By Kari Hebrank, Carlton Fields

Overview

Heading into Election Day, national polling implied a “blue wave” bordering on a “blue tsunami,” as voters expressed frustration with the party in power. The President’s low ratings, driven largely by concerns over the war in Iran and frustration with increasing gas and grocery prices, fueled voter angst. The question in Florida was whether the “wave” could overcome the Florida Republicans’ 1.5 million-voter-registration advantage.

Despite a tough national climate for Republicans, Florida remained a notable exception. While Democrats flipped votes elsewhere, Florida Republicans largely defended their state-level control, electing Ashley Moody to a full term in the U.S. Senate, retaining the Governor’s mansion, all three Cabinet seats, and control of the Florida Legislature.

Democrats made surprising gains in the Legislature, adding 16 House seats and one Senate seat, while losing just one House seat. Although the balance of power in Tallahassee remains in the hands of the Republicans, the magnitude of the Democratic gains in the House was a surprise.

Voter Analysis

Voter turnout is typically lower in midterm elections than in presidential races, and that trend held true in this election cycle. However, turnout of 60.8% in this cycle was significantly higher than the 48.1% recorded in the 2022 midterms.

Republicans led the state in active voters for this cycle with 5.6 million. In comparison, Democrats and No Party Affiliation (NPA) voters total 4.1 million and 3.9 million, respectively. More than 1.9 million Vote by Mail (VBM) ballots were returned, with Democrats making up the majority at 42.8% of the ballots, followed by 34.8% for Republicans and 22.3% for No Party Affiliation.

Nearly 3.5 million Floridians also voted early. Republicans accounted for 43.1% of early voters, while Democrats and NPAs accounted for 34.9% and 22%, respectively. Perhaps the most surprising piece of data is that, for the first time in decades, Democrats turned out at a higher percentage than Republicans. Nearly 68.4% of registered Democrats turned out to vote, compared with 62.7% of registered Republicans.

Below are highlights of the general election results. You may access the latest results reported by the Florida Department of State here.

Florida Governor & Cabinet | 4 Republicans, 0 Democrats

Governor. Republican Congressman and former state representative Byron Donalds defeated Republican-turned-Democrat Congressman David Jolly. Bryan Avila, who served in the House and Senate, will serve as Lt. Governor.

Attorney General. Attorney General James Uthmeier, appointed to the post in 2024 by Gov. DeSantis, won his first full four-year term by defeating former state Senator Jose Javier Rodriguez.

Chief Financial Officer. Governor DeSantis appointed CFO Blaise Ingoglia to this post in 2025. In his first statewide race, Ingoglia defeated former state Senator Annette Taddeo. Ingoglia previously served in the House and Senate.

Agriculture Commissioner. Commissioner Wilton Simpson was re-elected to his final four-year term, defeating Democrat Joey Atkins and a write-in candidate.

Florida Congressional Delegation

One of Florida’s two U.S. Senate seats appeared on the 2026 ballot and was the cycle's most hotly contested races. Republican Senator Ashley Moody, appointed to the post by Gov. DeSantis in 2025, beat Democrat former state Representative Angie Nixon. Republican Senator Rick Scott was not up for re-election.

U.S. House of Representatives. 20 Republicans, 8 Democrats

Heading into election night, the 28-member congressional delegation included 20 Republicans, seven Democrats, and one vacant seat. The Florida Legislature approved a new congressional map during an April 2026 Special Session, giving Republicans a chance to gain seats in November. The new districts prompted several incumbents to seek reelection in different districts, leaving eight seats without an incumbent. After the votes were tallied, none of the seats changed parties. The most contested races are outlined below.

