Crowded Florida Race Puts Trump’s Clout to Test

Summary

Bloomberg Government's Greg Giroux discusses the crowded 10-way Republican primary in Florida's 19th Congressional District ahead of Tuesday's election. He explains why Trump's endorsement of Catalina Lauf is risky but likely gives her a boost in a no-runoff race. The conversation also covers affordability, insurance costs, and data center/AI concerns as campaign issues, along with Democratic primary energy and midterm implications.

• Florida's 19th Congressional District has a 10-way GOP primary, with many candidates from out of state.
• Byron Donalds is vacating the seat to run for Florida governor with Trump's endorsement.
• Trump endorsed former Commerce Department official Catalina Lauf in the crowded race.
• Trump endorsements usually help in GOP primaries, but the field lacks a clear front-runner.
• With no runoff, a winner could take the seat with only mid-20s support.
• Affordability, insurance costs, and data centers/AI are major campaign issues in Florida.
• Democratic primary participation is elevated, raising questions about November midterm energy.
• Donalds is likely to face Democrat David Jolley in the governor race, but Florida remains hard for Democrats.