Jacob Ogles
U.S. Rep. Darren Soto just reported another nearly $162,000 in donations.
The Kissimmee Democrat has now raised more than $342,000 for re-election this cycle, according to his second-quarter fundraising report. The funding supports Soto’s campaign for a sixth term representing Florida’s 9th Congressional District.
He closed the fundraising period with almost $105,000 in cash on hand. That could be important, as the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) has listed the Democratic incumbent as a target in the 2026 elections.
But to date, the GOP has not seen any candidate emerge as a front-runner to challenge Soto.
Justin Story, a retired Marine officer, filed for the seat in May. But he has raised just under $4,200 since then.
Gregory Carter, an Army veteran, filed in January and amended his statement of candidacy in May. But has yet to report any donations to his campaign.
Another candidate, Stuart Farber, has also filed in the Republican Primary but hasn’t filed his first fundraising report, which is due Tuesday.
Soto in the second quarter reported about $9,400 donations from individual donors, along with $152,000 from various PACs.
In 2024, the NRCC also listed Soto as a vulnerable Democratic incumbent, but he fended off a challenge from Republican Thomas Chalifoux, a former Osceola School Board member who spent more than $2 million on the race. Soto over the course of the last election cycle spent $2.2 million.
Republicans have felt optimistic about a rightward shift in Osceola County — President Donald Trump won a majority of votes for President there in November.
But Soto won his own race by more than 12 percentage points over Chalifoux. That included winning almost 54% of the vote in Osceola County, compared to Chalifoux’s 44%.
Democrats also hope for a more Democratic-friendly climate in the Midterms, with Trump back in the White House and Democratic voters across the country energized.
