Ryan Nicol
Republican congressional candidate George Moraitis is piling up resources in his bid to take on Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz in Florida’s 23rd Congressional District.
A release from the Moraitis campaign said he ended the first quarter fundraising reporting period with more than $250,000 in cash on hand.
Moraitis’ release did not specify how much of that bankroll came from outside donations. His report is not yet available for review on the Federal Election Commission site.
But in a statement announcing the money totals, Moraitis framed the haul as a sign of support for his campaign.
“The reaction and support we have received since announcing our run for CD 23 has been overwhelming. It’s a great honor to have so much support from the community in such a short amount of time and shows the voters of CD 23 are ready for a change,” Moraitis said.
“Voters across the district are eager for fresh leadership in Washington from a Representative who will focus on delivering real solutions that uplift Floridians – someone who will prioritize economic growth, fiscal responsibility, national security, and protecting the American way of life.”
Moraitis formally announced his bid for the seat in early March, meaning he collected that total in just a few weeks rather than the entire three-month period.
Moraitis is a former member of the Florida House who served from 2010 to 2018 before running into term limits. He’s also a lawyer and a U.S. Navy veteran.
He’s not the only Republican looking to flip Moskowitz’s seat. Republican candidate Joe Kaufman, who lost to Moskowitz by nearly 5 points last November, is also running again.
This seat is squarely on Republicans’ radar. The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) has listed Moskowitz and U.S. Rep. Darren Soto as two of 26 Democratic incumbents they are targeting to unseat in 2026. That means Moraitis would get plenty of financial help should he win the GOP nomination.
The NRCC similarly invested in CD 23 in 2022, when the seat was open. Moskowitz won with 53% of the vote, making it the thinnest margin of victory of any U.S. House race in Florida that year.
Similar support did not come last cycle, but Moskowitz won a reasonably close contest again.
