South-central Seminole County Republicans are staring down a high-stakes intraparty showdown on Aug. 18, 2026, as two familiar local names battle for an open Florida House seat. With term-limited Rep. David Smith stepping aside, the race has tightened into a one-on-one between Emily Duda Buckley and Marcus Hyatt, who are trading endorsements, mail pieces and plenty of door-knocking as they fight for every primary voter. The contest is unfolding across a politically tight district that covers Winter Springs, Casselberry, Fern Park and Goldenrod, a suburban stretch where slim registration margins turn turnout into the whole ballgame.
Marcus Hyatt is pitching himself as the public-safety candidate, leaning hard on his legal and law-enforcement résumé. A former assistant state attorney who later worked in law enforcement and now serves as an associate attorney in Central Florida, Hyatt highlights that he grew up in the area and lives in Winter Springs with his wife and four children. His campaign messaging spotlights policing, education and insurance reforms as core themes, according to the Marcus Hyatt campaign.
Emily Duda Buckley, meanwhile, is leaning into family business experience and insider backing. She presents herself as a pro-business conservative with a focus on affordability and property-tax relief, playing up endorsements from state leaders and business groups. Her background in the family agribusiness and her community work are central to her argument that she has deep local roots and a practical understanding of district issues, per the Emily Duda Buckley campaign.
Money and endorsements
Duda Buckley has opened up a financial lead in the GOP primary, drawing backing from business-aligned political committees, while campaign filings show Hyatt bringing in smaller totals with donors that skew toward local supporters and law-enforcement circles. Transparency USA lists top contributors to Duda Buckley that include business PACs such as the Florida Chamber and Duda-family entities, and Transparency USA shows Hyatt’s committee posting more modest receipts with a roster heavy on local donors. Reporting from Florida Politics has also highlighted six-figure fundraising hauls for Duda Buckley earlier in the cycle, underscoring the gap between the two campaigns’ war chests.
Why the seat matters
House District 38 is one of Seminole County’s classic nail-biters. Suburban demographics and recent election results have the district sitting almost evenly split among Democrats, Republicans and voters with no party affiliation, putting nearly all the weight on who actually shows up to vote in a close year. District profiles and data compilations from MultiState Elections flag HD 38 as a swing territory, and the Florida Division of Elections lists both Hyatt and Duda Buckley as the Republican qualifiers for the Aug. 18 primary (see candidate pages for Marcus Hyatt and Emily Duda Buckley). Democrats are on the ballot as well, with reporting showing Michelle DeJesus filed as the Democratic contender for November.
What’s next
The primary is set for Aug. 18, and the election machinery is already spinning up, with early voting and vote-by-mail timelines locked in and local officials bracing for the rush. Seminole County election offices have released scheduling and vote-by-mail information for this cycle, and voters are urged to check the Seminole County Supervisor of Elections calendar for early-voting sites and hours. The Seminole County Supervisor of Elections details key local dates and deadlines.
With less than a month to go before Republicans pick their nominee, both campaigns are sharpening their closing arguments and escalating voter contact in a district that could break either way come November. For a deeper local dive and more candidate details, see coverage from the Orlando Sentinel.
