Who's running in Florida's 4th 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 · Aaron Bean 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.
Nothing documented in the sources reviewed.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
U.S. Representative for the 4th District since January 2023; re-elected in 2024 with 57.3%.
Businessman; served in the Florida House and Senate before Congress.
Represents Clay, Duval and Nassau counties.
Advanced from the August 18, 2026 Republican primary.
Arguments in favor
He votes the conservative position with near-perfect consistency: the American Conservative Union Foundation gave him a 95% rating and its Award for Conservative Excellence for his first session in the House.
— American Conservative Union Foundation federal ratings
He runs an active constituent operation across Clay, Duval and Nassau counties, with in-person and telephone town halls: "Being in the community and meeting with constituents is one of the best parts of my job... Keeping an open dialogue with folks allows me to hear their concerns."
— Aaron Bean, on his Clay County town hall
Arguments against
He voted to cut Medicaid, Medicare and SNAP food assistance for the most vulnerable, and has voted "in lockstep with Donald Trump every step of the way" while praising the DOGE spending cuts.
— LaShonda Holloway, reported by Daily Kos
He will not face constituents who did not organise the room. He called meetings held on Amelia Island "fake 'town hall' meetings sponsored by the Democrat Party and their cohorts" and did not attend, and has not met Amelia Island voters directly to take questions since January 2025.
— Fernandina Observer, reporting the events and Bean's statement; his opponent adds that "Aaron Bean refuses to take most calls to his office, and I have left at least 50 messages"
What we couldn’t verify
His committee assignments were 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 the local press.
Reducing the cost of higher education and investing in the school system so all students have access to quality resources.
Health care as a right regardless of income, with expanded coverage, preventative care and mental health services.
Communities with guaranteed access to food, employment, health care and affordable housing.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
Attorney; worked for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Juris Doctor from the University of Florida College of Law; attended Howard University; graduated magna cum laude from Edward Waters University while working at AT&T.
Named a Footsoldier for Justice by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference at 15; received the Martin Luther King Award for student advocacy.
Won the August 18, 2026 Democratic primary.
Has not held elected office.
Arguments in favor
She brings legislative experience rather than a first campaign: she has drafted municipal regulations in Washington D.C., worked at the EPA, and says she "will vote for better energy policy, clean energy, and will work to lower our electric bills" alongside housing costs, health care and grocery prices.
— LaShonda Holloway's campaign, reported by Daily Kos
She won a contested primary against a far better funded opponent, taking over 57% of the vote — a demonstration that the district's Democrats want her rather than the candidate with the money.
— Primary result reported by the Associated Press via Bay News 9
Arguments against
She cannot win this district in November: she was the Democratic nominee here in both 2022 and 2024 and lost both times, and enters the general with about $30,000 raised — $12,447 of it across April, May and June — against an incumbent holding more than $1.6 million.
— Michael Kirwan's primary campaign, with fundraising figures reported by Florida Politics
Her political associations are not what Democratic voters assume: his campaign mailed a piece showing her shaking hands with the far-right Republican candidate James Fishback.
— Michael Kirwan, her Democratic primary opponent, reported by Florida Politics
What we couldn’t verify
She has held no elected office, so there is no voting record to set against her campaign's positions.
Her response to the Fishback mailer was not established from the sources found.
No criticism of her by name from Aaron Bean's campaign or from the National Republican Congressional Committee was found; the case against her above comes from her primary opponent.
Funding public education, divesting from overseas conflicts, regulating what he calls exploitative technologies, and gun legislation.
Raising wages, ending price gouging in housing, food, health care and education, taxing the wealthy, and a universal basic income.
Protecting reproductive rights.
Government accountability: removing money from politics, fair redistricting and congressional term limits.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
Executive in the health care and human resources industries; says his work produced more than a quarter of a billion dollars in savings.
Founded several voluntary organisations focused on diversity.
Qualified for the November 3, 2026 general election ballot.
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 Sell by name could be found, from either major-party campaign or from news coverage, 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, rather than showing his own campaign's case unanswered.
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 appear on the November ballot: Republican incumbent Aaron Bean, Democrat LaShonda Holloway and minor-party candidate Mike Sell. One certified write-in candidate is not a printed choice and is not profiled here. Florida enacted a new congressional map in May 2026, but districts 1 through 7 were left unchanged; this one covers Clay, Duval and Nassau counties in northeast Florida. Roster from the Florida qualifying lists as reported by Politics1 and Wikipedia. Arguments are shown for Bean and Holloway. Mike Sell has drawn no published criticism by name and no published case for him beyond his own site, so neither column is filled for him; his positions are in his profile.
This is one contest on a longer ballot
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Your ballot is determined by your election authority, not by us. Verify your registration, precinct, and sample ballot at Florida Division of Elections.