Republicans see this South Florida seat as key to keeping control of the House

Claire Heddles, Miami Herald on Jul 20, 2026

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MIAMI — The National Republican Campaign Committee is adding Florida’s new 22nd District stretching across almost the whole of South Florida as a key target to keeping control of the U.S. House in November.

House Republicans’ main campaign fundraising group added the district to its target list Monday, shortly after Democrats also announced plans to dump resources into trying to win the seat. The NRCC’s target list is focused on open and Democratic-held seats that the party thinks it can flip in their favor.

“Florida is ground zero for Republicans to grow our House majority in November,” NRCC spokesperson Maureen O’Toole said in a statement. “Voters in these Trump-won districts are ready to elect commonsense Republican leadership.”

The party is also targeting Darren Soto in the Orlando area, Jared Moskowitz in a coastal district stretching from Palm Beach to Miami Beach and Tampa-area Rep. Kathy Castor.

But Florida’s 22nd District is unique because it was newly drawn by Gov. Ron DeSantis in Florida’s new voting maps that increased the number of Republican-leaning seats in the state by four. Republicans are counting on Florida’s new voting maps to help them keep or grow their majority in the U.S. House this year.

The sprawling new district extends from Davie, north to Royal Palm Beach and across the entire state to Marco Island. There’s no incumbent in the race, and a wide open field of wealthy Republicans vying for the nomination.

Voters in the newly drawn district voted for Democrat Joe Biden by three percentage points in 2020 and Trump won by 10 points in 2024, according to analysis by Dave’s Redistricting, indicating it could be competitive for either party in November if there’s a surge of Democratic momentum.