{"id":4178,"date":"2026-06-14T10:06:12","date_gmt":"2026-06-14T10:06:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=4178"},"modified":"2026-06-14T10:06:12","modified_gmt":"2026-06-14T10:06:12","slug":"editorial-was-candidatepalooza-2026-in-desantis-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=4178","title":{"rendered":"Editorial: Was Candidatepalooza 2026 in DeSantis\u2019 plan?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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There is one true thing about elections, year in and year out: Expect the unexpected.<\/p>\n

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It doesn\u2019t matter how experienced you are. How many times you\u2019ve voted; how many campaigns you\u2019ve posted on social media about; how many campaign contributions you\u2019ve made, or candidates you\u2019ve volunteered for \u2014 not even the number of times your own name has been on the ballot.<\/p>\n

The potential for surprise never goes away. And before the sun had even set on the close of candidate qualifying, the 2026 election season delivered its first big shocker and its first unforced error.<\/p>\n

Down, yes. But out?<\/h4>\n

Here\u2019s how things were expected to go down: After a solid decade of anti-voter machinations \u2014 participation hindered, voter\u00a0\u00a0mandates ignored, duly elected officials yanked by Gov. Ron DeSantis from public office on a whim and previously unimaginable manipulation and dishonesty by people at the pinnacle of power \u2014 Floridians, particularly Democrats, would be exhausted. Probably broke. Maybe even heartbroken. Certainly, in no condition to put up a fight.<\/p>\n

That usually manifests first as candidates qualify for the\u00a0ballot\u00a0\u2014 or\u00a0rather, don\u2019t. That\u2019s by design.\u00a0By this point, political-party machines tend to make their favorites known, even in races labeled non-partisan. There\u2019s a heavy emphasis on tried-and-true incumbents (and even ones who are not so true.) Meanwhile, analysts and pollsters have poured buckets of numbers into their mystical engines and cranked out a packet of prognostications: This district is \u201csolid red.\u201d That one \u201cleans D.\u201d\u00a0Lastly, the money is starting to settle, with some candidates sitting on intimidating piles of cash with prime TV and radio spots already booked.<\/p>\n

And honestly, what we are describing is a normal year. This year, the governor and Legislature nakedly plotted to steal even more power from already outnumbered opponents. In prior sessions, they enacted laws meant to disenfranchise voters by the thousands,\u00a0stopping just short of enshrining Jim Crow as Florida\u2019s official state bird. Committees with innocent-sounding names are already being converted into vast reservoirs of shadowy, almost untraceable cash.<\/p>\n

What have we here?<\/h4>\n

By now, you\u2019re probably thinking: Wait a minute. You promised us a surprise, not a chorus of \u201cever so much more so.\u201d Be patient. It\u2019s coming.<\/p>\n

The ultimate goal of all the dirty tricks and arm-twisting is, of course, to win elections. But the easiest election to win is the one that never happens \u2014 where an incumbent or a hand-picked heir apparent is the sole qualifier. And just like that, the election is won. Cash and other resources flow elsewhere. For either political party, it\u2019s the easiest way to win.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

So candidates who have none of these things \u2014\u00a0no\u00a0district drawn to favor them,\u00a0no\u00a0resume packed with the right kind of experience,\u00a0no\u00a0blessings from\u00a0\u00a0of the elite,\u00a0no\u00a0stacks of money,\u00a0no\u00a0district drawn to their benefit \u2014 have been hearing for months: \u201cDon\u2019t waste your time qualifying. You have about as much chance as an ice cube tossed onto I-4 on a cloudless August day.\u201d In a state where the majority of legislative and congressional districts are drawn to favor Republicans the direction was clear.<\/p>\n

This week was put-up-or-shut-up time for almost every would-be candidate in Central Florida, including congressional candidates. To be on the ballot in August or November, they\u2019d need pre-verified signatures or a check representing a significant qualifying fee turned in by Friday noon. Anyone watching the county or state elections websites prior to last week would have seen a lot of names among the hopefuls, but that always winnows down significantly after the deadline drops. Those who know all the things? We didn\u2019t think much of it. And yes, that \u201cwe\u201d includes this newspaper\u2019s editorial board.<\/p>\n

