Who's running in Florida's 17th 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.
3 candidates · ballot order · Greg Steube currently holds this seat
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.
Conservative principles and the administration's America First agenda, which his campaign names as its organising theme.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
U.S. Representative for the 17th District since January 2019; re-elected in 2024 with 63.9%.
Florida House of Representatives from 2010; Florida Senate from 2016.
U.S. Army: commissioned airborne infantry officer for one year, then captain in the JAG Corps for three years, including a deployment with the 25th Infantry Division in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Undergraduate degree in beef cattle sciences with a minor in agricultural law, and a law degree, both from the University of Florida.
Advanced from the August 18, 2026 Republican primary.
Arguments in favor
He legislates against the visa programme most Republicans only complain about: his EXILE Act would end H-1B outright. "American workers have been ripped off by the corrupt H-1B visa program for far too long... Prioritizing foreign labor over the well-being and prosperity of American citizens undermines our values and national interests."
— Greg Steube, quoted by Fox News
He has "utilized his legal and military background to build a record of accomplishment as a strong defender of conservative principles and the America First agenda", after service as an Army veteran and sixteen years in the Florida House, the Florida Senate and Congress.
— Greg Steube's campaign
Arguments against
His voting record runs against his own district's interests: votes against infrastructure spending and against green energy, support for abortion restrictions, and statements in favour of defunding investigations into Donald Trump. His opponent has published a running catalogue of them under the name Steube Watch, "to bring attention to prejudicial actions of our Congressman".
— Matthew Montavon, reported by Florida Politics
Debating the Equality Act he said transgender people are an "offense" to God and that people who choose their sexual identity imply "God did not know what he was doing when he created them" — using scripture, his Democratic colleagues argued, to justify discrimination.
— Democratic members of Congress responding to Steube's floor remarks
What we couldn’t verify
His committee assignments were not established from the sources found.
His campaign site sets out his principles but names no specific legislative achievement for the district; what he claims to have delivered locally was not established from the sources found.
No Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee page about him by name was found; the criticism above comes from his opponent and from floor debate.
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 Montavon by name could be found: not from Greg Steube or his campaign, not from the National Republican Congressional Committee, not from his Democratic primary opponent, and not from Sarasota area 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.
This is his second run for the seat; he lost the 2024 Democratic primary. His fundraising totals were not reported in material available.
His positions on health care financing and taxation were not stated in material available.
No-party-affiliation candidate for the 17th 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 Quirk by name could be found, and no published case for him beyond his own campaign site. As a candidate with no party organisation behind him 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.
Florida held its primary on August 18, 2026. Three candidates are on the November ballot: Republican incumbent Greg Steube, Democrat Matthew Montavon and Michael Quirk, running with no party affiliation. Florida enacted a new congressional map in May 2026 that reworked most of the state's districts, this one among them; it covers Sarasota, Charlotte and Lee counties. Roster from the Florida qualifying lists as reported by Politics1 and Wikipedia. Arguments are shown for Steube, a fourth-term member whose votes and statements his opponent has catalogued in public. No published criticism of Montavon or Quirk 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.