Six Haitian candidates appear on Florida's Aug. 18 primary ballot
Haitian and Haitian American contenders vie for governor and South Florida congressional seats as voters head to the polls.
At least six Haitian and Haitian American candidates are competing in Florida's Aug. 18 primary, seeking congressional and statewide office, according to The Haitian Times. The candidates span both major parties and include two running for governor and four for seats in Congress, several in South Florida districts that include some of the state's largest Haitian communities. Florida is a closed-primary state, meaning voters generally may vote only in the primary of their registered party.
Former U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, the first Haitian American Democrat elected to Congress in 2022, is seeking a return in a crowded Democratic primary for District 20. She resigned in April 2026 shortly before a House Ethics Committee hearing over allegations she misused federal disaster relief funds; she has denied wrongdoing. U.S. Army veteran and Purple Heart recipient Rod Joseph is running in the District 20 Republican primary.
In District 24, where U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson is retiring, former Miami-Dade Commissioner Jean Monestime and physician Rudolph Moise are among seven Democrats. State Rep. Dotie Joseph, born in Haiti and serving in the Legislature since 2018, is seeking the Democratic nomination for governor, per The Haitian Times.