Who's running in Florida's 8th 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.
2 candidates · ballot order · Mike Haridopolos 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.
Banning congressional stock trading: he says politicians should not profit from the laws they pass.
Reducing the national debt and restraining spending in order to preserve Social Security and Medicare.
Election integrity measures including voter verification and the SAVE America Act, and congressional term limits.
Border security.
Support for law enforcement and Second Amendment rights.
Space exploration as a source of jobs and innovation, and protecting the Indian River Lagoon through the Congressional Estuary Caucus.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
U.S. Representative for the 8th District since January 2025; elected in 2024 with 62.2%.
President of the Florida Senate; served in both the Florida House and Senate before Congress.
Chairman of the House Space Committee and whip of the Financial Services Committee.
Educator and author.
Advanced from the August 18, 2026 Republican primary.
Arguments in favor
He defends the 2025 tax-and-spending law on its detail rather than its slogan: "We protected the most vulnerable people on Medicaid, those people who are in nursing homes, those people who are disabled", with work requirements aimed only at those "unwilling to work".
— Mike Haridopolos, quoted by The Floridian
He was willing to move against a member of his own party to protect a swing seat, publicly backing Ryan Elijah over the scandal-hit incumbent in the neighbouring 7th District: "it was incumbent upon me" to find a replacement.
— Mike Haridopolos, quoted by The Space Coast Rocket
Arguments against
He owes his seat to a backroom deal rather than to voters: Bill Posey held his retirement announcement until the final minutes of the 2024 qualifying window and Haridopolos, a longtime ally, filed the same moment, leaving no one else time to organise a campaign. Some Brevard Republicans call it insider trading rather than a choice.
— Brevard Republicans, reported by The Space Coast Rocket
He tolerates ugly campaigning done on his behalf: after a group supporting him attacked his opponent with an anti-transgender jibe, "the real question is why the people surrounding Mike Haridopolos are so comfortable with this kind of behavior and why he never seems to have a problem with it."
— Jennifer Jenkins, responding to the Space Coast Young Republicans, reported by The Advocate
What we couldn’t verify
His committee assignments and his work on space policy for a district built around Kennedy Space Center 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 Brevard Republicans.
Brevard County School Board member for District 3, first elected in 2020, defeating a co-founder of Moms for Liberty.
Speech-language pathologist by profession; lives in Satellite Beach.
Was a candidate for the U.S. Senate before switching to this district in May 2026 after the new congressional map passed.
Won the August 18, 2026 Democratic primary.
Cites a Public Policy Polling survey showing the incumbent ahead 44% to 35% on a standard head-to-head ballot.
Arguments in favor
She has already beaten this movement where it started: she won her 2020 Brevard County School Board race against a future co-founder of Moms for Liberty and served through the campaign of harassment that followed.
— NBC News, reporting her Senate launch
She answers the attacks on her rather than absorbing them: "Imagine being so desperate to defend Mike Haridopolos that your big political strategy is... calling an opponent 'Dylan Mulvaney.' That's it? That's the joke?"
— Jennifer Jenkins, reported by The Advocate
Arguments against
She is shopping for a winnable seat rather than representing a community: "Jennifer 'Jumpin'' Jenkins keeps jumping — race to race, district to district — chasing whatever might stick... Floridians want a leader who fights for them and their community, not someone shopping for a seat." She has run for three different offices in one cycle.
— Evan Power, chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, reported by the Tampa Free Press
A group campaigning for her opponent, the Space Coast Young Republicans, posted an image of Dylan Mulvaney in reply to her town hall announcement, treating her appearance as the argument against her.
— Space Coast Young Republicans, reported by The Advocate and LGBTQ Nation
What we couldn’t verify
Her own internal poll claims a "dead heat" with Haridopolos once voters know her story; no independent poll of this race was found.
Her positions on space policy, immigration and 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.
Florida held its primary on August 18, 2026. Republican incumbent Mike Haridopolos and Democrat Jennifer Jenkins are the two candidates on the November ballot. Florida's new congressional map, signed in May 2026, keeps Brevard County whole in this district and adds part of eastern Orange County including the University of Central Florida; Jenkins switched into this race after the map passed, having previously been running against Randy Fine in the 6th and, before that, for the U.S. Senate. Roster from the Florida qualifying lists as reported by Politics1 and Wikipedia. Both candidates have been criticised by name on the record, and both cases are set out below.
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.