals. I know what’s at stake—I’ve watched good people in Northwest Florida get chewed up by a legal system that’s more about power than justice, leaving families broke and voiceless. This isn’t theory for me; I’ve fought those battles myself. You send me to Congress, and I’ll stand between you and the bureaucrats, judges, and politicians who think they can trample your freedoms, making sure they answer for every overstep while I keep your voice loud and clear.
I’ve got dirt under my nails from building bridges—literally—right here in Northwest Florida, working on four projects that keep this place moving. I teamed up with the DOT, making sure those spans got done right, from the ground up. I’ve sweated it out in labor, hauling steel and pouring concrete, and I’ve run the show in management, calling shots to keep crews on track. That’s not some resume flex—it’s proof I know how to build something real, not just talk about it. In Congress, I’ll bring that same grit to fix what’s broken in the 1st District, no bullshit, just results.
The U.S. Congress’s power of the purse is its ace in the hole—no other institution gets to hold the purse strings like that, and it’s a damn big deal. It’s the people’s check on runaway government; the Framers gave Congress, not some unelected clown or king, the say over every dime we spend. I’ve seen how fast bureaucrats and execs blow cash on nonsense—think China handouts or bloated courts—when no one’s watching. In Northwest Florida, we’re tired of funding our own chains. That power’s unique because it’s ours to wield, and I’d use it to starve the beast, fund what works, and keep liberty’s wallet fat, not Washington’s.
The Framers didn’t want a bunch of slick government insiders running the show—they built Congress for regular folks, not careerists, and I’d argue it’s better that way. A representative without that baggage, like me, isn’t tainted by decades of D.C. games or cozying up to the swamp. I’ve got no loyalty to the machine—just Northwest Florida and the Constitution. The Framers meant for us to be citizen-legislators, bringing real-world grit, not polished résumés. I’ve fought courts and overreach from the outside; I don’t need a government playbook to know what’s broken or how to fix it. That’s the edge the 1st District needs—someone who’s lived it, not played it.
China’s the biggest challenge we’ll face over the next decade—no question. They’re outpacing us in manufacturing, holding our supply chains hostage, and laughing while we depend on their cheap goods and shady deals. I say we hit back by getting production home, funding American companies through smart economic development programs—not handouts, but investments in Northwest Florida factories and workers. I’ve watched jobs bleed out overseas my whole life; it’s time to rebuild our backbone. Forget kowtowing to Beijing—let’s pump cash into our own, cut the red tape, and make ‘Made in the USA’ mean something again. That’s how we win.
Two years for a congressional term is a joke—it’s not enough time to do anything but campaign and beg for cash nonstop. The second you’re sworn in, you’re already hustling for the next election, not fixing Northwest Florida’s problems. I say make it four years—give reps like me a real shot to dig into the mess, from lawfare to economic rot, without a fundraiser every other week. The Framers didn’t picture this hamster wheel; they wanted focus on the job, not the circus. Four years lets me fight for the 1st District—cutting bad laws, funding American jobs—not waste half my term kissing donor rings.
Term limits are a must—career politicians like Nancy Pelosi prove it, squatting in office for decades while the rest of us watch the system rot. When someone’s been in Congress since the ‘80s, they’re not serving you; they’re building a personal empire, cozying up to donors and forgetting the people back home. I’ve seen how power festers—same as in corrupt courts—and it’s why Northwest Florida needs fresh blood, not fossils. Term limits kick out the entrenched, force accountability, and keep liberty alive by stopping these lifers from turning public service into a private racket. Pelosi’s 30-plus years are a warning; I’d cap it and send ‘em packing.
If I’m looking at a rep to model myself after, it’s Thomas Massie, hands down. The guy’s a no-BS engineer-turned-congressman who doesn’t play the D.C. game—he’s all about liberty, the Constitution, and telling the swamp where to shove it. I admire how he’s taken on everything from gun rights to government overreach, like me fighting courts and red flag laws here in Northwest Florida. Massie’s not some polished insider; he’s a regular guy who gets it, digging into policy with brains and guts. That’s my plan for the 1st District—channel that same fire, keep it real, and stick to the principles that matter.
