Jacob Ogles
U.S. Rep. Darren Soto has almost $105,000 in the bank to defend from Republican attacks this year.
While the Kissimmee Democrat faces no GOP opponent for now, that money could be important as the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) still lists Soto as a target.
Soto last year won re-election with more than 55% of the vote, fending off a self-funded Republican challenger, Thomas Chalifoux, who outspent the incumbent.
It’s unclear who he may face in 2026. To date, only Stuart Farber, a candidate with no party affiliation and no reported fundraising, has filed to challenge Soto.
But the specter of a race fueled Soto to raise more than $158,000 through March, according to his April quarterly report to the Federal Election Commission. He already spent more than $67,000 of that but closed the quarter with about $105,000 in cash on hand.
The vast majority of fundraising for the Democratic incumbent came from PACs, including $5,000 checks from the American Crystal Sugar Company; the American Association of Crop Insurers; Fresenius Medical Care Holdings; the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers; the National Rural Letter Carriers Association; Saltchuk Resources; and the Space Exploration Technologies PAC.
The sampling of union money, agriculture support and tech dollars shows a coalition of donors behind the incumbent as he seeks a sixth term in the House.
Republicans have worked to make inroads in Osceola County, which makes up the bulk of Florida’s 9th Congressional District. In 2024, Republican Donald Trump won the majority of votes in the county over Democrat Kamala Harris, a major achievement for the GOP in the region.
That has largely been credited to growing popularity for conservatives among Latino voters. Soto, who is half Puerto Rican, has strong personal support within the community. But in prior cycles, the NRCC has looked to recruit other candidates with appeal to Hispanic voters.
