Vero Beach Republican Self-Funds $1M Congressional Bid as Florida Qualifying Week Opens

A Vero Beach Republican with deep ties to the military and the Trump administration stepped into one of Florida's most closely watched congressional races Monday, committing $1 million of his own money and instantly reshaping a growing GOP primary field.

Dan Green, a Navy reserve officer and former Trump Pentagon appointee, filed to run in Florida's 9th Congressional District, which stretches through Central Florida. His self-funding pledge puts Green among the better-resourced candidates in a Republican primary aimed at unseating Democratic U.S. Rep. Darren Soto in November 2026.

Green's entry is among the most significant Treasure Coast-connected moves of the qualifying week, which opened Monday with four days remaining before the noon Friday deadline at the Division of Elections Office in Tallahassee.

At the statewide level, Democratic former state Sen. Annette Taddeo officially entered the race for Chief Financial Officer, positioning herself as a "watchdog," not a "lapdog," with a focus on insurance costs and government accountability, public filings show. She faces appointed Republican CFO Blaise Ingoglia, who is seeking a full term in the Cabinet post.

Qualifying week also brought a comeback bid from former state Rep. Daisy Morales, who filed for the open House District 43 seat after losing re-election in 2022 and a subsequent primary challenge two years later. She enters a Democratic primary that already includes Samuel Vilchez Santiago, who has secured much of the local Democratic establishment's support.

In the Tampa Bay area, term-limited state Rep. Susan Valdés filed for the Hillsborough County Commission. Valdés, a Tampa Republican who won four House terms as a Democrat before switching parties, faces incumbent Republican Donna Cameron Cepeda, Hillsborough County School Board Member Stacy Hahn and Democrat Neil Manimala.

Sarasota perennial candidate Martin Hyde announced an independent bid for Senate District 22, where Republican Rep. James Buchanan is considered the front-runner to succeed term-limited Sen. Joe Gruters in the reliably Republican seat.

All candidate paperwork and filing fees must be submitted to the Division of Elections in Tallahassee by noon Friday for the 2026 cycle. Treasure Coast voters watching the 9th District race and the CFO contest, which directly shapes Florida's insurance regulatory posture, will have greater clarity on the full field by week's end.

This article was generated with AI assistance using publicly available information. It was reviewed and approved by a human editor before publication. TC Sentinel uses AI writing tools in accordance with FTC guidelines.