Wednesday, October 28, 2026 The Patriot Focus

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Politics

Scalise launches Florida campaign swing as GOP races tighten

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise is campaigning across Florida this week as Republicans pour resources into contests they expected to be safer. Redrawn districts have not erased concerns about fundraising, voter trends and a tougher-than-expected political climate.

Scalise launches Florida campaign swing as GOP races tighten
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise is making a Florida campaign swing this week to help Republican candidates in several congressional races, as the party works to protect seats across a state it considers firmly in its column. Scalise is scheduled to join Republican Dan Green at a get-out-the-vote rally Thursday in central Florida’s 9th Congressional District. Green is challenging Democratic Rep. Darren Soto. Republicans redrew the district to improve their prospects, but Soto continues to raise significant campaign funds, and Democrats say their internal polling shows a close contest. The National Republican Congressional Committee is beginning coordinated advertising for Rep. Anna Paulina Luna on Wednesday. Luna is also due at a Saturday rally with House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan, Republican gubernatorial nominee Byron Donalds and Sen. Ashley Moody, who is seeking a full Senate term. President Donald Trump carried Luna’s district by 13 percentage points in 2024, but Republicans say this year’s political headwinds have made the race more competitive than expected. Scalise is also expected in the Miami area Friday with Rep. María Elvira Salazar. Salazar has warned of Republican losses among Hispanic voters, amid concerns over the Trump administration’s mass deportation policy. He will also campaign for Ryan Elijah, who defeated scandal-plagued Rep. Cory Mills in the Republican primary for Florida’s 7th District. Republicans have grown more confident about retaining the seat since Elijah won the nomination. The campaign schedule includes events with Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Brian Mast and Rep. Gus Bilirakis as well. The push comes after Republicans redrew several Florida districts to favor their candidates, while some GOP incumbents cautioned that the party still needed to invest more in vulnerable races. The outcome could help determine whether Republicans hold their House majority.

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