Florida's 2nd Congressional District election, 2026: Difference between revisions

From Ballotpedia
Jump to: navigation, search
m (Text replacement - "{{FlPrimaryNoYear26}}" to "{{PrimaryNoYear26|Florida}}")
m (Text replacement - "{{FlFilingDeadlineNotes26}}" to "{{FilingDeadlineNotes26|Florida/U.S. House}}")
 
Line 29: Line 29:
{{IntroBreakoffLinks|Page=Florida's 2nd Congressional District election, 2026}}
{{IntroBreakoffLinks|Page=Florida's 2nd Congressional District election, 2026}}
==Candidates and election results==
==Candidates and election results==
{{FlFilingDeadlineNotes26}}
{{FilingDeadlineNotes26|Florida/U.S. House}}
<APIWidget where='races.id=64329' template='ElectionSection' extra_params='{"type":"all"}' />
<APIWidget where='races.id=64329' template='ElectionSection' extra_params='{"type":"all"}' />
==Candidate profiles==
==Candidate profiles==

Latest revision as of 14:45, 8 July 2025



2024
Florida's 2nd Congressional District
Ballotpedia Election Coverage Badge.png
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 2nd Congressional District
1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th10th11th12th13th14th15th16th17th18th19th20th21st22nd23rd24th25th26th27th28th
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 2nd 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 2

Incumbent Neal Dunn, Yen Bailey, Amanda Green, and Nicholas Zateslo are running in the general election for U.S. House Florida District 2 on November 3, 2026.


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.

Image of Nicholas Zateslo

WebsiteFacebookTwitterYouTube

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography "I grew up in Tallahassee, graduated from Rickards, and earned my degree at USF. I spent my early career running tough campaigns across Florida and later led a statewide coalition that modernized voter access. In California, and back home in Tallahassee, I built software and data tools for campaigns and nonprofits: the unglamorous work that makes big operations actually work. I’m an Eagle Scout; my project was the Torreya State Park trail map that’s still in use. My wife is a mental‑health therapist, and we’re raising two young boys here in North Florida. I’m running for Congress for three main reasons. First, to restore checks and balances: honest oversight, clean single‑issue bills, and a House that legislates instead of governing by crisis. Second, to prepare families and small businesses for the upheaval caused by AI and automation, I’ll promote pro‑people policies, innovative solutions, and safeguard privacy and cybersecurity, while leveraging technology to make government more straightforward, efficient, and affordable. Closer to home, I’ll fight to lower property‑insurance costs, harden Gulf Coast infrastructure around places like Tyndall and Port Panama City, protect Apalachicola Bay and Wakulla Springs, and finish rural broadband. I’ll tell the truth, show up, and vote for good ideas no matter who proposes them."


Key Messages

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


Country over party; checks and balances. No one gets a blank check for power—ever. I’ll help the House do its job again: real oversight that follows facts, subpoenas that mean something, and clean, single-issue bills instead of 2,000-page hostage packages. Publish the text, allow genuine amendments, record the votes, and end the spectacle hearings. When we legislate in daylight, we can pass what we agree on and block executive power-grabs—no matter who sits in the White House.


Lower costs & stronger communities. Families are getting squeezed—insurance premiums, rent and mortgages, child care, and groceries keep climbing while carriers pull out and wages lag. I’ll lead a Gulf Coast plan that lowers costs and strengthens communities: expand a federal reinsurance backstop; turbo‑charge home‑hardening grants that actually cut insurance bills; invest in resilient bases, ports, roads, and rural broadband; boost housing supply and affordability; make child care more available and affordable; and block price‑gouging and unlawful tariff gimmicks that spike prices. Safer homes, lower bills, faster rebuilds.


Smart and honest approach to AI and technology. I believe in harnessing technology and AI to boost productivity while ensuring working people benefit from these advances. I'll advocate for strong consumer protections including privacy rights, cybersecurity measures, and transparency requirements. My focus includes developing innovative approaches to portable benefits, income security, flexible work arrangements, and retirement planning. I'm also committed to streamlining federal services to make government more efficient, accessible, and cost-effective for everyone.