• District 9 – Longtime Democratic Congressman Darren Soto appears to have narrowly held onto this Orlando-based seat against Republican Dan Green.
• District 14 – Democratic Congresswoman Kathy Castor retained her Tampa-based seat, beating former Republican state Representative Mike Beltran, a Libertarian and a write-in candidate.
• District 22 – Democratic former school principal Pia Dandiya retained this new South Florida seat for the Democrats, beating Republican Casey Askar. The seat was vacated by longtime Democratic Congresswoman Lois Frankel, who chose to run in another district after the map was redrawn.
• District 25 – Democratic Congressman Jared Moskowitz won this district after the new congressional map forced him to leave his original post. Moskowitz defeated former Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer, a Libertarian and a write-in candidate.

Florida Senate | 25 Republicans, 13 Democrats, 1 Independent, 1 Vacant

Twenty-one of the 40 state Senate seats were up for election this cycle (even-numbered districts and a Special Election for District 21). Prior to the election, Republicans held 27 spots, Democrats claimed 12 and there was one NPA.

Eight seats (four Republican/four Democratic) were vacant because the incumbent reached the 8-year term limit or left office early. One seat remains open (Senate District 39), which was vacated by Republican Senator Bryan Avila, who left to join the Donalds ticket as Lt. Governor. The special election for this race has not yet been called.

After the votes were counted, Senate Republicans lost one seat. The most closely watched Senate races are outlined below:

• District 9 - Former Maitland Mayor John Lowndes flipped this seat to the Democratic column after narrowly defeating incumbent Senator Jason Brodeur.
• District 14 - Democrat Brian Nathan won this Tampa-based seat in a 2025 Special Election after Sen. Jay Collins left office to become Lt. Governor. However, the General Election rematch between Nathan and former state Representative Josie Tomkow produced the same result, and the seat remains Democrat.
• District 38 - Republican Senator Alexis Calatayud won re-election to this South Florida seat over Democrat Richard Lamondin and No Party Affiliation candidate Jeffrey Solomon.

New Members of the 2027-28 Florida Senate are:

• District 8 - Jake Johansson (R)
• District 9 - John Lowndes (D)
• District 21 - Chris Nocco (R)
• District 22 - James Buchanan (R)
• District 26 - David Silver (D)
• District 28 - Lauren Melo (R)
• District 30 - Lauren Book (D)
• District 34 - Ashley Gantt (D)

Florida House of Representatives | 71 Republicans, 49 Democrats

Of the 120 House seats, 31 are vacant because members reached the eight-year term limit or left office early (20 Republicans, 11 Democrats). Nineteen House members (9 Republicans and 10 Democrats) faced no opposition and were automatically re-elected. Democrat Anthony Nieves won the election for House District 47 after Republican Representative Paula Stark failed to file the required qualifying papers.

Heading into the election, Republicans held 82 seats, Democrats held 34, and four seats were open. With the votes tallied, Republicans lost 16 seats and gained one Democratic seat for a net loss of 15 seats. As a result, the Republicans lost their supermajority but maintained control of the House. The most hotly contested races are outlined below.

• District 35 - This Central Florida seat returned to the Democrats when non-profit executive director Eric Gray defeated incumbent Rep. Erica Booth. Booth flipped the seat to the Republicans in 2024.
• District 38 - Attorney Nik Dean flipped this seat to the Democrats by defeating Emily Duda Buckley. Term-limited Republican Rep. David Smith vacated this Central Florida seat.
• District 51 - Republican Rep. Hilary Holley lost this Polk County seat to Democratic teacher Octavio Hernandez. Holley was elected in a March 2026 special election.
• District 60 - This seat became vacant when Democrat Representative Lindsey Cross chose not to seek re-election. Democrat Attorney Lindsay Polega-Quigley defeated Melissa Rutland for this Pinellas County seat.
• District 64 - Representative Susan Valdes switched from Democrat to Republican in December 2024 and could not run after reaching her eight-year term limit. Political organizer Luis Salazar moved this Tampa-based seat back to the Democrats by defeating Dan Weldon.
• District 87 - In a March 2026 special election, fitness company owner Emily Gregory flipped this seat to the Democrats after Rep. Mike Caruso resigned to become the Palm Beach County Clerk. The rematch between Rep. Gregory and Republican Jon Maples produced a different result, with Maples flipping the seat back to the Republicans.
• District 93 - This Palm Beach County seat returned to the Democrats after attorney August Mangeney defeated Rep. Anne Gerwig. Republican Gerwig took this seat from the Democrats in 2022.
• District 100 - This seat was vacant because Republican Rep. Chip Lamarca reached his eight-year term limit. Trial attorney Michael Ferguson changed the seat to Democratic by defeating Yoni Anijar.
• District 101 - Rep. Hilary Cassel was elected as a Democrat in 2022 and 2024, but switched parties in December 2024. The Broward County seat returned to the Democrats after union leader Satin Fye defeated Rep. Cassel.
• District 106 - This historically Republican seat flipped when Miami-Dade Democrat former teacher Lucia Baez-Geller (D) defeated incumbent Rep. Fabian Basabe.

