Florida's 24th District Primary
Rep. Frederica Wilson announced her retirement in May 2026, and the race to succeed her in Florida's 24th Congressional District has become one of the most crowded Democratic primaries in South Florida in years. Eight Democrats compete for the party's nomination on Aug. 18 in a seat rated Solid Democratic by every major forecaster, meaning the primary winner is almost certain to head to Washington.
The district covers portions of Miami-Dade and Broward counties, centered on Miami Gardens and surrounding communities in the greater Miami metropolitan area. Florida runs a traditional partisan primary: registered voters in each party cast ballots in separate contests, with winners advancing to the Nov. 3 general election. No top-two or ranked-choice rules apply. The Republican primary in FL-24 features three candidates but is a lower-stakes contest given the district's partisan lean.
The Candidates
Wilson has held the seat since 2011. In the 119th Congress, she served on the House Education and Workforce Committee, as ranking Democrat on the House Transportation Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, and held seats on the Veterans' Affairs and Armed Services committees. She endorsed Oliver Gilbert to succeed her before the primary.
Oliver Gilbert entered the race as the establishment frontrunner. A former Miami-Dade County Commissioner who resigned his county seat to run, Gilbert launched with more than $1 million already in his political committee, Common Voices. Wilson's endorsement gave him an early symbolic boost, and he has since added backing from major labor organizations including SEIU 32BJ, SEIU Local 1991, the Florida AFL-CIO, the South Florida Council of Firefighters, and UNITE HERE!
Shevrin Jones is Gilbert's most formidable challenger. A Florida State Senator from Miami Gardens who has served in the Legislature since 2012, Jones made history in 2020 as Florida's first openly LGBTQ state senator. He raised $100,000 within 24 hours of launching his campaign and has earned endorsements from the 314 Action Fund.
Kendrick Meek is running to reclaim a seat with deep family roots. His grandmother, the late Rep. Carrie Meek, and his father, former Rep. Kendrick Meek Sr., both previously represented the district. At 29, the South Florida attorney announced his candidacy from his grandmother's living room and has drawn an endorsement from former House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, who cited Meek's work with the Human Rights Campaign, the ACLU, and SAVE.
Jean Monestime served as a Miami-Dade County Commissioner from 2010 to 2022, including a term as Commission Chairman from 2014 to 2016.
Rudy Moise is a Haitian-born physician, attorney, and MBA holder who immigrated to the United States at age 17. He has run for this seat before and earned his osteopathic doctorate from the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine and his law and business degrees from the University of Miami.
Christine Sanon-Jules has run as a Democrat in FL-24 in 2020 and 2022. She is campaigning on what she calls an "economic dignity agenda" focused on housing affordability, free statewide telehealth, and expanded childcare assistance.
Roderick Darrell Vereen and Marshall Davis Sr. also appear on the Democratic primary ballot. No additional biographical details were available for either candidate beyond their party registration and Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings.
On the Republican side, Patricia Gonzalez, Imtiaz Mohammad, and Te Brown are running. No verified biographical details were available for any of the three beyond their party registration and FEC filings.
The Money Behind the Race
Outside groups have spent a confirmed $577,678 in independent expenditures in the FL-24 primary, according to FEC data current through Aug. 10. All of it supports Democratic candidates.
An additional $3,626,902 in pending expenditures has been reported but not yet finalized in periodic filings. If confirmed, total outside activity would reach roughly $4,204,581.
SD 2026 and the American Made Political Action Committee (American Made PAC) account for virtually all confirmed spending. American Made PAC leads with $307,231 in confirmed expenditures, all in support of Gilbert, and has an additional $563,864 pending. SD 2026 has spent $270,437 in support of Jones, with $1,595,014 more pending. Sierra Club Independent Action reported a nominal $10 in support spending.
Among groups that have reported zero confirmed spending but significant pending amounts: Protect Progress ($1,005,220 pending), Good Growth ($250,000 pending), Florida's Voice PAC ($107,066 pending), and Equality PAC ($105,094 pending).
By candidate, Gilbert has attracted the most confirmed outside support at $307,231, all from American Made PAC. Jones has received $270,437, all from SD 2026. Meek has no confirmed outside spending, though $83,333 in pending expenditures has been reported on his behalf. Wilson has received a nominal $10 from Sierra Club Independent Action.
Among direct contributions to candidate committees, labor unions dominate the top of the donor list. The American Federation of Teachers AFL-CIO Committee on Political Education, the Carnival/Princess Holland America Line Inc. PAC (HALPAC), and the Machinists Non Partisan Political League of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers each contributed $10,000, the largest individual PAC contributions in the available data.
The Transport Workers Union of America Political Contributions Committee gave $6,000 across four contributions. Several additional union PACs, maritime industry committees, and individual donors contributed $5,000 each, including Micky Arison and Madeleine Arison. These figures represent a partial picture; FEC records indicate 157 additional contribution documents fall outside the top-20 summary.
Ratings vs. Odds
Cook Political Report rated FL-24 as Solid Democratic on July 16. Sabato's Crystal Ball assigned the same rating on July 30. Inside Elections followed on Aug. 6, producing a unanimous consensus rating as of that date.
Kalshi gives Democrats a 97% probability of winning the general election, with Republicans at 3%, as of Aug. 7, 2026. That market has traded 29,533 contracts. Because no Republican faces a contested primary and the district leans heavily Democratic, the Aug. 18 Democratic primary is the race that will determine who represents FL-24 in the next Congress.
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