The November 3 general election in Florida's 26th Congressional District will test a longtime incumbent against two challengers in a district spanning northwest Miami-Dade and southwest Broward counties. The race pits Republican Mario Díaz-Balart against Democrat Nicole Locklin and no-party-affiliation candidate Deborah Ann Meidinger Hosey, as a changed district map and concerns about everyday costs, immigration enforcement and the war with Iran shape the campaign.
In its report on the race, CBS News Miami found affordability was a recurring concern among voters it spoke with. Hialeah resident Luz Mar Fernandez told the outlet that the next representative should help make life more affordable. The pressure is reflected in district figures: U.S. Census Bureau data show FL-26 is 73.7% Hispanic, with a median household income of $71,986 and median monthly rent of $1,824. A National Association of Home Builders analysis of Census figures found nearly 66% of renter households there spend 30% or more of their income on housing, among the highest shares of any congressional district in the country.
Díaz-Balart Leans on Seniority and Spending Cuts
Díaz-Balart has represented South Florida in Congress for more than two decades and is campaigning on his Washington record, including efforts to reduce federal spending. In the CBS News Miami report, he pointed to $12 billion in spending cuts delivered through a congressional subcommittee he chairs. He has also highlighted recently passed federal tax breaks for tipped workers and seniors as results for constituents.
The incumbent's institutional advantages extend well beyond rhetoric. He is Vice Chair of the House Committee on Appropriations and Chairman of the Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs, per the U.S. House of Representatives, having first been elected to Congress in 2002 after serving in both chambers of the Florida State Legislature. Federal Election Commission filings through July 29 show he had raised $2,060,782 with more than $2.5 million in cash on hand, dwarfing the $348,000 raised by Locklin and the $1,540 in cash on hand reported by Hosey, who also carries roughly $8,500 in campaign debt.
A Tech Attorney Challenges the Status Quo
Locklin is an attorney who moved to South Florida from California, and she says her experience as a successful professional who still struggles financially shapes her policy views. Before launching her campaign, Locklin served as lead legal counsel at software firm Databricks and earned a law degree with honors in high-tech law from Santa Clara University, according to a release distributed through EINPresswire. She launched her bid in May on an anti-corruption, anti-monopoly and affordability platform, and has pledged to reject corporate PAC money.
On economic policy, Locklin supports lowering tariffs and shifting more of the tax burden onto billionaires and large corporations. Her focus on affordability tracks with broader data on the district: a Center for American Progress analysis found that nearly half of non-elderly FL-26 residents enroll in Affordable Care Act marketplace coverage, with 99% of them receiving Advanced Premium Tax Credits to reduce monthly insurance costs.
Hosey Pitches Herself as the Non-Partisan Alternative
Hosey is running without a party affiliation, officially qualifying for the ballot on June 12 by paying the state qualifying fee to the Florida Division of Elections. Based in Weston, she says voters deserve an alternative to the two major parties and draws on her background in education and local government work involving seniors. Hosey believes Congress should prioritize programs that reduce the cost of housing, food, utilities and child care.
Gas Prices and the Iran War Hit Home
Fuel costs are another concern raised in the district. CBS News Miami reported that Hialeah driver Khani Lozier estimated he spends about $100 to fill his vehicle every three days. The candidates connect higher fuel costs to the war with Iran, but differ sharply on how to respond.
What Past Gas-Price Spikes Can Tell Us
A historical comparison offers context, but not a direct measure of South Florida prices or proof of what is driving prices in this race. History.com reports that the U.S. annual average retail gas price was $3.64 a gallon in 2012 ($4.88 in 2023 dollars), amid a combination of Iran nuclear tensions and major U.S. hurricanes. That distinct episode shows global tensions can coincide with high prices, but it does not establish how local prices responded then or what is driving them now.
Locklin wants an immediate end to the war with Iran. Díaz-Balart has said U.S. military action was necessary to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, and he supports increasing domestic energy production and refining capacity to ease fuel costs. Hosey has called for Congress to debate the war and for additional negotiations with U.S. allies.
Immigration Enforcement Fears Ripple Through Doral
The district includes communities with large immigrant populations: more than 70% of residents in both Doral and Hialeah are foreign-born, according to recent U.S. Census data. CBS News Miami reported that Doral resident Ramon Alonzo described fear among some residents, particularly Venezuelans, and said some were staying home.
Díaz-Balart has said securing the border was necessary, while also describing some subsequent immigration enforcement as an overreaction. He supports legislation that would allow undocumented immigrants from certain countries to have their cases reviewed individually. That tension has surfaced in his public comments elsewhere this year; in September, Díaz-Balart called on immigration authorities to handle political exiles appropriately after a Nicaraguan journalist was detained by ICE in Orlando, a case Hoodline previously covered. Locklin, by contrast, wants to abolish U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement entirely, expand legal pathways to immigration and hire more immigration judges.
Redistricting Reshapes the Battlefield
In May, Florida formally enacted updated congressional district boundaries that reconfigured District 26 by removing Collier County and adding portions of southwest Broward County, pulling in suburban voters from communities like Miramar and Pembroke Pines, according to the Sun Sentinel. The seat had previously stretched from inland South Florida to the Gulf Coast before the shift moved it east.
Despite the new map, Díaz-Balart remains a formidable favorite. He won reelection in 2024 by nearly 42 percentage points, carrying 70.9% of the vote against Democratic opponent Joey Atkins, and he has won reelection by double-digit margins throughout his 24-year House career. That history, combined with his deep ties to South Florida's Hispanic and exile communities, makes FL-26 a steep climb for either challenger heading into the November 3 vote.
