This story was produced in partnership with nonpartisan news organizations and universities across the state working to provide information about the 2026 elections. Learn more about the Florida Elections Reporting Partnership at floridaelections.org.

Michaelangelo Hamilton says he has been written off by the political establishment. Now, the write-in candidate for Florida’s 25th Congressional District is hoping voters will write him in.

“Any dream is supposed to be possible. How do you know if we don’t try?” Hamilton said, recalling the thinking behind his first congressional campaign in 2022, when he ran as a Democrat and received just over 1,000 votes in the primary.

Since then, Hamilton changed his party registration to be Republican and shifted toward what he describes as a moderate, right-leaning brand of politics.

The 26-year-old insurance agent is one of four candidates vying for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. He faces the Democratic incumbent Jared Moskowitz, Republican nominee Scott Singer and Libertarian Peter Jassenoff.

Redistricting has added uncertainty to a race forecasters are closely watching.

The Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan election analysis publication, shifted its rating of Florida’s 25th Congressional District from “toss up” to “lean Democrat” Oct. 16.

Florida’s Legislature approved a new statewide congressional map in April during a special session called by Gov. Ron DeSantis, who signed it into law May 4.

The Associated Press reported the new map could help Republicans gain up to four additional Florida seats in the House.

Voting-rights groups challenged the new map, arguing it violates Florida’s constitutional ban on partisan gerrymandering. A trial judge declined to block the map in May, and the Florida Supreme Court declined an emergency request to halt its use in June without ruling on the case’s merits.

According to Nicholas Seabrook, a political science professor and department chair at the University of North Florida, the new map combined parts of four previous congressional districts into the 25th Congressional District.

“Part of the problem Republicans are running into in this election is that they took a map that was already pretty gerrymandered and tried to kind of squeeze more seats out of it,” Seabrook said. 

The changes shifted some Democratic voters out of 25th District while adding Republican-leaning communities from coastal Palm Beach and Broward counties, he added.

The candidates

Before entering Congress, Moskowitz served in the Florida House and later as director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management. After Moskowitz resigned, Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed him to the Broward County Commission.

Moskowitz was elected to represent Florida’s 23rd Congressional District in 2022 and reelected in 2024. Following redistricting, he is running for a third term in the newly drawn 25th District.

Moskowitz introduced 38 pieces of legislation in Congress, according to legislation tracker by Congress. None of the bills he introduced has become law in the Republican-dominated legislature, although he has co-sponsored legislation that has passed, including the FISHES Act, which addresses fishery disaster relief plans.

Within Congress, Moskowitz has drawn attention for a combative, media-savvy style. A 2024 Politico profile described him as using political stunts and sharp retorts to challenge Republicans, while noting that he has also clashed with Democrats.

Then-Rep. Matt Gaetz, a Republican, shared an unlikely bond with Moskowitz. Gaetz called him “one of the smartest and most tactical Democrats I know and one of the kindest humans I know.”

Moskowitz’s previous work for AshBritt, a Florida disaster-recovery contractor, has drawn renewed scrutiny over price-gouging allegations against the company.

In 2017, while Moskowitz was the company’s general counsel and vice president of business development, then-Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi investigated allegations that AshBritt attempted to raise fixed-price contracts for Hurricane Irma debris removal by withholding services until local governments agreed to higher rates.

Moskowitz appeared at a Parkland City Commission meeting in September 2017 to request a price increase for AshBritt’s contract. According to the meeting minutes, he said the increase was needed to keep the company’s equipment in Parkland. The minutes also said commissioners felt “they were being held hostage” by the requested increase.

At least one case related to the initial investigation was dismissed in 2020, according to a records search from the Broward County Clerk of Courts website. It was not against Moskowitz himself.

Moskowitz’s campaign website lists the cost of living, emergency management and Israel as his top priorities.

Israel has become a point of competition between Moskowitz and Singer. Both candidates support Israel and have received contributions from pro-Israel PACs during the current election cycle, according to FEC filings.

Singer criticizes Moskowitz for not doing enough to support Israel.

On social media, Singer took issue with Moskowitz’s vote against removing Rep. Ilhan Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee over remarks about Israel that some critics called antisemitic. Omar later apologized for the remarks.

“He doesn’t have any more chips to give in,” Singer said in a video posted on FaceBook. “He has to go with the way the majority is going.”

A Harvard graduate and attorney, Singer has positioned himself within the broader America First movement. He chairs the America First Policy Institute’s Mayors’ Council, a conservative think tank closely aligned with the Trump administration.

President Donald Trump called Singer an “America First Patriot” in a post on Truth Social.

“Scott Singer has my Complete and Total Endorsement to be the next Representative from Florida’s 25th Congressional District — HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!” Trump wrote.

