Florida’s Darren Soto Says He’s Running in CD 9, Calls DeSantis Redistricting Map ‘Illegal’
Why It Matters
Florida’s congressional map is at the center of a growing political and legal battle that could reshape representation for more than a million Puerto Rican residents across the state. The redistricting fight in Florida’s 9th Congressional District directly affects whether a majority-Hispanic seat survives into the 2026 midterm cycle.
If the new map is implemented and withstands legal challenge, Democrats would face a significantly harder path in a district where President Donald Trump carried more than 58% of the vote in 2024 under the redrawn lines.
What Happened
U.S. Rep. Darren Soto, a Democrat from Kissimmee, announced he intends to seek re-election in Florida’s 9th Congressional District — but in the same breath declared the newly passed congressional map illegal and called for legal challenges to block it.
Soto’s campaign pointed to remarks he made to Punchbowl News, in which he said plainly, “This map is illegal” and “I’m running in the 9th.” The new map was proposed by Gov. Ron DeSantis and passed by Florida’s Legislature, reshaping CD 9 substantially from its current boundaries.
Under the redrawn lines, the district would stretch south from Kissimmee to Moore Haven in Glades County, then extend east to include all of Indian River County on Florida’s Atlantic Coast — a dramatically different geographic footprint than the district Soto currently represents.
By the Numbers
58.2% — Share of voters in the newly drawn CD 9 who supported President Trump in the 2024 presidential election, making the district lean heavily Republican under the proposed map.
51.1% — Share of voters in the current CD 9 boundaries who supported Democrat Kamala Harris in 2024, illustrating how dramatically the redraw shifts the district’s political composition.
55.1% — Soto’s winning vote share in his 2024 re-election race, compared to Republican challenger Thomas Chalifoux’s 42.6%, showing he outperformed Harris significantly in the district.
1.3 million — The number of Puerto Rican residents in Florida whom Soto cited when warning the new map amounts to a political attack on the community.
Zoom Out
The Florida redistricting dispute is unfolding against a national backdrop of ongoing battles over congressional maps, Voting Rights Act protections, and the limits of state authority in drawing district lines. Critics of the DeSantis map argue it dismantles a majority-Hispanic district shielded by the Voting Rights Act — though the legal standing of that protection remains uncertain following recent U.S. Supreme Court developments.
Progressive organizations have signaled they plan to challenge the map in court as soon as DeSantis signs it into law. Florida’s Fair Districts Amendments, passed by voters to limit partisan gerrymandering, are also at the center of the legal debate. Soto alleged on social media that DeSantis’s mapmaker “admits to using partisan data and ignoring Fair District Amendments.”
The race for Florida’s congressional seats is already drawing significant financial activity. Republican candidate Brice Barnes raised more than $100,000 in the first 24 hours of his campaign launch, while Jay Collins raised nearly $1.75 million in the first quarter as an active candidate, with a major DeSantis donor accounting for more than half of that total.
What’s Next
The immediate next step is Gov. DeSantis signing the redistricting map, which is expected to trigger swift legal action from progressive groups. Courts will then be asked to evaluate whether the new boundaries violate the Voting Rights Act and Florida’s Fair Districts constitutional provisions.
Soto has framed the Florida Supreme Court as a critical arbiter, questioning publicly whether the court will act as an independent check or defer to the governor. “He’s daring the Florida Supreme Court to act corruptly,” Soto wrote on his official account. “Will they be Ron’s Rubber Stamp Court?”
Should the legal challenges fail, Soto would face an uphill re-election battle in a district where the Republican presidential candidate won by a substantial margin in 2024. The outcome of the court proceedings could define the political landscape of Central Florida heading into the November 2026 midterms.