Florida voters will head to the polls on Aug. 18 to select party nominees in a governor's race, several redrawn congressional districts, and a primary featuring Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.), who faces allegations of domestic assault, stolen valor, and a reported Justice Department investigation.
Florida primary voters to choose governor nominees, decide fate of scandal-hit congressman on Aug. 18
Florida voters will head to the polls on Aug. 18 to select party nominees in a governor's race, several redrawn congressional districts, and a primary featuring Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.), who faces allegations of domestic assault, stolen valor, and a reported Justice Department investigation.
The Aug. 18 contests are the first since Florida implemented new congressional maps that experts believe will give Republicans an edge in four House districts in the November midterm elections. Incumbents in all four affected districts — Reps. Kathy Castor, Darren Soto, Lois Frankel, and Debbie Wasserman Schultz — are running unopposed in their respective Democratic primaries, though Frankel and Wasserman Schultz have opted to seek nomination in different districts than those they currently hold. President Trump has not endorsed a Republican candidate in any of the four redrawn districts.
In the newly drawn 25th Congressional District, centrist Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.), who has served in the House since 2023, faces a primary challenge from Oliver Larkin, 33, a Democratic Socialists of America member who has endorsed abolishing the Senate and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and who has called for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged war crimes in Gaza. Larkin touts endorsements from far-left streamer Hasan Piker and children's YouTuber Ms. Rachel on his campaign website. Moskowitz, a pro-Israel centrist backed by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, is polling ahead of Larkin and holds a fundraising advantage.
Wasserman Schultz, a member of Congress since 2005 and former chair of the Democratic National Committee, is running in the black-majority 20th Congressional District and faces multiple challengers. Among them is former Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.), who resigned from the House earlier this year after federal prosecutors indicted her on 15 counts related to her alleged use of $5 million in COVID-19 relief funds on her political campaigns and luxury goods, including a 3.14-carat yellow diamond ring. Cherfilus-McCormick is scheduled to go to trial in February and faces up to 53 years in prison if convicted of all charges. Wasserman Schultz also faces a challenge from rapper Luther 'Uncle Luke' Campbell, known for the 1980s hip-hop group 2 Live Crew. Polling in the race is split, with some surveys showing Campbell leading by 24 points and others showing Wasserman Schultz ahead by 18 points.
Mills, who holds the 7th Congressional District seat and has been endorsed by Trump three times, is being challenged by several Republicans including former Orlando news anchor Ryan Elijah. Elijah has secured endorsements from Reps. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) and Mike Haridopolos (R-Fla.). Mills is currently under investigation by the House Ethics Committee over what the committee has described as 'serious and complex' accusations and is reportedly being probed by the Justice Department. Mills denies any wrongdoing.
Eleven Republicans are competing for the GOP gubernatorial nomination, including Rep. Byron Donalds, Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner, and businessman James Fishback. Donalds, endorsed by Trump, leads the field by 34 percentage points according to a RealClearPolitics polling average, and has raised more than $100 million for his campaign and supporting committees. If elected in November, he would become Florida's first black governor. On the Democratic side, former Rep. David Jolly, who served in the House between 2014 and 2017 and subsequently became a cable news commentator, is the favorite. Jolly left the Republican Party in 2018 to become an independent, joined Andrew Yang's Forward Party in 2022, and registered as a Democrat in 2025 to run for governor. Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is term-limited, has not endorsed a candidate in the governor's race.
- The source does not state what specific domestic assault or stolen valor allegations have been made against Mills, or by whom.
- The source does not confirm whether the reported Justice Department investigation of Mills is official or at what stage it stands.
- The source does not state the total fundraising figures for candidates other than Donalds.
- The source does not provide polling figures for the 25th Congressional District race between Moskowitz and Larkin beyond noting Moskowitz leads.
- The source does not name the pollsters or methodologies behind the conflicting 20th Congressional District surveys.
- The source does not state Cherfilus-McCormick's response to her indictment or the charges against her.
Read the original at New York Post