FL-19 Republican nominee?
6dJim Schwartzel is now at 90.6% and leads by 32.6 points after overtaking the prior leader.

Primary Election
Party selects its nominee.
Current roleMedia executive
PartyRepublican
Political ideologyTrump-aligned Republican
GenderMale
LocationFlorida
BackgroundMedia executive
Notable personal detailsJim Schwartzel is a Republican candidate for the U.S. House in Florida’s 19th Congressional District in the 2026 election cycle. He is a Southwest Florida media executive and has been described as president of Fort Myers-based Sun Broadcasting. He has also described himself as the founder of 92.5 FOX News Radio in Southwest Florida.
The candidate supports keeping taxes low, cutting burdensome regulations, and opposing expanded “socialist” spending. He emphasizes policies to make it easier for small businesses to thrive and to reduce government spending that he links to inflation and reduced opportunity.
Supports local, community-based approaches to healthcare and opposes federal mandates and what he calls ‘socialist policies’ that increase healthcare costs. Emphasizes reducing government spending and preferring local solutions over expanded federal programs.
The candidate supports finishing the border wall, strict enforcement of immigration laws, and deportation of those who enter illegally while saying he favors legal immigration. He frames illegal immigration as a national security and public-safety threat and prioritizes stopping illicit drugs and illegal entry.
The candidate emphasizes "energy independence" and opposes federal mandates, favoring local solutions and common-sense water management to protect waterways and beaches. The platform frames environmental regulation as something to resist when driven by "environmental extremists" and prioritizes economic growth and reduced regulation.
The candidate affirms defending the right to keep and bear arms and says he will preserve gun ownership as a constitutional liberty while emphasizing support for law enforcement and public safety. His campaign frames these positions within a broader pro-Second Amendment, pro-police platform.
Jim Schwartzel is now at 90.6% and leads by 32.6 points after overtaking the prior leader.
That’s above the previous high of 75% for Jim Schwartzel in the FL-19 Republican nominee race.
Jim Schwartzel is in a crowded race for Florida’s 19th Congressional District, which opened after Byron Donalds decided to run for governor. The contest is still unsettled, with several candidates competing and no clear frontrunner yet. He has also been pulled into a separate local dispute tied to a WINK News lawsuit, after another candidate accused him of being linked to Matt Devitt’s firing; Schwartzel denies that claim.




Aggregation source: FiftyPlusOne
2026
LatestCycle 2026
Source: FEC
New updates coming soon
We're monitoring and will update when new data impacts the race.