Jacob Ogles
Winter Garden lawyer Lee Steinhauer has filed to run in House District 45, setting up a Primary in arguably Florida’s hottest 2026 House race.
The President of The Steinhauer Group, a strategic government and legal affairs firm located in Central Florida, and author of “The Art of the New Cold War,” Steinhauer previously ran in House District 44 in 2020, before the last round of redistricting. But he withdrew from that contest before the Republican Primary.
The longtime lobbyist will face Orange County GOP Chair Erin Huntley, who announced her candidacy in January and has already raised more than six figures between her campaign and political committee. Allies of Steinhauer expect him to match or outpace that fundraising in his first quarter.
Steinhauer’s entry to the race will heighten interest in an already high-profile contest in 2026.
The winner of next year’s Republican Primary will face Rep. Leonard Spencer, a Gotha Democrat. Spencer last year unseated Republican Rep. Carolina Amesty, a Windermere Republican and the only GOP lawmaker in the Legislature to lose re-election in 2024.
Following two Democratic Representatives switching parties ahead of the Legislative Session, Spencer remains the only Democrat in the House currently representing a district where a majority of voters supported Republican Donald Trump in November.
That has Republicans eager to fight to take back the seat. But first, they will have to battle with one another.
Huntley will likely have significant support from the state party. Republican Party of Florida Chair Evan Power donated money to her campaign already, and as Chair of the Republican Party of Florida’s Chairman Caucus, she will have access to a statewide network of donor support.
But there has also been tension within the Orange County GOP, one of the few areas in Florida where Republicans have lost ground in recent years.
Now, it appears Huntley and Steinhauer will engage in what could be a lengthy Primary, giving both sides time to raise — and spend — heavy resources ahead of an Aug. 18, 2026, election date.
