FASA 2026 Midterm Election Update

Florida voters delivered a Republican sweep of statewide offices in the 2026 General Election, while simultaneously reshaping the balance of power in the Florida Legislature by significantly narrowing Republican majorities in both chambers.

Republican candidates secured victories in every statewide contest, including Governor, Attorney General, Chief Financial Officer, Commissioner of Agriculture, and Florida's U.S. Senate special election.

Governor-elect Byron Donalds defeated Democratic nominee David Jolly by 107,721 votes, a margin of 1.31 percent. Donalds will be sworn into office on January 5, 2027, alongside the remainder of Florida's Republican Cabinet.

Other statewide victories included:

• James Uthmeier elected Attorney General, defeating Jose Rodriguez by 153,369 votes (1.9%)
• Blaise Ingoglia elected Chief Financial Officer, defeating Annette Taddeo by 153,680 votes (1.9%)
• Wilton Simpson re-elected Commissioner of Agriculture, defeating Joey Mendoza Atkins by 175,981 votes (2.2%)
• Ashley Moody won Florida's U.S. Senate special election, defeating Angie Nixon by 238,761 votes (2.88%), the largest margin among statewide races

Voters also approved Amendment 3, a constitutional amendment increasing homestead exemptions and lowering the cap on annual assessment increases for non-homestead property. The measure received 61.98 percent approval, surpassing Florida's 60 percent constitutional amendment threshold by approximately 157,000 votes.

Florida’s Congressional Delegation Remains Unchanged

Despite the Legislature's 2026 congressional redistricting efforts, Florida's partisan balance in the U.S. House of Representatives remained unchanged.

Republicans secured victories in 20 congressional districts, while Democrats won seven contested districts. Combined with Congressman Maxwell Frost's unopposed re-election, Democrats will continue to hold eight of Florida's 28 congressional seats.

The results leave Florida's congressional delegation composition unchanged heading into the 2027 legislative cycle.

Florida Senate: Majority Retained, Supermajority Lost

Republicans maintained control of the Florida Senate but suffered enough losses to lose their long-held supermajority.

Of the contested Senate races, Republicans captured 12 seats while Democrats won seven.

One of the most significant outcomes occurred in Senate District 10, where Democrat John Lowndes defeated incumbent Republican Jason Brodeur by nearly 12 percentage points, flipping the seat to Democratic control.

Republicans successfully defended Senate District 21, where Chris Nocco won a special election following the retirement of Senator Ed Hooper.

When fully seated, the Senate is expected to consist of:

• 24 Republicans
• 14 Democrats
• 1 No Party Affiliation member
• 1 vacant seat pending a future special election

While Republicans will continue to control the chamber, they no longer possess the two-thirds supermajority required to independently override gubernatorial vetoes, suspend procedural rules, fast-track legislation, or advance constitutional amendments without bipartisan cooperation.

Florida House Experiences Significant Democratic Gains

The most notable legislative shifts occurred in the Florida House, where Democrats made substantial gains across the state.

Republicans won 59 House races while Democrats secured 32 victories on Election Day. Democrats flipped multiple Republican-held districts and captured several open Republican seats, resulting in a net gain of 15 seats, with one additional race still headed toward a recount.

As of November 3, Democrat Daniel R. McDown held a narrow 274-vote lead over incumbent Republican Monique Miller in House District 33, a margin of just 0.38 percent and well within Florida's automatic recount threshold.

Democratic gains included victories in districts stretching from Central Florida to South Florida, highlighted by successful flips in:

• HD 22 – Jacquelyn Randall defeated incumbent Chad Johnson
• HD 35 – Eric Gray defeated incumbent Erika Booth
• HD 36 – Darryl Block defeated incumbent Rachel Plakon
• HD 39 – Jarod Fox defeated incumbent Doug Bankson
• HD 51 – Octavio Hernandez defeated incumbent Hilary Holley
• HD 69 – Ashley Hermann defeated incumbent Danny Alvarez
• HD 93 – August Mangeney defeated incumbent Anne Gerwig
• HD 94 – Elizabeth Holmes defeated incumbent Meg Weinberger
• HD 101 – Todd Delmay defeated incumbent Hillary Cassel
• HD 106 – Lucia Baez-Geller defeated incumbent Fabian Basabe

Democrats also captured several open Republican-held seats, further narrowing the Republican majority.

Upon final certification of election results, the House is expected to be composed of approximately:

• 70 Republicans
• 49 Democrats
• 1 seat pending recount certification

A New Legislative Dynamic Emerges

Although Republicans retained majority control of both legislative chambers and every statewide office, the 2026 election marks a significant shift in Florida's political landscape.

For the first time in several years, Republicans are expected to govern without legislative supermajorities in either chamber. As a result, key policy priorities, constitutional amendments, procedural rule changes, and potential veto overrides will require greater bipartisan engagement and coalition-building.

With Governor-elect Byron Donalds preparing to take office and a more closely divided Legislature set to convene in 2027, Florida enters the next legislative cycle with both continued Republican leadership and a renewed emphasis on cross-party collaboration to advance major policy initiatives.

Now It’s Up to You

Make this your call to action and join FASA in Tallahassee, February 1-3, 2027, for Advocate ’27. Your voice is more important than ever, and we want to help you reach your representatives and participate in the legislative process so we can effect positive changes in your school, district, and our great state of Florida. Space is limited; click THIS LINK today to join us at the Florida Capitol!