2026 House Elections

President Donald Trump used a Truth Social post on Tuesday to urge Sydney Gruters, wife of Republican National Committee Chair and Florida state senator Joe Gruters, to run for Congress in Florida’s 16th Congressional District and promised his “Complete and Total Endorsement” if she enters the race. The seat is open because Republican Rep. Vern Buchanan is not seeking re-election, making any Trump-backed candidate an instant frontrunner in a strongly Republican district. In a statement to Florida Politics cited by Fox News, Sydney Gruters said she was "deeply honored" by Trump’s backing, praised his leadership and said she is focused on lowering the cost of living for families, adding she will announce her plans "very soon." Trump’s post cast her as a “Highly Successful Civic Leader and Public Servant” and laid out a standard MAGA-aligned agenda on taxes, regulations, border security, energy and gun rights that he says she would champion in Congress. The move underscores how Trump is using the bully pulpit and his grip on the RNC to try to shape down-ballot races and potentially steer a safe GOP House seat toward an ally’s family member.