Who's running in Florida's 21st 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 · Brian Mast 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.
Clean water, including stopping discharges into the district's estuaries.
Tax cuts and job creation.
Health care affordability, and care for veterans and seniors.
Opposition to abortion and support for Second Amendment rights.
Support for Israel.
Election measures including the SAVE America Act, and what he calls draining the swamp.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
U.S. Representative for the 21st District since January 2017; re-elected in 2024 with 61.8%.
U.S. Army veteran; lost both legs to an explosive device while serving in Afghanistan.
Advanced from the August 18, 2026 Republican primary.
Arguments in favor
On the issue that decides elections here — water — he has produced results: the Everglades Agricultural Area Reservoir he championed is running five years ahead of schedule after a 2025 agreement with the state, and in January 2026 the House approved $461 million for south Florida ecosystem restoration, the largest Everglades figure ever included in an appropriations package.
— Brian Mast's office
His South Florida Clean Coastal Waters Act required the first federal assessment and action plan specifically aimed at reducing harmful algal blooms in the Greater Everglades region.
— Brian Mast's office
Arguments against
He said on the House floor that "I don't think we would so lightly throw around the term innocent Nazi civilians during World War II... There's very few innocent Palestinian civilians", and wore an Israeli army uniform through the Capitol. A censure resolution, H.Res.846, was introduced against him over those remarks, and CAIR condemned his selection to chair the Foreign Affairs Committee.
— H.Res.846, introduced by a California Democrat, reported by Florida Politics; and the Council on American-Islamic Relations
He "says one thing in Florida, but votes the other way in Washington": he voted to gut coverage for people with pre-existing conditions while claiming to protect it, and after the Parkland shooting called for an assault weapons ban but refused to cosponsor the bill and kept his NRA donations.
— Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
What we couldn’t verify
The DCCC page setting out that second case dates from an earlier election cycle — it names a previous Democratic candidate — so the votes it cites are from earlier terms rather than this one.
His response to the censure resolution was not established from the sources found.
No criticism of him by name from James Martin's campaign was found; the case above comes from members of Congress, an advocacy organisation and the party committee.
Cost of living: ending tariffs that raise grocery prices, antitrust enforcement against corporate consolidation, and expanding capital access for small business owners.
Clean water: completing Everglades restoration, cleaning Lake Okeechobee and stopping toxic discharges.
Anti-corruption: taking big money out of politics, banning congressional stock trading, closing the revolving door to lobbying, and quarterly town halls.
A public health insurance option alongside existing employer and union plans, and action against pharmacy benefit managers.
Immigration: investing in immigration judges, a legal status pathway for long-term residents, and fixing visa delays.
No cuts to Social Security, Medicare or veterans' benefits, and opposition to raising the retirement age or privatisation.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
Lieutenant commander in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve.
Fourth-generation Floridian.
Won the August 18, 2026 Democratic primary.
Endorsed by former Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic Environmental Caucus of Florida, the Democratic Veterans Caucus of Florida and several local mayors.
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 Martin by name could be found: not from Brian Mast or his campaign, not from the National Republican Congressional Committee, not from his Democratic primary opponent, and not from Treasure Coast 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 won the primary by 359 votes out of 47,731 cast; his general-election fundraising was not reported in material available.
His positions on health care financing, taxation and the Middle East were not stated in material available.
No-party-affiliation candidate for the 21st 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 Cooke 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 Brian Mast, Democrat James Martin and Alex Cooke, running with no party affiliation. One certified write-in candidate is not a printed choice and is not profiled here. Florida enacted a new congressional map in May 2026 that reworked most of the state's districts, this one among them; it covers the Treasure Coast and northern Palm Beach County, and no Democrat has represented this area in a decade. Mast has chaired the House Foreign Affairs Committee since January 2025. Roster from the Florida qualifying lists as reported by Politics1 and Wikipedia. Arguments are shown for Mast, whose record and statements have both been publicly praised and publicly attacked. No published criticism of Martin or Cooke 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.