ORLANDO, Fla. - Florida election officials have announced that no recounts will be processed in a pair of closely contested U.S. House races in Central Florida.
Both the District 7 race and District 9 race do not qualify for recount requirements.
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Incumbent Democrat Darren Soto is expected to win in District 9.
Political newcomer and former Fox 35 anchor, Republican Ryan Elijah is expected to win in District 7.
READ: Florida voters await final tallies in close congressional races
The Florida Department of State said on Saturday only District 27 in South Florida is the only Florida U.S. House district going to a recount. Florida State House District 33 in Brevard County will also go to a recount.
A machine recount occurs when the margin is less than or equal to 0.5% total votes for office. If the machine recount returns a margin of defeat less than or equal to 0.25% of total votes, a manual recount of over/under votes occurs, according to the Florida Division of Elections.
Results will not be official until the Florida Elections Canvassing Commission certifies them on Nov. 17, 2026.
Democratic incumbent Rep. Darren Soto faced a challenge this election when Florida’s Republican legislature redrew congressional district, adding more traditionally Republican areas into District 9, which previously only included Osceola County and parts of Orange County and Polk County.
District 9 was redrawn this year and now stretches across 5,500 square miles, taking in parts of Orange and Osceola counties along with portions of Polk, Indian River, Okeechobee, Highlands, and Glades counties.
Soto faced Republican challenger Dan Green, a military veteran who served as deputy assistant secretary of defense during the first Trump administration.
READ: Florida midterm 2026: Osceola County results
TV news anchor turned politician Ryan Elijah was confident he would get the win even when he took part in an interview with Orlando’s Morning News the day after the election to talk about a possible recount.
“You count every vote, you go through the process, but you don’t want the results to take days,” Elijah said in that interview. “We don’t think this will go to a recount based on our numbers.”
Elijah declared victory the day after the election, even though the Supervisor of Elections had yet to announce a winner.
Elijah’s opponent, former Navy veteran Bale Dalton, pushed back.
“This race remains too close to call, and it is incumbent on all of us not to pretend otherwise until all ballots are counted,” he said in a statement. “Every single Central Floridian deserves to have their voice heard. We will wait as long as it takes for every single ballot to be tallied.”
Elijah will replaced embattled U.S. Congressman Cory Mills.
Last fall, a judge granted a temporary restraining order involving Mills after his former girlfriend accused him of threatening to release intimate photographs of her. Mills has denied wrongdoing in connection with the allegations.
Mills is also the subject of an ongoing House Ethics Committee investigation.
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