Darren SotoDarren Soto

Rep. Darren Soto has grown into a leader on the U.S.-Israel relationship over his five terms representing the Orlando area, driving new cooperation between the United States and Israel in agriculture technology. After October 7th, he cosponsored and voted for legislation backing Israel and affirming its right to self-defense while condemning Hamas and its barbaric attack on the Jewish state.

Republicans redrew this seat in an effort to defeat Rep. Darren Soto, making his new seat one that Trump would have won by 18% in 2024. Soto, however, is a strong candidate who outperformed Harris in his current district. Trump’s performance in 2024 overstates how Republican the district is—if the newly drawn district boundaries had been in place for the 2020 presidential election, Trump would have won by 6.8%. People of color are the majority of the population in the district. As Trump’s popularity, especially with Latino voters, has dropped significantly, Soto has an opening to bring voters back to the blue column.