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Florida's 8th Congressional District election, 2026: Difference between revisions
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All [[United States House of Representatives elections, 2026|U.S. House districts]], including the '''[[Florida's 8th Congressional District|8th Congressional District of Florida]]''', {{Greener| start=11/03/2026 10pm EST| before=are holding|after= held}} elections in 2026. The general election {{Greener| start=11/03/2026 10pm EST| before=is|after=was}} November 3, 2026. {{ | All [[United States House of Representatives elections, 2026|U.S. House districts]], including the '''[[Florida's 8th Congressional District|8th Congressional District of Florida]]''', {{Greener| start=11/03/2026 10pm EST| before=are holding|after= held}} elections in 2026. The general election {{Greener| start=11/03/2026 10pm EST| before=is|after=was}} November 3, 2026. {{DateIntroSentences26|Florida}} | ||
{{IntroBreakoffLinks|Page=Florida's 8th Congressional District election, 2026}} | {{IntroBreakoffLinks|Page=Florida's 8th Congressional District election, 2026}} | ||
==Candidates and election results== | ==Candidates and election results== | ||
{{ | {{FilingDeadlineNotes26|Florida/U.S. House}} | ||
<APIWidget where='races.id=64335' template='ElectionSection' extra_params='{"type":"all"}' /> | <APIWidget where='races.id=64335' template='ElectionSection' extra_params='{"type":"all"}' /> | ||
==Candidate profiles== | ==Candidate profiles== | ||
Latest revision as of 14:38, 10 December 2025
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← 2024
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| Florida's 8th Congressional District |
|---|
| 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. |
| Race ratings |
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 |
1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th • 9th • 10th • 11th • 12th • 13th • 14th • 15th • 16th • 17th • 18th • 19th • 20th • 21st • 22nd • 23rd • 24th • 25th • 26th • 27th • 28th 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 8th 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
General election
The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.
General election for U.S. House Florida District 8
Incumbent Mike Haridopolos, Paul Dellinger, and Lacey Villareal are running in the general election for U.S. House Florida District 8 on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| Mike Haridopolos (R) | ||
Paul Dellinger (D) ![]() | ||
| Lacey Villareal (Independent) | ||
= 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.
Party: Democratic Party
Incumbent: No
Political Office: None
Submitted Biography: "I’m Paul Lyal Dellinger, a lifelong community advocate, content creator, acore/comedian and working-class Floridian running for Congress in Florida’s 8th District. I live in Rockledge with my partner, Joseph Cox, Professional Scenic Artist at the Cocoa Village Playhouse. My campaign is rooted in grassroots organizing — focused on affordable healthcare, affordability in general, supporting working families, and ensuring equality and dignity for every person. I believe change comes from the ground up, through compassion, accountability, and people power."
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Florida
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. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
Survey responses from candidates in this race
Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.
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.
| Collapse all
Paul Dellinger (D)
Accountability and transparency — ensuring government officials deliver on promises and are fully responsible to their constituents.
Grassroots empowerment — mobilizing communities to have a real voice in decisions that affect their lives, from local issues to federal policy.