Voting information

See also: Voting in Florida

Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.

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.

Expand all | Collapse all

Country over party; checks and balances.

No one gets a blank check for power—ever. I’ll help the House do its job again: real oversight that follows facts, subpoenas that mean something, and clean, single-issue bills instead of 2,000-page hostage packages. Publish the text, allow genuine amendments, record the votes, and end the spectacle hearings. When we legislate in daylight, we can pass what we agree on and block executive power-grabs—no matter who sits in the White House.

Lower costs & stronger communities.

Families are getting squeezed—insurance premiums, rent and mortgages, child care, and groceries keep climbing while carriers pull out and wages lag. I’ll lead a Gulf Coast plan that lowers costs and strengthens communities: expand a federal reinsurance backstop; turbo‑charge home‑hardening grants that actually cut insurance bills; invest in resilient bases, ports, roads, and rural broadband; boost housing supply and affordability; make child care more available and affordable; and block price‑gouging and unlawful tariff gimmicks that spike prices. Safer homes, lower bills, faster rebuilds.

Smart and honest approach to AI and technology. I believe in harnessing technology and AI to boost productivity while ensuring working people benefit from these advances. I'll advocate for strong consumer protections including privacy rights, cybersecurity measures, and transparency requirements. My focus includes developing innovative approaches to portable benefits, income security, flexible work arrangements, and retirement planning. I'm also committed to streamlining federal services to make government more efficient, accessible, and cost-effective for everyone.
Making government work for people again. That means clean, single‑issue bills; honest oversight; and services that are simple, fast, and reliable. I’m focused on the cost‑of‑living squeeze, especially Florida’s property‑insurance crisis, plus housing, mental and medical health care, and resilient infrastructure. I’m committed to protecting our natural resources, such as Apalachicola Bay and Wakulla Springs, and expanding rural broadband. And I’ll lead on AI and cybersecurity, so innovation helps workers and small businesses instead of leaving people behind.
Tell the truth, show up, and put country over party. Voters deserve someone who says what they believe, answers hard questions, and votes for good ideas no matter who proposes them. Competence matters—read the bills, do the oversight, and focus on outcomes, not headlines. And finally, listen. I’ll meet people where they are, treat everyone with respect, and build coalitions that actually get things done.
Represent your district honestly; legislate with competence; conduct fair oversight; deliver responsive constituent services; and be present at town halls, base visits, small‑business roundtables, and in the communities you serve.
The 2000 Presidential election was the first significant event I paid attention to. I was living in Tallahassee, and watched up close as that all unfolded.
My first job was at Wallwood Boy Scout Camp in Quincy, FL. I began as the Scoutcraft Director, handling camping, cooking, fishing, and wilderness survival, and five years later, I finished my tenure as the Assistant Director, then called the Commissioner.
The House is closest to the people; it is our real direct power in the Federal government. Single‑member districts, two‑year terms, and the constitutional “power of the purse.” Its scale and rules can enable rapid, responsive legislating and robust oversight when we let committees work, allow real amendments, and keep bills clean. Done right, the House is the public’s daily voice in federal government—fast feedback, transparent debate, and rigorous investigation grounded in facts.
Helpful, yes—required, no. We need both institutional know‑how and real‑world problem solvers. My background blends both: years running campaigns and coalitions in Florida, plus hands‑on work building software and data systems that make complex operations function. I’ll hire experienced staff, listen to subject‑matter experts, and keep the humility and curiosity to learn. But I’ll never confuse “how it’s always been done” with “what’s best for people.”
Two big ones. First, defending the Constitution, our checks and balances, the rule of law, and congressional oversight, from authoritarian erosion. No president should have unaccountable power, and Congress needs to get back to doing its job with real oversight and clean, single‑issue bills. Second, preparing for the whiplash of AI and automation. I'm excited about the upside, but clear‑eyed about the risks: job displacement, inequality, national security, and data privacy. We need smart guardrails and pro‑people policies: reskilling, stronger safety nets, and responsible deployment—while using technology to make government work better.
Yes. The two‑year term keeps the House directly accountable to voters. The real fix is cleaning up money in politics, ending partisan gerrymandering, and restoring regular order so members spend more time legislating and less time dialing for dollars.
I'm generally not in favor of short, strict term limits—voters already have the power to hire and fire us every election. Florida's experience shows term limits don't remove entrenched power; they shift it to lobbyists and unelected staff. That said, I'm open to longer limits (15–20 years) if they come as part of a broader reform package that gets big money out of politics and ends partisan gerrymandering. Those two problems are the real drivers of unaccountable incumbency.
Yes—when it delivers good, fair policy that improves people's lives. I'll vote for a good idea no matter who proposes it. I won't support compromise for its own sake if it stuffs harmful provisions into giant omnibus bills. My preference is single‑issue or "clean" bills so we can agree where we actually agree without the poison‑pill tradeoffs.
’d use the power of the purse to put families first and simplify the code. That means resilience tax credits that actually cut insurance bills, closing loopholes that reward offshoring and monopolies, and pay‑fors that are honest and transparent. And it means insisting that Ways and Means markups and bill text are public and “clean,” not vehicles for unrelated poison pills.
Seriously and sparingly—focused on facts, not theatrics. Priorities: safeguarding constitutional rules, rooting out waste/fraud/abuse, protecting elections from foreign/corporate interference, and ensuring agencies implement laws as written. Work with Inspectors General and GAO, publish evidence, respect due process, and issue recommendations that translate into fix‑it legislation.
Set the rules of the road, invest in people, and use the tech to serve—not replace—the public. I’ll push for a framework that:

