Darren Soto is the Democratic incumbent seeking re-election in Florida's 9th Congressional District, covering Osceola County and parts of Orange and Polk Counties. Florida's Republican-controlled legislature approved a revised congressional map in 2026 that reshapes Soto's district to favor Republicans as part of a broader change expanding the GOP's advantage to 24 of the state's 28 districts, and the Cook Political Report has since shifted the race from "Solid Democratic" to "Likely Republican" -- even though Soto outran Kamala Harris's 2024 performance in the district by nine points. Despite the tougher map, Soto has confirmed he will run again.
Born in Ringwood, New Jersey, to a Puerto Rican father, Soto earned a B.A. from Rutgers College in 2000 and a J.D. from George Washington University in 2004, working as an attorney and financial analyst before entering elected office. He served in the Florida House from 2007 to 2012 and the Florida Senate from 2012 to 2016, where he was deputy minority whip, before being elected to Congress in 2016, succeeding Alan Grayson. He has since won re-election four times and is a member of the New Democrat Coalition, Congressional Progressive Caucus, Problem Solvers Caucus, and Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Over nearly a decade in Congress, he has missed just 0.6% of roll call votes, a better attendance record than the median member.
In Congress, Soto has passed legislation including the Puerto Rico Medicaid Equality Bill, a Venezuela Temporary Protected Status bill, and the Restoring Resilient Reefs Act, and has helped secure more than $1 billion in COVID-19 relief for his district, $233 million for Orlando International Airport upgrades, and billions more toward the Beyond I-4 Ultimate highway project and SunRail and Brightline rail expansion. He has served on the Energy and Commerce and Natural Resources committees, working on the American Rescue Plan, the Infrastructure Law, and the Lower Drug Costs Now Act, and has led Congressional Hispanic Caucus opposition to a proposed census citizenship question and to the Trump administration's border wall.
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