Who's running in Florida's 2nd congressional district
2 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.
Supporting the administration's America First agenda.
Securing the border.
Supporting law enforcement and the military.
Defending what he calls Florida values and prioritising American families.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
General counsel to U.S. Senator Rick Scott; worked on legislative drafting, congressional hearings and investigations.
Says his work supported Eastern Shipbuilding, public safety efforts and local fishermen and small businesses on federal compliance.
Panama City native; graduate of Mosley High School and Duke University School of Law.
Won the August 18, 2026 Republican primary for the open seat.
Has not held elected office.
Arguments in favor
He arrives with a bill already drafted and the Hill experience to move it. The Safe Kids Act, which he wrote working for Sen. Rick Scott, targets Chinese surrogacy: "There's no reason that in California or in New York you should be able to sell American children to our number one adversary."
— Austin Rogers, quoted by WFSU
He won a record eight-candidate field while being outspent by an opponent who had already run for Congress twice, and the party closed ranks behind him afterwards: "You battle it out during a primary and you battle it out with some fierce opponents... we are on the same sheet of music and we are trying to accomplish the same mission."
— Austin Rogers, quoted by WFSU; primary spending and field described by the Almanac of American Politics
Arguments against
He is a Washington insider who is soft on the immigration enforcement he ran on: "The last thing the Panhandle needs is another career staffer who spent years in the D.C. swamp, just moved back, and now says mass deportation is 'not feasible.'"
— Freedom Against Federal Overreach PAC, reported by Florida Politics, which noted the same interview had Rogers praising the border crackdown, rejecting amnesty and saying enforcement should start with criminals, gang members and terrorists
The super PAC backing him, Panhandle Patriots PAC, put more than $1.6 million into the primary, much of it into ads about a rival's past as a Georgia Democrat that amounted to "lying in vicious attack ads" and "statements made out of context for the purpose of misleading people".
— Keith Gross, his primary opponent, whose cease-and-desist letter led the PAC to pull the ad, reported by Florida Politics and the Tallahassee Democrat
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 health care, insurance costs and agriculture — the issues his opponent is campaigning on — were not established from the sources found.
Representation that shows up and answers constituents' questions.
Opposition to elected officials she says sell the district's future to the highest bidder.
Putting families' interests ahead of special interests.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
Won the August 18, 2026 Democratic primary.
Has not held elected office.
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 Green by name could be found: not from Austin Rogers or his campaign, not from the National Republican Congressional Committee, not from her three Democratic primary opponents, and not from the district's local outlets, WFSU and WJHG. Because no case against her exists on the record, none is presented for her either, rather than showing her own campaign's case unanswered.
Her positions on foreign policy beyond development aid, on immigration and on taxation were not stated in material available.
Her fundraising totals 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 Neal Dunn announced on January 13, 2026 that he would not seek re-election. Republican Austin Rogers and Democrat Amanda Marie Green won their August 18, 2026 primaries. Florida enacted a new congressional map in May 2026, but districts 1 through 7 were left unchanged. Roster from the Florida qualifying lists as reported by Politics1 and Wikipedia. Arguments are shown for Rogers, who came through a contested eight-candidate Republican primary that produced published criticism of him by name. Green's primary drew far less attention and no criticism of her by name was found, so neither column is filled for her; her positions and record are in her profile.
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.