Protects privacy and security. Pass a real federal data‑privacy law with data‑minimization and breach‑notification requirements; mandate safety testing/red‑teaming and incident reporting for high‑risk systems; harden critical infrastructure; and set export controls where national security is at stake.

Demands transparency where it matters. Clear labeling/watermarking of synthetic media; algorithmic impact assessments and auditable logs for high‑risk uses; and the right to an explanation and appeal when decisions affect benefits, health, credit, employment, or liberty. No secret black boxes deciding people’s lives.

Puts workers first. A “GI Bill for automation” with rapid retraining, apprenticeships, and community‑college partnerships; portable benefits and wage‑insurance pilots; and incentives for deployments that augment workers. Companies planning large AI‑driven layoffs should provide notice, transition support, and funding for local training hubs.

Keeps markets competitive and the nation safe. Prevent compute/data monopolies with competition policy and cloud transparency; support open standards and trusted open research; protect supply chains; and target deepfake and cyber threats to elections and critical services.

Delivers better government. Align federal procurement with NIST‑style risk frameworks; pilot AI to cut backlogs and fraud at VA/SSA/USCIS while keeping humans in the loop for benefits, health, and justice decisions; require accessibility from the start; measure outcomes and publish results.

Here in North Florida, that means partnering with FSU/FAMU and our military and industry partners to stand up an AI apprenticeship and cybersecurity hub that creates good jobs while protecting people’s rights.
Make elections fair, auditable, and mapped by voters—not politicians. I’d back a clean bill with three pillars:

1) Redistricting reform. Ban partisan gerrymandering nationwide and require independent citizen commissions for congressional maps. Set clear, uniform criteria: equal population; contiguity and compactness; respect for communities of interest and city/county boundaries; and a flat prohibition on advantaging a party or incumbent. Make the whole process transparent—open meetings, public data, side‑by‑side draft maps, written justifications, and real time for public comment and citizen‑submitted maps. Restore and modernize Voting Rights Act protections so communities of color can elect candidates of choice, and create fast‑track federal review so illegal maps are fixed before an election—not after.

2) Secure, auditable voting with basic access. Keep the floor simple and funded for the long haul: paper ballots (or voter‑verifiable paper backups) with routine risk‑limiting audits; stable grants for equipment, cybersecurity, training, accessibility, and nonpartisan poll‑worker recruitment; protection for election workers from threats and doxxing; and streamlined access—automatic/online registration, a minimum early‑voting window (including a weekend), and vote‑by‑mail with tracking and a clear cure process.

