Florida’s Joe Kaufman has a plan to flip the district he almost won in 2024
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Joe Kaufman knows what it’s like to lose a close race in a historically Democratic district. In fact, in the 2024 election cycle, Kaufman ran in the closest congressional race in the state, narrowly losing in the 23rd district to Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., a two-term congressman who has sought to build a moderate profile.
Florida just completed its redistricting process, and this time, Kaufman is confident he can win, despite Republicans facing headwinds.
Kaufman confirmed to Fox News Digital that in 2026, he will be running in the new 25th district, although it is not yet clear who his opponent is or if he is facing a primary challenger.
Moskowitz said on Monday that if he runs for office, he will be in the 25th District, and it seems that Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., who is seeking a 12th term in Congress, is also weighing a run in the same district.
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Joe Kaufman is running as a Republican in Florida’s newly created 25th district. (Joe Kaufman)
Kaufman brings a battle-tested strategy and message to the race, after his 2024 victory:
“Yes, we had 48% of the vote. It was the closest race in all of Florida and the highest percentage of any Republican ever to run for that seat. But back then, I got into the game very late and this time our numbers are much better, and we were able to make those alliances that we needed to last a long time. We did that now, and I’m going to win this seat this time.”
Kaufman bills himself as a “terrorist hunter” and brings strong foreign policy credentials to the table.
“I do counter-terrorism research, writing and lectures.” He says he’s been involved in “charitable boycotts and terror-related arrests. Recently, I led the shutdown of a pro-Hamas conference in Coral Springs, and the organizers, including CAIR and the South Florida Muslim Federation, were upset, so they sued me and the Marriott Corporation but they said we didn’t win in federal court. Not once, but twice.”
“He says about foreign policy, “I’ve been very involved over the last few years in what’s going on. 17 years ago, I was honored to establish a group called Cyrus Force with his majesty, Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, who we believe will be the future leader of Iran. “
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., speaks during a press conference about new legislation to support Holocaust education nationwide at the US Capitol Building on Jan. 27, 2023, Washington, DC (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Although he is a foreign policy hawk, Kaufman opposes putting troops on the ground in Iran.
“No, I don’t support ground troops, at least not from the United States. I don’t want to see what happened in past wars happen here by seeing Americans come back with body bags. I feel the same way about our friends in Israel.
“But there are third parties who want to get involved, and I say, give them the green light to do so. So, if there are ground forces … they don’t have to come from America or Israel. They have to come from these third parties.”
Kaufman is a strong advocate of high school career training, and a critic of the Affordable Care Act.
“Also, I support putting job training in every high school in America. And it’s a job I want to start as a congressman. Too many kids today are living at home with their parents after they graduate high school. They need to have real job skills to make money, get out of their parents’ homes, be able to have their families, and eventually, buy their own homes.
Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) speaks during a press conference. Moskowitz currently represents Florida’s 23rd district. (Jemal Countess/Getty Images for the Congressional Integrity Project)
“Also, I don’t like the Affordable Care Act. It was unaffordable. We’ve been taking hundreds of billions of dollars in subsidies, thanks to the Democrats. And I think we need a new health care system that costs the American government less and costs the American taxpayer less and better. And I think we can have that without Obamacare.”
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Historically, the incumbent president’s party loses seats in midterm elections most of the time. In what is widely believed to be a tough year ahead for Republicans, Kaufman acknowledges the current involvement in Iran and the lingering effects of inflation in the Biden era as challenges.
“Yes, a lot of it has to do with the war overseas, but I believe that will be short-term. I think that will end soon. And, in terms of inflation, we are still dealing with the Biden years where Joe Biden started the biggest inflation in our country.
Donald Trump (AP Photo/Paul Sancia, File)
“And thank you, President Trump, for doing things that will bring down inflation. So I’m looking forward to lower wages, better purchasing power and soon an end to the war, and overseas results that allow us to have peace in the Middle East and more peace in the world.”
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Kaufman says the Democratic Party is truly broken, and Republicans can win on messaging in 2026.
“Well, the Democrats, they allowed people, a disproportionate number of people, to cross our borders, some of whom were terrorists and members of terrorist cells. They damaged the values of the United States. They destroyed our health care system with the Affordable Care Act that was never affordable. They did everything in their power to destroy our nation, and we need to make that change.”