Surprise!<\/p>\n

Unintended consequences?<\/h4>\n

When Republicans redrew congressional districts a few weeks ago, they clearly meant to make at least 24 of the state\u2019s 28 districts more winnable for the GOP and intimidate Democrats into abandoning the most lopsidedly red districts. It\u2019s not quite working out that way. There\u2019s at least one Democrat \u2014 most often two or three \u2014 in every House race. Statewide, only one candidate will re-take his office without an opponent: Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost, D-Orlando. In the meantime, many races are stuffed with so many candidates that both major parties will probably have to fight for the cash they need to contend in November.<\/p>\n

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<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, two of Florida\u2019s least popular GOP congressmen drew bumper crops of opposition. Rep. Randy Fine of Brevard has 11 opponents, including four Republicans \u2014 almost unheard of. Rep. Cory Mills of New Smyrna Beach\u2019s situation is a little more understandable: He has seven opponents, including a primary with three other Republicans. But he\u2019s also under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for multiple, serious breaches. Due to Florida\u2019s winner-take-all primary, all it would take is one nudge \u2014 perhaps a pat on a challenger\u2019s back from President Donald Trump \u2014 to send either GOP incumbent tumbling out of office.<\/p>\n

At first blush, it appears that the GOP\u2019s reward for its unconstitutional reshuffling of the deck will be congressional-race chaos \u2014 messy. unpredictable and expensive.<\/p>\n

The race is on<\/h4>\n

It\u2019s a little more orderly in state legislative races, but still suprisingly contentious. One South\u00a0 Florida Senate seat (out of 20 up for election) has only two Democrats and no Republican. In North Florida, Clay Yarborough, a Republican, was the only senator re-elected without opposition. House races showed a more familiar pattern \u2014 out of 120 races, nine Democrats and, 10 Republicans were elected without opposition As of Saturday, three other races show no Democratic candidate, and seven have no Republican.<\/p>\n

That tally includes this cycle\u2019s biggest qualifying surprise: Rep. Paula Stark, R-St. Cloud, did not file for re-election by the deadline, leaving two Democrats to tussle over an unexpectedly vacant seat.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not even starting on the local races. We\u2019ll get into those in a subsequent editorial, but at first glance,\u00a0we\u00a0think Central Florida may have broken some records, with more candidates on ballots than ever before. Some races are so crowded you have to take your shoes off to count them all \u2014 like the race for Orange County Commission District 7, where 13 people will be on the ballot in August.<\/p>\n

As always, the Orlando Sentinel\u2019s editorial board will be interviewing candidates and making endorsements in as many races as we can. We will not, however, be endorsing in the races for governor or U.S. Senate. This is a company-wide decision and very limited in scope. It applies only to endorsements in these two races and does not preclude us from editorials that address those candidates\u2019 positions or conduct during the campaign.<\/p>\n

As it turns out, though, we\u2019ll have plenty to do. We also plan to share ways that readers can get involved, including the ground rules for writing your own letters of endorsement.<\/p>\n

Florida voters have taken it on the chin from their own elected leaders for long enough: This is a chance to show the powerful elite of both parties, the people who believe they control state politics, who the real bosses are \u2014 and with this many candidates in this many races,\u00a0 things are nowhere near as\u00a0predictable\u00a0as DeSantis and his legislative minions intended. So fill the coffee pot, fasten your seat belts and let\u2019s get started.<\/p>\n

The Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board consists of Opinion Editor Krys Fluker, Executive Editor Roger Simmons and Viewpoints Editor Jay Reddick. Use insight@orlandosentinel.com to contact us.<\/em><\/p>\n

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There is one true thing about elections, year in and year out: Expect the unexpected. It doesn\u2019t matter how experienced you are. 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