In an interview with CBS, Moskowitz said Singer would be a “rubber stamp” for the Trump administration.

Singer pushed back, according to the article. “I’m not a rubber stamp for anyone. I, as mayor, I had broad bipartisan support and didn’t agree with everyone 100% of the time,” Singer said.

According to Singer’s campaign website, the Republican candidate generally supports Trump’s policy goals. He cites the economy, public safety and low taxes as some of his top priorities. Singer’s website describes himself as a “staunch supporter” of Trump’s push to cut what he calls waste and fraud from the budget. 

Singer served as mayor of Boca Raton for eight years from 2018 until March 2026. His congressional campaign claims to have lowered taxes and local crime during his mayoralty.

However, one of Singer’s major initiatives as mayor, the One Boca redevelopment plan, faced major opposition from residents concerned about overdevelopment in the city. In March, nearly three-quarters of voters rejected the plan, according to local reporting.

The proposal would have granted private developers a near-century lease on about 7.8 acres of city-owned downtown land.

The One Boca plan was not the first proposal from Singer to face resistance from voters. In 2023, residents largely rejected a referendum Singer supported that would have extended City Council terms from three years to four.

Singer defended the proposal as a way to give city leaders more time to govern and reduce the cost of holding elections.

Moskowitz’s and Singer’s campaigns could not be reached for comment by deadline using the contact information listed in their campaign filings.

Also on the ballot is Peter Jassenoff, the Libertarian candidate. The 33-year-old data administrator said his campaign is primarily an effort to increase awareness of Libertarianism rather than promote a specific set of policies.

He said his campaign encompasses speaking with the media and voters who reach out to him.

“I’m doing what I intended to do,” he said. “Get Libertarian and my name on the ballot.”

Jassenoff grew up in a Republican household but gradually moved away from the party. He said both major parties have their strengths but are flawed. 

“They’re both out to get each other,” he said of the Democratic and Republican parties. “The third, fourth and fifth parties have no chance because they [Major parties] try to sue them.”

Jassenoff’s own candidacy faced a legal challenge from Republicans seeking to remove him from the ballot. The lawsuit alleged he paid his qualifying fee with a personal check rather than one drawn from his campaign account.

The Florida Republican Party and three Republican candidates, including Singer, later dropped the lawsuit after financial information showed the check came from a campaign account. 

Jassenoff said the chances of him winning are slim but identified education as a priority. He said teachers deserve higher pay and argued that the federal government should have less influence over local issues.

Hamilton is running as a write-in candidate. He became frustrated with Democratic Party leaders whom he felt were unwilling to support younger candidates. After switching between Democratic and Green Party registrations, he eventually registered as a Republican.

“I want to be kind of the bridge between the current era of Republican politics and a new era of Republican and American politics,” he said.

His campaign focuses on lowering costs, supporting small businesses and creating jobs. He also wants Congress to play a stronger role in decisions to go to war, arguing that presidential power has grown too strong.

While attending Florida Atlantic University, Hamilton volunteered for Singer’s mayoral campaign. He later grew concerned about Singer’s response to Boca Raton residents who opposed development.

Hamilton has also reached out to Singer to request a debate but said he has received no response. Hamilton called the lack of a response “a little hypocritical,” given Singer’s urging of Moskowitz to debate himself.

“The voters deserve to hear all their options,” Hamilton said.

What some voters are saying

Samuel Harper, an assistant professor at the University of Tampa, said congressional races have become increasingly shaped by national politics.

“It makes sense for in a congressional race, for everything to be about Donald Trump,” Harper said. “He effectively controls most of the American federal government right now.” 

For Naomi Blemur, a registered Democrat and community advocate in Congressional District 25, the candidates’ individual positions remain a concern.
Blemur previously ran for Florida commissioner of agriculture and said she has struggled to hear directly from either Moskowitz or Singer. During the Democratic primary, Blemur said Moskowitz did not attend the candidate forums she was aware of.  

“Who am I voting for?” she said. “I don’t know as of yet, but I can tell you that I’m not impressed by either.”

She pointed to the rising costs of groceries as an issue. “A hundred bucks does not get you far at all,” she said.

For other voters, the decision was less about individual candidates’ policy proposals than about the balance of power in Washington.

Joyce Medina, a registered Republican for more than a decade who works in real estate and property management, said she plans to vote for Democrats down the ballot.

She said she has grown dissatisfied with the Republican Party under President Donald Trump and wants Congress to serve as a check on his power. Medina criticized congressional Republicans for failing to check Trump’s power, arguing that party loyalty has taken priority over holding the president accountable.

Medina said she has not closely followed the candidates’ individual platforms. Instead, she sees the election as an opportunity to push back against what she views as unchecked presidential power.

“The issues at this point don’t matter, because the president is out of control,” Medina said.