Florida's 25th Congressional District Primary

Eight candidates (five Republicans and two Democrats, plus the incumbent) are competing in Florida's 25th Congressional District primaries on Aug. 18, with both parties choosing nominees for what every major forecaster calls a toss-up general election in November. Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz faces a primary challenger from the left, while a crowded Republican field battles to earn the right to take him on in the fall.

Florida runs partisan primaries: registered Democrats and Republicans vote on separate ballots on the same day, with the top vote-getter in each party advancing. The general election follows on Nov. 3.

The district covers a swath of South Florida's Atlantic coast, running from Delray Beach in Palm Beach County south through Broward County and into Miami-Dade. The seat emerged from a Republican-drawn redistricting map that reconfigured the old 23rd District, producing a competitive footprint that leans only modestly Democratic. Moskowitz opted to run here rather than defend his reconfigured old turf.

Democrats

Moskowitz has held a South Florida House seat since January 2023, previously serving on the Broward County Commission. In the 119th Congress he sits on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and serves as ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Intelligence. His record includes securing more than $7.3 million in federal funding for South Florida infrastructure and public safety projects and authoring bipartisan legislation including the CHILD Act, which advances background checks for school contractors. He also served on the bipartisan task force investigating the 2024 assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.

Oliver Larkin is challenging Moskowitz from the left. He has campaigned on Medicare for All, a $25 minimum wage, abolishing the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, and ending the Electoral College. He has leaned into grassroots door-knocking over fundraising, running as a protest candidate against what he characterizes as Moskowitz's insufficiently progressive record.

Republicans

Dan Franzese was the Republican nominee in the old FL-22 in 2024, where he received an endorsement from Donald Trump, and has since shifted to the redrawn FL-25, which overlaps substantially with that prior district. He holds a Wharton MBA, has earned an endorsement from Rep. Brian Mast, and is running on an "America First" platform centered on tax cuts, border security, and reducing government spending.

Scott Singer served as mayor of Boca Raton and is running on fiscal discipline, low taxes, strong borders, and national defense. His name recognition in the district's northern communities (Boca Raton and Delray Beach) gives him a geographic foothold in the primary.

George Moraitis is a Fort Lauderdale native, U.S. Naval Academy graduate, and University of Florida-trained attorney who served in the Florida House of Representatives from 2010 to 2018 before being term-limited out. He qualified for the ballot via grassroots petition signatures rather than a filing fee, and has centered his campaign on military service and insurance reform, including a proposal for a national windstorm risk pool.

Joe Kaufman narrowly lost to Moskowitz in the 2024 general election in the old FL-23, making him the Republican in this field with the most direct head-to-head experience against the incumbent. A repeat candidate with a counter-terrorism background, he is running again on the argument that the redrawn map improves Republican prospects.

Raven Harrison and Claudia Villatoro are also on the Republican ballot.

The Money Behind the Race

Outside groups have reported $225,155 in confirmed independent expenditures in this race, with FEC periodic filings current through July 1. An additional $1,968,874 in pending expenditure notices (filings that have not yet been fully processed) would bring total outside activity to roughly $2,194,029 if confirmed.

Among committees with confirmed spending, two organizations account for nearly all of the reported dollars. Conservative Leadership for Florida spent $158,500, all in support of a Republican candidate. America's Renewal PAC, Inc. spent $66,500, all in opposition to Wasserman Schultz. The People United PAC and Peoples Voices United PAC each reported nominal confirmed spending of $113 and $43, respectively.

The pending notices tell a larger story. Defending Our Values PAC carries $1,572,385 in pending notices, the single largest uncommitted figure in the race. Pro-Choice Majority Action has $250,000 pending. Neither has yet recorded confirmed expenditures.

By candidate, Singer leads all competitors in confirmed outside support: $158,500 from Conservative Leadership for Florida, with another $832,121 in pending notices, the largest pending total of any candidate. Franzese has no confirmed outside spending but $740,265 pending. Wasserman Schultz is the only candidate facing confirmed opposition spending, with $66,500 directed against her by America's Renewal PAC, Inc., plus $306,365 in pending notices against her. Moraitis has $62,623 in pending notices. Larkin has $155 in confirmed support and $27,500 pending.

The FEC filing data also shows George R. Moraitis as the top individual contributor across the race, with $116,695 given across 12 contributions, a notable figure given that he is also a candidate in the Republican primary. The next-largest individual contributors identified in the filings include Deborah Harris at $14,500 and Marsha Lacy at $14,000.

All candidates combined have raised $13,088,556 across the race.

Ratings vs. Odds

Cook Political Report rated the 25th a toss-up as of July 16. Sabato's Crystal Ball matched that rating as of July 30. Inside Elections held the same toss-up call as of Aug. 6. The three forecasters are unanimous: neither party holds a structural advantage heading into November.

Kalshi's prediction market diverges modestly from the pure toss-up label. As of Aug. 7, traders gave Democrats a 65.3 percent probability of winning the seat versus 34.7 percent for Republicans, with no probability assigned to third-party candidates. The market had recorded $17,211 in trading volume. The gap between the forecasters' toss-up consensus and the market's Democratic lean reflects the reality that the incumbent starts with built-in advantages (name recognition, a fundraising base, and an established constituent network) even in a district drawn to be competitive.

---

Spot something wrong? Report an issue with this article