New Members of the 2026-28 Florida House of Representatives are:

• District 2 - Jon Fay (R)
• District 6 - Tricia Berry (R)
• District 10 - Marshall Rawson (R)
• District 12 - Terrance Freeman (R)
• District 13 - Audrey Gibson (D)
• District 21 - Jackie Randall (D)
• District 22 - Amy Trask (D)
• District 31 - Matt Woodside (R)
• District 35 - Eric Gray (D)
• District 36 - Darryl Block (D)
• District 37 - Jane Aman (D)
• District 38 - Nik Dean (D)
• District 39 - Jarod Fox (D)
• District 42 - Felipe Sousa Lazaballet (D)
• District 43 - Samuel Vilchez Santiago (D)
• District 47 - Anthony Nieves (D)
• District 51 - Octavio Hernandez (D)
• District 53 - Brian Hawkins (R)
• District 55 - Walter Price (R)
• District 60 - Lindsay Polega-Quigley (D)
• District 62 - Kyandra Darling (D)
• District 63 - Jacqueline Coffie-Leeks (D)
• District 64 - Luis Salazar (D)
• District 67 - Luis Viera (D)
• District 69 - Ashley Elizabeth Herrmann (D)
• District 68 - Ryan Gill (R)
• District 71 - Jordan Varnadore (R)
• District 74 - Nick Pachota (R)
• District 78 - Susan Frantz (R)
• District 82 - Liesa Priddy (R)
• District 85 - Anthony Bonna (R)
• District 87 - Jon Maples
• District 91 - Luis Garcia (D)
• District 93 - August Mangeney (D)
• District 94 - Elizabeth Holmes (D)
• District 100 - Michael Ferguson (D)
• District 101 - Todd Delmay (D)
• District 102 - Michael Friend (DEM)
• District 106 - Lucia Baez-Geller (DEM)
• District 108 - Daphne Campbell (DEM)
• District 109 - James Bush III (DEM)
• District 113 - Gloria Romero Roses (DEM)
• District 116 - Ashley Perez-Biliskov (REP)

Constitutional Amendments

Proposed amendments to the Florida Constitution can reach the ballot either through citizen initiatives or through the Florida Legislature. All proposed amendments must receive 60% of the vote to be added to the Constitution. The most talked about amendment, Amendment 3, squeaked by with 62% voter approval, while Amendment 1 and Amendment 2 did not reach the 60% threshold. The Florida Legislature placed the following three proposed amendments on the 2026 ballot.

Amendment 1 - Budget Stabilization Fund — Failed
Increases the amount of money that could be held in the budget stabilization fund from 10% to 25% of General Revenue collections.

Amendment 2 - Exemption of Tangible Personal Property on Agricultural Land from Taxation — Failed
Eliminates property taxes on qualifying agricultural equipment and other personal property used in agriculture or agritourism.

Amendment 3 - Homestead Tax Exemptions, Property Assessments, and Spending Restrictions Amendment — Approved
Increases the homestead exemption for qualifying residents, reduces the annual assessed value increase cap for non-homestead properties from 10% to 5%, establishes new residency requirements for the increased homestead exemption, and limits the use of county and municipal ad valorem tax revenue to specified core services.