The race to replace Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) has become one of the most competitive, crowded primaries this cycle.
It’s just that few of the leading contenders in the Republican primary are from Florida.
The race to replace Donalds features an eclectic array of candidates, including former members of Congress and congressional candidates from other parts of the country.
“There’s a chance that the headline is not going to read, ‘Florida man wins primary,’” GOP strategist Dennis Lennox told the Washington Examiner.
“This is a wild and crazy race featuring a whole cast of characters, including also-rans and disgraced has-been carpetbaggers, and yet, in some ways, it’s kind of representative of Florida writ large,” Lennox continued. “How many people from around the country have moved to Florida, for whatever reason, to turn the page and start a new life?”
President Donald Trump shook up the race Thursday night when he endorsed Catalina Lauf, who has two previous congressional bids in Illinois, all but sealing the fate of the other candidates. Lauf has polled close to Jim Schwartzel, a native of Florida who owns a radio station in the area, in the limited polling available for this race.
The House seat for Florida’s 19th Congressional District opened up after Donalds launched a bid for governor, where he’s favored in the Sunshine State and endorsed by Trump. The coastal district includes Naples and Fort Myers Beach, making it an ideal location for transplants. The deep Republican district went for Trump by 30 points in 2024, making the victor of Tuesday’s primary all but certain to win the general election.
Catalina Lauf
Lauf, a former Trump administration official and businesswoman, is the likely front-runner in the race after securing the president’s endorsement. She also has support from Reps. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), Kat Cammack (R-FL), and Greg Stuebe (R-FL).
“As a former Presidential Appointee at the U.S. Department of Commerce in my First Administration, Catalina has proven she has the Courage and Wisdom to deliver strong results for the incredible people of her State and Nation — She has truly been with us from the beginning!” Trump wrote on TruthSocial.
Lauf had two unsuccessful bids for Congress in Illinois in 2020 and 2022 before moving to Florida.
Her congressional primary comes just nearly two weeks after she released her book, A Time to Choose.
Madison Cawthorn
Madison Cawthorn, a former one-term North Carolina congressman, launched his bid in Florida after moving to the area following his primary loss to Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-NC) in 2022. He lost reelection due to a spate of controversies, including racking up speeding tickets and being stopped with a gun at the Asheville, North Carolina, airport.
His Florida bid could have offered a political reset of sorts after he cleared a crowded primary at age 24 and secured a runoff victory against Trump’s endorsed candidate in 2020. He joined the House only five months after meeting the constitutional minimum age requirement of 25.
Cawthorn drew attention back in 2020 for his life story: He was involved in a near-fatal 2014 car crash at age 18, which left him partially paralyzed. Cawthorn launched a real estate investment firm before winning his congressional seat.
Jim Oberweis
Another former Illinois resident is in the race, along with Lauf, who were opponents previously in Illinois. Jim Oberweis, a former state senator in Illinois, beat Lauf and others in a 2020 Republican House primary. Oberweis lost that general election to Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-IL) by fewer than 2 points, about 5,000 votes.
Chris Collins
Of New York fame, former Rep. Chris Collins resigned in 2019 from his Buffalo-area seat after an insider-trading guilty plea. He began a 26-month prison sentence in October 2020 and was later pardoned by Trump in December 2020.
Collins, 75, is a mechanical engineer by trade and started several successful businesses in New York. In 2012, Collins beat Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY), then a representative, for the congressional seat. Hochul had the backing of the National Rifle Association in that race, which Collins won by about 2 points.
Ola Hawatmeh
Businesswoman Ola Hawatmeh lost a 2020 congressional primary in New York and then became a policy adviser to Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-IN) in Washington before entering this race.
John Strand
John Strand is a convicted Jan. 6 rioter who received a pardon from Trump in January 2025.
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“In 2022, he made a deliberate decision to leave California and move to Florida,” Strand’s campaign website reads. “He chose Florida because it defended constitutional governance and personal responsibility while other states embraced mandates and government overreach. He didn’t just relocate — he recommitted himself to defending liberty, morality, and American culture.”
A handful of other candidates are also running, bringing the field to 10 ahead of the Tuesday primary.