Who's running in Florida's 11th congressional district
3 candidates are on the ballot. Below is what each one says they stand for, what they have actually done in office or in public life, and the arguments published for and against them — each quoted from a named source rather than summarised by us.
Medium confidenceMedium confidenceThe candidate's stated positions and basic record are documented, but coverage is thin — often little independent reporting, or criticism from only one side.What would raise it: More independent reporting, a documented voting record, or published criticism from a named opponent would raise this.
What they say they stand for
Their own words. Claims, not verified facts.
Banning insider trading by members of Congress.
Congressional term limits.
A balanced budget amendment to restrain federal spending.
Business-minded rather than career-political leadership.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
Founder of Strada Services; employs roughly 4,000 people, several hundred of them in this district.
Established the Strada Training Program in 2003, a paid apprenticeship scheme in electrical, air conditioning and plumbing trades with guaranteed job placement.
Won the August 18, 2026 Republican primary for the open seat.
Has not held elected office.
Arguments in favor
He is an "American success story" — a Central Florida businessman who built a large home-services company and is "someone who understands" running a payroll rather than a campaign. Attorney General James Uthmeier, Sheriff Wayne Ivey and State Attorney Bill Gladson all backed him.
— James Uthmeier, Wayne Ivey and Bill Gladson, reported by Florida Politics
Republican voters chose him over a 25-year officeholder who lives outside the district and voted for tax increases during the Great Recession — the choice was between a career in office and someone from outside politics.
— Joe Strada's campaign advertisement about Carey Baker; Florida's Voice checked the claims and found the core of them supported by the record
Arguments against
"You don't serve Central Florida by hiding behind a $5 million checkbook and skipping debates." He loaned his own campaign $5 million and outspent the entire primary field.
— James Pericola
The member whose seat this is did not want him: Daniel Webster endorsed Carey Baker as his successor, and Strada finished only 403 votes ahead across tens of thousands cast, confirmed by a three-county machine recount.
— Daniel Webster's endorsement of Carey Baker, reported by The Hill; recount margin reported by Spectrum News 13
What we couldn’t verify
He has held no elected office, so there is no voting record to set against his campaign's positions.
His positions on Social Security, Medicare and health care costs — the issues his opponent is running on in a district containing The Villages — were not established from the sources found.
Won the August 18, 2026 Democratic primary for the open seat.
Arguments in favor
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
Arguments against
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
What we couldn’t verify
No published criticism of Pericola by name could be found: not from Joe Strada or his campaign, not from the National Republican Congressional Committee, not from his Democratic primary opponents, and not from central Florida news coverage. Because no case against him exists on the record, none is presented for him either, rather than showing his own campaign's case unanswered.
He founded a government relations and consulting firm and has worked as a lobbyist; whether that becomes an issue in the general election was not established from the sources found.
His fundraising totals were not reported in material available.
Libertarian Party candidate for the 11th District, qualified for the November 3, 2026 general election.
Arguments in favor
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
Arguments against
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
What we couldn’t verify
No published criticism of Groves by name could be found, and no published case for him beyond his own campaign site. As a minor-party candidate he has drawn very little coverage. Because no case against him exists on the record, none is presented for him either.
His fundraising and any endorsements were not reported in material available.
Positions and criticism are quoted from the named sources, not our assessments. This is built to help you start getting informed — confirm the official candidate list with your election authority before you vote.
This seat is open: Republican incumbent Daniel Webster is not on the November ballot. Three candidates are: Republican Joe Strada, Democrat James Pericola and Libertarian Ralph Groves. Strada won the Republican nomination by 403 votes over former state Sen. Carey Baker — Webster's own preferred successor — and only after a machine recount in three counties. Florida enacted a new congressional map in May 2026 that reworked most of the state's districts, this one among them; it covers The Villages and central Florida, and remains solidly Republican. Roster from the Florida qualifying lists as reported by Politics1 and Wikipedia. Arguments are shown for Strada, who came through a contested primary and has been criticised by name. No published criticism of Pericola or Groves by name was found, so neither column is filled for them; their positions and records are in their profiles.
This is one contest on a longer ballot
A Florida ballot also carries state legislative districts, county offices, judicial seats and often local questions — and which of them you vote on is decided by your street address, not your city or ZIP code.
Your ballot is determined by your election authority, not by us. Verify your registration, precinct, and sample ballot at Florida Division of Elections.