Soto faces Green in Florida’s 9th District

Sara-Megan Walsh

Lakeland Ledger USA TODAY NETWORK

There’s a heated race underway for Florida’s Congressional District 9 after the state’s redistricting.

Incumbent U.S. Rep. Darren Soto, D-Kissimmee, will face off against Republican challenger Dan Green for a district whose lines have changed dramatically under Gov. Ron DeSantis’ new map. Green emerged from a field of seven Republicans that ran in the August primary, receiving about 25.5% of the vote.

Previously a Democratic stronghold, Soto has held the seat for over a decade. But Republicans redrew the district to give it a GOP advantage.

“It’s a highly competitive race. It will be very close,” Soto told The Ledger. “We are taking northing for granted.”

Republican nominee Dan Green, of Vero Beach, left, will face off against democratic incumbent U.S. Rep. Darren Soto, of Kissimmee.

THE LEDGER, FILE

Previously, District 9 comprised of a small portion of eastern Polk County, along with Osceola and part of Orange County. Under the new map, the district includes a section of southeast Polk and all or parts of Orange, Osceola, Indian River, Highlands, Okeechobee and Glade counties.

Here’s a breakdown on the candidates, in alphabetical order.

Dan Green

Green, a Republican, is a native of Indian River County who went on to attend American University, Florida State University and George Washington University with a focus on politics and international relations, according to his campaign website.

Green, 50, worked in the Pentagon during the 9/11 attacks. Following the event, Green joined the U.S. Navy where he did four tours in the Middle East and Central Asia, according to his website. He also completed a civilian tour of duty to southern Afghanistan with the U.S. Department of State.

In 2019, Green was appointed by President Donald Trump during his first term as the deputy assistant secretary of Defense For Strategy and Force Development at the U.S. Department of Defense. There he received the Secretary of Defense’s Medal for Outstanding Public Service in 2021.

Green has been building somewhat of a law-and-order coalition, claiming endorsements from Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd and other sheriffs in the district.

Through his campaign website, Green makes broad promises to stop overdevelopment in Florida, take the fight for lower homeowners’ insurance rates to Congress, and to lower fuel costs, groceries and the costof- living. It does not provide specific policy suggestions or details on how he plans to achieve these goals if elected to Congress.

Green did not respond to the The Ledger’s repeated requests for an interview on the District 9 election.

Darren Soto

Soto, 48, is lawyer who earned his law degree from George Washington University. He previously served nearly a decade in the state legislature. He spent the first five years as a state representative before being elected to the Florida Senate, where he served four years.

Soto was first elected to the U.S. Congress in 2016 to represent the 9th Congressional District, becoming the first person of Puerto Rican descent to be elected to Congress from Florida.

Now he’s seeking re-election to the newly redistricted 9th which has expanded to include several other countries. Soto said he has a lot of experience representing the citrus and cattle sectors of the agricultural industry in Florida because of his time representing Polk, which matters to the Heartlands.

“Heartlands has had quite a hit with our cattlemen,” he said. “The Iran War raising diesel prices, fertilizer prices, the president’s attempt to import Argentinian beef, labor issues, screwworms, mealy bugs there are so many things.”

Soto said his campaign is focused on three C’s: lowering costs, protecting [health] care and stopping corruption.

The Iran War is a hot-topic issue for its impact on gasoline prices, affecting the agricultural industry, residents at the pump and negatively impacting tourism.

“I oppose the war, though I support our troops,” Soto said.

One of the issues that needs to be tackled is tariffs, Soto said. He supports targeted tariffs, such as the tariffs on foreign aluminum and steel during the COVID pandemic, but said these widespread ones have “wreaked havoc” on the economy.

Soto pointed to the closing of foreign markets to farmers, while simultaneously reducing the number of Canadian snowbirds coming to live and spend money here by 25%.

In terms of wins, Soto said he’s most proud of the 21st Century Road to Housing Act that he said helps prevent major hedge funds and large institutional investors from buying up single-family homes, brings manufactured homes into federal housing programs and helps incentivize changes in local zoning laws to improve access to affordable housing.

“We need to continue to incentivize local government to improve the density of their downtowns. ... More density downtown supports local businesses,” Soto said.

By putting density downtown, Soto said it helps keep urban growth centered while protecting the more rural way of life. He’s a supporter of urban growth boundaries.

“I worry deeply about rampant growth in Polk County,” he said.

While Soto recognizes there’s been extensive local conversations about data centers in Polk, he said the decision should ultimately be left to local governments. His role, if re-elected, is to protect utility ratepayers to make sure electric and water utilities are stopped from passing on the costs of any additional infrastructure through rate hikes.

What you need to know to vote

There are several ways to vote in the upcoming Nov. 3 elections, provided you are a registered voter in Polk County. Here’s some important dates and deadlines:

● Oct. 19 to Oct. 31, early voting is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at various locations

● Oct. 22. deadline to request a Vote-by-mail ballot

● Nov. 3, polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Visit Polk County Supervisor of Elections’ website to check your voter registration status, request a replacement voter card or find your precinct and where

to vote.