Democrats to pump resources into keeping Rep. Darren Soto's imperiled Orlando-area seat

Annie Martin, Orlando Sentinel on May 19, 2026

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ORLANDO, Fla. — The fundraising arm for congressional Democrats said this week it plans to steer additional resources to Rep. Darren Soto, whose Central Florida seat is imperiled after Florida leaders redrew the heavily blue district into one that strongly favors Republicans.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee said it has selected the District 9 race for its Frontline program, which funnels support toward reelecting Democrats in Congress in competitive races. The organization announced last year it was prioritizing two dozen Democratic incumbents across the country and on Monday said it was adding Soto, “who consistently delivers for his district,” to the list.

But Soto, who has been in office since 2017, will have an uphill climb this year given how the state’s Republican leaders redrew the state’s congressional map to favor their party, said Kyle Kondik, managing editor for Sabato’s Crystal Ball, a nonpartisan political analysis publication based at the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics.

“We have it as ‘likely Republican’ and that’s sort of a nod to Soto being the incumbent,” Kondik said. “It’s really just on the periphery of the competitive playing field. So long as this map stands, I just think it’s a really difficult district for a Democrat to hold.”

Incumbency isn’t as valuable as it once was, he added, and this year Soto must woo a lot of new voters who didn’t previously live in his district.

Soto represents one of four Democratic-leaning districts in Florida that were redrawn into Republican-heavy ones last month, as state lawmakers approved new congressional maps pushed by Gov. Ron DeSantis. The new map gives the GOP a likely 24-to-4 advantage. Currently, Republicans hold 20 of Florida’s 28 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Soto’s current district is heavily Hispanic and centered in Osceola County. It also includes part of Orange County and a sliver of Polk County. His new district stretches south from mostly Democratic Osceola to deep-red Glades County, which is more than 100 miles south of Kissimmee, Osceola’s seat.

Three lawsuits have been filed challenging Florida’s map. Last week, attorneys representing voters asked a state judge to block the new districts from being used in this year’s midterm elections, saying they amounted to gerrymandering and violated the state constitution. Instead, the attorneys said, the state should stick to district lines that were in effect for previous elections.

Soto is the first representative from the Sunshine State selected for the Democrats congressional program for the 2026 election cycle. Committee Chair Suzan DelBene praised Soto’s “steadfast efforts to protect our environment, secure disaster relief funding, improve access to health care and bring good-paying jobs” to his district in a statement about the organization’s decision to target his race.

The party committee declined to provide a dollar amount or the resources to be sent to Soto’s campaign.

“It’s clear Republicans think they can’t win against him fair and square, which is why they’ve resorted to rigging the congressional map, but Darren’s reputation as a someone who consistently delivers for his district will ensure he wins re-election this fall,” DelBene said in the release.

Soto, who has raised $1.2 million for the current cycle, said Monday that he and other Democrats whose district lines were redrawn were in “a battle for the soul of the south,” and they must continue to fight, even if the odds are stacked against them.

“If the maps hold up in court, although I believe they are absolutely unlawful, we need all the help we can get,” he said.

Soto’s most likely challenger in the general election appears to be Thomas Chalifoux, a 30-year Army veteran and businessman who has raised $2.2 million and won the GOP nomination in 2024. Soto beat Chalifoux that year, securing 55% of the vote.

For his part, Chalifoux is optimistic about his chances this year. If elected, he said he would take a hard line on illegal immigration and serve just two terms because Congress needs fewer “career politicians.”

“I don’t understand what the Democratic Party represents,” he said. “I just don’t understand what they bring to America that makes America better. They voted not to enforce the border.”

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