Paul Dellinger (D)
Paul Dellinger (D)
Paul Dellinger (D)
Paul Dellinger (D)
Paul Dellinger (D)
Paul Dellinger (D)
Paul Dellinger (D)
Paul Dellinger (D)
Paul Dellinger (D)
Paul Dellinger (D)
Paul Dellinger (D)
Paul Dellinger (D)
Paul Dellinger (D)
Paul Dellinger (D)
Paul Dellinger (D)
Paul Dellinger (D)
Paul Dellinger (D)
Paul Dellinger (D)
Paul Dellinger (D)
Paul Dellinger (D)
Paul Dellinger (D)
Paul Dellinger (D)
Paul Dellinger (D)
Paul Dellinger (D)
Paul Dellinger (D)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Haridopolos | Republican Party | $831,326 | $415,681 | $673,808 | As of September 30, 2025 |
| Paul Dellinger | Democratic Party | $2,705 | $570 | $2,135 | As of September 30, 2025 |
| Lacey Villareal | Independent | $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." |
|||||
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 8th Congressional District election, 2026 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Race tracker | Race ratings | ||||||||
| 12/16/2025 | 12/9/2025 | 12/2/2025 | 11/25/2025 | ||||||
| The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | |||||
| Decision Desk HQ and The Hill | Pending | Pending | Pending | Pending | |||||
| Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | |||||
| Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball | Safe Republican | Safe Republican | Safe Republican | Safe 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 8
Mike Haridopolos (R) defeated Sandy Kennedy (D) in the general election for U.S. House Florida District 8 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mike Haridopolos (R) | 62.2 | 280,352 |
| | Sandy Kennedy (D) ![]() | 37.8 | 170,096 | |
| Total votes: 450,448 | ||||
= 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
- Jose Dieppa (No Party Affiliation)
Democratic primary
Democratic primary for U.S. House Florida District 8
Sandy Kennedy (D) defeated Daniel McDow (D) in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Florida District 8 on August 20, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Sandy Kennedy ![]() | 60.7 | 24,701 |
| | Daniel McDow ![]() | 39.3 | 15,999 | |
| Total votes: 40,700 | ||||
= 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 8
Mike Haridopolos (R) defeated John Hearton (R) and Joseph Babits (R) in the Republican primary for U.S. House Florida District 8 on August 20, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mike Haridopolos | 72.1 | 61,710 |
| | John Hearton ![]() | 21.7 | 18,604 | |
| | Joseph Babits | 6.1 | 5,250 | |
| Total votes: 85,564 | ||||
= 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
- Bill Posey (R)
- Brian Jones (R)
General election
General election for U.S. House Florida District 8
Incumbent Bill Posey (R) defeated Joanne Terry (D) in the general election for U.S. House Florida District 8 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Bill Posey (R) | 64.9 | 222,128 |
| | Joanne Terry (D) ![]() | 35.1 | 120,080 | |
| Total votes: 342,208 | ||||
= 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
Democratic primary for U.S. House Florida District 8
Joanne Terry (D) defeated Danelle Dodge (D) in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Florida District 8 on August 23, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Joanne Terry ![]() | 54.6 | 29,542 |
| | Danelle Dodge ![]() | 45.4 | 24,592 | |
| Total votes: 54,134 | ||||
= 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
- Perry Gregg (D)
Republican primary
The Republican primary scheduled for August 23, 2022, was canceled. Incumbent Bill Posey (R) advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Florida District 8 without appearing on the ballot.
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Patrick Wells (R)
General election
General election for U.S. House Florida District 8
Incumbent Bill Posey (R) defeated Jim Kennedy (D) in the general election for U.S. House Florida District 8 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Bill Posey (R) | 61.4 | 282,093 |
| | Jim Kennedy (D) | 38.6 | 177,695 | |
| Total votes: 459,788 | ||||
= 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 18, 2020, was canceled. Jim Kennedy (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Florida District 8 without appearing on the ballot.
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Hicham Ammi (D)
- Robert Fox (D)
- Dena Grayson (D)
- Tiffany Jean Patti (D)
Republican primary
Republican primary for U.S. House Florida District 8
Incumbent Bill Posey (R) defeated Scott Caine (R) in the Republican primary for U.S. House Florida District 8 on August 18, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Bill Posey | 62.5 | 54,861 |
Scott Caine ![]() | 37.5 | 32,952 | ||
| Total votes: 87,813 | ||||
= 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
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.

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+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 119th 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.
| Kamala Harris |
Donald Trump |
|---|---|
| 38.0% | 61.0% |
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 |
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.
| Office | Officeholder |
|---|---|
| Governor | |
| Lieutenant Governor | |
| Secretary of State | |
| Attorney General |
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
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2025 Cook PVI℠: District Map and List (119th Congress)," accessed July 1, 2025
