BROWARD COUNTY, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2026 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — The Broward County and Miami-Dade County Democratic Black Caucuses announced that they will hold a voter forum and debate for the Democratic primary election this Monday, July 27, at 6:00 PM.
The debate will feature candidates for Congress in FL-24 and FL-25, as well as State Senate District 34. You can RSVP to attend the debate, which will take place at Ebeneezer Baptist Church at 816 NW 1st Ave., Hallandale Beach, FL 33009, here.
About the Races
Florida’s 24th Congressional District, which has been represented by Democrats since 2009, is an open race after 83-year-old incumbent Rep. Frederica Wilson announced she will not seek reelection. Seven Democrats are running in the primary to replace her, though polling shows that it is essentially a two-person race between former Miami Gardens Mayor and current Miami-Dade County Commissioner Oliver Gilbert and state Senator Shevrin Jones. Rep. Wilson, who was first elected to serve the district in 2010, endorsed Gilbert to succeed her. Sen. Jones carries support from the Florida AFL-CIO and the Democratic Progressive Caucus of Florida. Kendrick Meek Jr., son of former U.S. Representative Kendrick Meek also runs in the district. FL-24 includes parts of southern Broward County and northern Miami-Dade County.
Florida’s 25th Congressional District is currently represented by Democrat Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who is seeking reelection in the newly reconfigured FL-20 after Congressional redistricting from state Republicans. Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz of FL-23 is looking to continue his tenure in Congress in FL-25, where he faces a primary challenger in progressive Oliver Larkin. Larkin, who is endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America and six of its Florida chapters, supports Medicare for All, universal childcare, and abolishing ICE. A policies page is notably absent from Moskowitz’s campaign site, which includes only a bio and a donation link. Larkin has criticized Moskowitz, who was ranked the least effective Florida Democrat by the Center for Effective Lawmaking in 2025, over his support for Israel and being twice-appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis — first as Director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management during COVID-19 and then to a vacancy on the Broward County Board of County Commissioners). FL-25 was planned to be a Democratic to Republican flip, though internal polling from both Larkin and Moskowitz shows Democrats in a position to maintain the seat. Despite his progressive beliefs in a conservative-leaning area, polling shows Larkin has a better chance than Moskowitz of defeating both Republican frontrunners (George Moraitis and Scott Singer) in the November general election. The redistricted FL-25 is a narrow coastal strip that spans from Delray Beach to Miami Beach.
Florida’s 34th State Senate District is reliably Democratic and currently represented by Shevrin Jones, who is now running for Congress in FL-24. Three Democrats run to replace him: state Rep. Ashley Gantt (HD 109), former Miami Gardens City Councilwoman Shannan “Lady” Ighodaro, and former Congressional candidate Christine Sanon-Jules Olivo. Gantt is backed by the entire state Senate Democratic Caucus, including incumbent Sen. Jones. In 2022, Ashley Gantt defeated incumbent Rep. James Bush III by less than 500 votes in the Democratic primary for state House District 109 and was declared the winner of the district because she faced no other candidates in the general election. She won reelection to her state House seat by nearly 25 points in 2024. SD 34 is located in the northeastern part of Miami-Dade County and includes Miami Gardens and North Miami.
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The deadline to register with a party or change your party affiliation to vote in Florida’s primary election was July 20th. If you are not registered with a major party but are still registered to vote, you will still be able to vote with a nonpartisan ballot. The deadline to request a mail-in ballot is August 6th, 2026; you must submit a new request even if you voted with one in 2024 due to state law. In Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade, early voting begins on August 8th and continues until August 16th. Election day is set for August 18th. To find out what Congressional district you’ll be voting in this year, enter your address in the search bar here.
All eligible Floridians can register to vote here. Palm Beach County voters can view their sample ballot, polling location, and request a mail-in ballot here. Voters in Broward County can do the same here, as can voters in Miami-Dade County here. (NGC).
