Jacob Ogles
U.S. Rep. Darren Soto has kept a Central Florida seat in Democratic hands and secured a fifth term in the House despite being targeted by House Republicans.
Soto defeated Thomas Chalifoux, a deep-pocketed opponent with a cash advantage. Soto was leading with 70% of the vote in Florida’s 9th Congressional District with 14 precincts reporting.
Soto, a Kissimmee Democrat, expressed confidence throughout the election that he and other Democrats would do well in Central Florida. He said many of his constituents felt motivated to block Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump from returning to the White House, something exacerbated by a Trump rally at Madison Square Garden widely criticized for incendiary rhetoric by several speakers.
“There’s no question we’re better off compared to four years ago,” Soto said. “Is it that long ago that we forget we were hunkered down in our homes facing a 100-year pandemic, the economy was in free fall, and we kicked Donald Trump out of office because of his incompetence, his inability to handle a major crisis. And then when we got President (Joe) Biden and Vice President Harris in office.”
But Chalifoux, a former Osceola School Board member, challenged Soto with the backing of the National Republican Congressional Committee and a tremendous personal reserve. Thanks largely to self-funding, Chalifoux reported almost $1.5 million in spending through Oct. 16. He loaned his campaign $2.5 million, and he entered the last few weeks of campaign season with almost $1.2 million in cash.
By comparison, Soto raised more than $1.9 million this election cycle, and closed the period with about $185,000.
“Under Darren Soto’s watch, inflation has battered our families, crime has surged, and our communities have been left vulnerable,” Chalifoux said ahead of the election.
“I’m running to bring real solutions that lower costs, tackle crime, and support families, not just special interests in Washington. I’ll work tirelessly to restore stability and safety, and I’m asking for your vote so I can earn your trust by delivering the results you deserve. Together, we can take back control of our economy and our communities.”
Republicans have turned attention on CD 9 in recent years due to shifts in voter registration.
Florida’s 9th Congressional District remains a Democratic district, but it’s a closer divide than four years ago. According to the latest book closing reports ahead of the Nov. 5 General Election, CD 9 was home to more than 170,000 registered Democrats and upward of 123,000 Republicans. Two years ago, Democrats outnumbered Republicans 191,000 to 115,000.
Soto in 2022 returned to Washington with the narrowest margin of victory of any member of Florida’s congressional delegation. But that was in a Republican wave year (in Florida at least). Democrats long asserted that Republicans wouldn’t match that performance in a Presidential Election year. In a Hispanic-performing district, Soto notably also is Florida’s first Congressman of Puerto Rican descent.
The incumbent secured funding for SunRail and numerous water projects. Soto in August announced a $188 million Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act loan to the Toho Water Authority.
Soto suggested many of the voters in the region will feel a kinship with “Caribbean sister” Kamala Harris, a Democratic presidential nominee with family roots in Jamaica. Speaking about nationwide results leading up to Election Day, he said he felt confident that voters would send him back to a Democrat-controlled Congress.
“I think on Election Night we’re going to see, with all of our hard work, a narrow but important victory in the House,” he said.