One story that’s fueled my campaign is a mother’s hell right here in Florida’s 1st District—her 5-year-old daughter snatched by DCF. Now that little girl’s 6, stuck six hours away in some medical foster setup, ripped from her mom for over a year on a flimsy ‘medical necessity’ excuse. This isn’t protection; it’s kidnapping with a courthouse stamp, and it’s tearing Northwest Florida families apart. I’ve felt that rage myself fighting crooked systems, and it’s why I’m running—to smash this lawfare, bring her home, and stop DCF and the courts from ever pulling this on another parent."
When it comes to the Constitution, I don’t bend—not on making policy, and damn sure not on ripping out the garbage already on the books. Both have to reflect its values: individual liberty, limited government, period. Too many lawmakers churn out rules that choke us or let bad ones fester—red flag laws, court overreach, you name it—because they’re scared to rock the boat. I’m not. I’ve fought unconstitutional systems myself, and I’ll carry that to Congress: write laws that protect rights, axe the ones that don’t, no half-measures. Northwest Florida deserves a rep who’ll burn down the bloat and build only what holds up to the Framers’ standard.
It’s time to give the power back to Americans to fund non-profits they believe in instead of politically connected NGOs, and I’m damn serious about it. Right now, your tax dollars get funneled to slick outfits with D.C. buddies—NGOs that push agendas you’d never back, while local groups in Northwest Florida scrape by. I’ve seen how this game works: the well-connected get fat checks, and the rest get crumbs. Screw that—let’s flip it. Give folks the say to support what matters to them—families, veterans, kids, liberty—not some insider’s pet project. In Congress, I’d push tax breaks or direct funding options so your money stays out of the swamp and lands where you want it.
Congress has investigative powers for a reason, and it’s time to use them to hold the judiciary accountable—up to and including impeaching judges who’ve lost the plot. Too many robes in Northwest Florida and beyond act like untouchable kings, shredding rights with rulings that defy the Constitution—think family court messes or gun grabs. I’ve fought that corruption myself, and I know they don’t fix themselves. Congress can dig in, expose the rot, and haul them out when they cross the line; the Framers gave us that muscle for a reason. In D.C., I’d push for probes and impeachment when warranted—no sacred cows, just justice—so the bench remembers it answers to us, not the other way around.
Common men and women right here in my district like James Payton.
If I’m headed to Congress, I’m gunning for seats on the Judiciary and Economic Development committees—where the real fights are. Judiciary’s my wheelhouse; I’ve battled corrupt courts firsthand and know how they twist laws to shred rights, from family disputes to gun grabs. I’ll keep them in check, defending the Constitution like it’s my job—because it is. Economic Development’s the flip side: I want to bring manufacturing back to Northwest Florida, funding American companies to outmuscle China and rebuild our jobs. No fluff committees for me—these are where I’ll dig in, protect liberty, and get shit done for the 1st District.
Financial transparency and government accountability? Right now, it’s a mess—politicians hide behind closed books while taxpayers get screwed. I say we drag it all into the light with blockchain technology. It’s not some techie gimmick; it’s a tamper-proof ledger that could make every dollar spent searchable for the common man, not just the suits with connections. Imagine Northwest Floridians pulling up records themselves—contracts, budgets, pork-barrel handouts—without begging some bureaucrat for permission. I’ve seen government dodge accountability my whole life, from courts to Congress, and I’m done with it. Blockchain could cut through the bullshit, giving us the transparency we deserve while keeping the feds honest—or at least scared to lie.
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 finance summary
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.
See also
2025 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on March 3, 2025
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
District 21
Brian Mast (R)
District 22
Lois Frankel (D)
District 23
Jared Moskowitz (D)
District 24
Frederica Wilson (D)
District 25
District 26
District 27
District 28
Carlos Gimenez (R)
Republican Party (22)
Democratic Party (8)
