Democratic U.S. Congressman Darren Soto of Central Florida is on track to narrowly defeat Republican challenger Dan Green for the District 9 seat Tuesday, with less than a single percentage point between them.
As of early Wednesday afternoon, Soto had 50.3 percent of the vote — equal to 143,174 votes — while Green received 141,697 votes, equal to 49.7 percent of the vote, with 99 percent of votes recorded, according to the Associated Press.
Soto and the Florida Democratic Party declared victory for Soto Tuesday night, even as a recount remained in the realm of possibility Wednesday morning.
A recount, by law, is triggered if the margin between candidates is 0.5 percentage points or less. As of publication, the margin is 0.52 percent with 1 percent of votes left uncounted.
“I am humbled and grateful that the good people of Florida’s Ninth Congressional District have chosen me to represent them in Washington once again,” Soto shared in a statement Tuesday night. “Despite the Florida Republican legislature’s efforts to redraw me out of this district, my record of delivering for Florida showed voters that I am a reliable fighter for them in Congress.”
Soto, a centrist-leaning Democrat, was first elected to U.S. Congress in 2016 as the first Puerto Rican to join Congress from Florida. Soto, however, faced a more difficult fight to hold onto his seat this year, following a Republican-led redistricting effort in Florida that gerrymandered his district into one that is more Republican-leaning.
Green, a military veteran from Vero Beach, performed better this year than Soto in the more Republican-leaning counties within the district, such as Indian River and Polk County, while Soto maintained a confident lead in the more Democratic-leaning Orange County and Osceola County.
In 2024, Soto handily won re-election to his District 9 seat by more than 12 percentage points. “I have spoken to voters across this new district, from Orange to Osceola to Polk to Indian River to Okeechobee to Highlands and to Glades, about the issues they are facing and how I can best serve them,” said Soto. “Across the district, voters shared their struggles to afford basic necessities as costs rise, including groceries to feed their families, gas to get to work and appointments, and health insurance to help keep them healthy.”
Soto’s District 9 Congressional seat was one of just a few considered to be most vulnerable to a Republican flip this fall, as a result of the state-level redistricting, along with Tampa-area Congressman Kathy Castor, who also eked out a victory Tuesday.
Democrats nationwide scored upset congressional victories Tuesday, in blue and red states alike, allowing the party to regain control of both the U.S. House and Senate.
In Texas, Democrat James Talarico defeated Republican Ken Paxton for U.S. Senate, becoming the first Democrat to win a statewide seat in Texas since 1994.
Medicare for All supporter Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive Democrat and former public health official, defeated Republican Mike Rogers in a U.S. Senate race in Michigan after facing racist attacks from President Donald Trump (and a last-minute rebuke from his Democratic primary opponent Haley Stevens, who endorsed Rogers after previously endorsing El-Sayed).
And Democrat Troy Jackson, a former logger and progressive, bested longtime GOP Congresswoman Susan Collins in Maine.
“Our candidates, no matter where they ran, no matter how they fit into our big-tent party, campaigned relentlessly on lowering costs and cleaning up Donald Trump and JD Vance’s rampant corruption,” Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin said in a statement Tuesday night. “They shattered Trump and Vance’s 2024 coalition by winning back voters of color, young voters and independents — not with empty platitudes, but by doing the hard work of organizing everywhere.”
In Florida, Republicans narrowly held onto control of the governor’s mansion, the U.S. Senate seat held by Republican Ashley Moody, and other statewide races that were neck-to-neck right up until the final votes were being recorded Tuesday night.
But Florida Democrats did manage to snag a formerly Republican-held Senate seat and break a supermajority in the Florida House by flipping 15 seats.
That includes Florida House District 69, where Tampa Democrat Ashley Herrmann, a progressive and open member of the Democratic Socialists of America, defeated Republican Danny Alvarez in his bid for re-election to the seat. She’s the first socialist elected to the Florida Legislature in over a century.
“Last night, Florida voters sent a clear message: After years of unchecked, one-party control in Tallahassee, they’re ready for change,” said Florida Democratic Party chair Nikki Fried in a statement. “Democrats gained 15 seats in the Florida House, broke the Republican supermajority, and flipped another seat in the Senate. These are significant victories that will fundamentally change the balance of power in our state Capitol.”
