Florida's 26th congressional district explained

State:Florida
District Number:26
Image Caption:Interactive map of district boundaries since January 3, 2023
Representative:Mario Díaz-Balart
Party:Republican
Residence:Miami
English Area:5171[1]
Distribution Ref:[2]
Percent Urban:97.7
Percent Rural:2.3
Population:796,673[3]
Population Year:2022
Median Income:$67,071
Percent White:19.4
Percent Hispanic:73.0
Percent Black:4.8
Percent Asian:1.1
Percent More Than One Race:1.2
Percent Other Race:0.5
Cpvi:R+8[4]

Florida's 26th congressional district is an electoral district for the U.S. Congress, which was first created in South Florida in 2013 as a result of Florida's population gain in the 2010 census.[5] In the 2020 redistricting cycle, it was drawn as a successor to the previous 25th district and includes most of inland Collier County as well as the northwestern suburbs of Miami, including Doral, Hialeah, Miami Lakes, and some neighborhoods in Miami itself, such as Allapattah and Wynwood. The previous iteration of the 26th district, which included Monroe County and the southwestern suburbs of Miami, was instead renamed as the newly created 28th district.

From 2013 to 2023, the 26th district was located in far South Florida, and contains all of Monroe County as well as a portion of south-west Miami-Dade County.[6] [7] Geographically, it was the successor to the old 25th district and included Homestead, Key Largo, Marathon, and Key West, as well as Florida International University, Key West International Airport, and all three of Florida's national parks.

Republican Mario Díaz-Balart currently represents the district.

Characteristics

According to the APM Research Lab's Voter Profile Tools (featuring the U.S. Census Bureau's 2019 American Community Survey), the district contained about 482,000 potential voters (citizens, age 18+). Of these, 68% are Latino, 18% White, and 12% Black. Nearly half (49%) of the district's potential voters are immigrants. The median income among households (with one or more potential voter) in the district is about $68,200, while 11% of households live below the poverty line. As for the educational attainment of potential voters in the district, 15% of those 25 and older have not earned a high school degree, while 28% hold a bachelor's or higher degree.

Voting

Presidential election results

Results from previous presidential elections. The 2010s iteration of this district was the only one in the U.S. to vote for the Democratic candidate for President in 2012 and 2016, then flip to the Republican candidate in 2020.[8] In contrast, the district's 2020s iteration was the only one in the U.S. to vote for the Republican candidate for President in 2008 and 2012, only to flip once to the Democratic candidate in 2016 and then back to the Republicans in 2020.[9]

YearOfficeResults
2012PresidentBarack Obama 55.4% - Mitt Romney 43.9%
2016PresidentHillary Clinton 56.7% - Donald Trump 40.6%
2020PresidentDonald Trump 52.4% - Joe Biden 46.9%

State election results

Results from previous non-presidential statewide elections

YearOfficeResults
2016SenateMarco Rubio 49.4% - Patrick Murphy 48.1%
2018SenateBill Nelson 54.4% - Rick Scott 45.6%
GovernorAndrew Gillum 53.5% - Ron DeSantis 45.3%
Attorney GeneralSean Shaw 52.0% - Ashley Moody 45.9%
2022SenateMarco Rubio 69.6% - Val Demings 29.7%
GovernorRon DeSantis 70.1% - Charlie Crist 29.4%

Composition

CountySeatPopulation
21CollierEast Naples404,310
86Miami-DadeMiami2,686,867

Cities with 10,000 or more people

2,500-10,000 people

List of members representing the district

RepresentativePartyYearsCong
ress
Electoral historyGeography
District created January 3, 2013
align=left
Joe Garcia
Democraticnowrap January 3, 2013 –
January 3, 2015
Elected in 2012.
Lost re-election.
2013–2017

Carlos Curbelo
RepublicanJanuary 3, 2015 –
January 3, 2019
Elected in 2014.
Re-elected in 2016.
Lost re-election.
2017–2023
align=left
Debbie Mucarsel-Powell
Democraticnowrap January 3, 2019 –
January 3, 2021
Elected in 2018.
Lost re-election.
align=left
Carlos Giménez
Republicannowrap January 3, 2021 –
January 3, 2023
Elected in 2020.
Redistricted to the .
align=left
Mario Díaz-Balart
Republicannowrap January 3, 2023 –
present
Redistricted from the and re-elected in 2022.2023–present:

Most of inland Collier County and the northwest of Miami-Dade County

Election results

2022

References

25.6847°N -80.9989°W

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Congressional Plan--SC14-1905 (Ordered by The Florida Supreme Court, 2-December-2015). Florida Senate Committee on Reapportionment. January 11, 2017.
  2. Web site: Congressional Districts Relationship Files (state-based). US Census Bureau Geography. www.census.gov.
  3. Web site: My Congressional District. Center for New Media & Promotion (CNMP), US Census Bureau. www.census.gov.
  4. Web site: 2022 Cook PVI: District Map and List. 2023-01-10. Cook Political Report. en.
  5. Web site: Census 2010 shows Red states gaining congressional districts. Washington Post. December 21, 2010.
  6. See whole Florida state map for 2013, with the 26th district covering Monroe County and Miami-Dade County: -->ING2012/PUBLICCOMMENTS/h000c9047_35x42L.pdf h9047_35x42L.pdf Congressional Plan: H000C9047. Chapter No. 2012-2, Laws of Florida. www.flsenate.gov. February 16, 2012.
  7. See the 2013 boundaries of the 26th district, covering Monroe County and western Miami-Dade in the 2013 districts map: H000C9047_map_se.pdf, for the southeast region of Florida. Congressional Plan: H000C9047. Chapter No. 2012-2, Laws of Florida. www.flsenate.gov. February 2012.
  8. Web site: Just 47 House districts flipped in the last three presidential elections. What do they tell us?.
  9. Web site: Districts of Change, Part Two: Looking Beyond the Straight-Party Districts.