3) Clean campaigns & money‑in‑politics transparency. Real‑time, itemized disclosure of political spending and donors above sensible thresholds—including shell companies and pass‑throughs—with beneficial‑ownership reporting so foreign or anonymous money can’t hide. Apply “paid for by” disclaimers and public ad libraries to digital ads; strengthen anti‑coordination rules; tighten the ban on foreign influence (including foreign‑influenced corporations); and fix FEC enforcement so violations are investigated and resolved on deadlines that mean something. Give candidates a voluntary small‑donor matching option so people—not big checkbooks—drive campaigns.

States would still run their elections. The federal role is to set fair maps and a common‑sense floor so every eligible voter can cast a ballot, every valid ballot is counted, and the lines and campaigns reflect real communities—not partisan engineering or dark money.


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
Neal Dunn Republican Party $408,180 $189,893 $307,746 As of June 30, 2025
Yen Bailey Democratic Party $73,934 $36,601 $52,705 As of June 30, 2025
Amanda Green Democratic Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
Nicholas Zateslo Democratic Party $61,626 $15,545 $46,081 As of June 30, 2025

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 2nd Congressional District election, 2026
Race trackerRace ratings
10/14/202510/7/20259/30/20259/23/2025
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

This section will contain information on ballot access related to this state's elections when it is available.

District history

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

2024

See also: Florida's 2nd Congressional District election, 2024

Florida's 2nd Congressional District election, 2024 (August 20 Republican primary)

Florida's 2nd Congressional District election, 2024 (August 20 Democratic primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Florida District 2

Incumbent Neal Dunn defeated Yen Bailey in the general election for U.S. House Florida District 2 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Neal Dunn
Neal Dunn (R)
 
61.6
 
247,957
Image of Yen Bailey
Yen Bailey (D) Candidate Connection
 
38.4
 
154,323

Total votes: 402,280
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 election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Yen Bailey advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Florida District 2.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Florida District 2

Incumbent Neal Dunn defeated Rhonda Woodward in the Republican primary for U.S. House Florida District 2 on August 20, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Neal Dunn
Neal Dunn
 
82.7
 
69,113
Rhonda Woodward Candidate Connection
 
17.3
 
14,456

Total votes: 83,569
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

2022

See also: Florida's 2nd Congressional District election, 2022

General election

General election for U.S. House Florida District 2

Incumbent Neal Dunn defeated incumbent Alfred Lawson in the general election for U.S. House Florida District 2 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Neal Dunn
Neal Dunn (R)
 
59.8
 
180,236
Image of Alfred Lawson
Alfred Lawson (D)
 
40.2
 
121,153

Total votes: 301,389
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 election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Alfred Lawson advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Florida District 2.

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Neal Dunn advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Florida District 2.

2020

See also: Florida's 2nd Congressional District election, 2020

General election

General election for U.S. House Florida District 2

Incumbent Neal Dunn defeated Kim O'Connor in the general election for U.S. House Florida District 2 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Neal Dunn
Neal Dunn (R)
 
97.9
 
305,337
Image of Kim O'Connor
Kim O'Connor (No Party Affiliation) (Write-in)
 
2.1
 
6,662

Total votes: 311,999
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 election

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Neal Dunn advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Florida District 2.



District analysis

This section will contain facts and figures related to this district's elections when those are available.

See also

Florida 2026 primaries 2026 U.S. Congress elections
Seal of Florida.png
Ballotpedia Election Coverage Badge.png
CongressLogosmall.png
Florida congressional delegation
Voting in Florida
Florida elections:
202620252024202320222021202020192018
Democratic primary battlegrounds
Republican primary battlegrounds
U.S. Senate Democratic primaries
U.S. Senate Republican primaries
U.S. House Democratic primaries
U.S. House Republican primaries
U.S. Congress elections
U.S. Senate elections
U.S. House elections
Special elections
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


Senators
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)