John ‘Q’ Quiñones looks to challenge Darren Soto in CD 9

Image via Florida House

Republican John “Q” Quiñones is running for election to Florida’s 9th Congressional District, challenging incumbent Democrat Darren Soto for the Central Florida seat.

Quiñones formerly served as a member of the Florida House, its first Puerto Rican member, and the Osceola County Commission.

“I am running for Congress because I believe that we need to restore common sense to Washington,” Quiñones said. “I will fight for the values that matter to our families and our community, like lower taxes, a better education for our children, and safe and secure communities. I have a proven track record of fighting for the people of Florida, and I pledge to be a strong voice for Central Florida in Congress.”

The National Republican Congressional Committee has listed CD 9 as one of 37 seats it is targeting as “vulnerable” in the 2024 elections, ripe for growing the party’s majority in the U.S. House. It’s the only Florida seat targeted. Republicans already control 20 of Florida’s 28 seats in the House.

The district is blue, with more than 38% of voters registered as Democrats and just 23% registered as Republicans, according to L2 voter data. But Republicans see an opening after the 2020 Election when President Joe Biden won the district with just shy of 53% of the vote to former President Donald Trump’s nearly 46%.

Soto last won the district in 2022 against Republican Scotty Moore with just under 54% of the vote to Moore’s more than 46%, a margin mirroring 2020 presidential results.

“I am confident that I can win this race and bring common sense back to Washington,” Quiñones said. “As a proud Puerto Rican-born American, I am asking for your support so that we can fix the broken economic policies of the Biden Administration and make a difference in the lives of hardworking Floridians and their families.”

In a news release, Quiñones noted the district is heavily Hispanic and mostly encompassed in Osceola County where he served as a County Commissioner. He previously ran for Congress in CD 9 in 2012 but lost in the GOP Primary.