A wide-open scramble for a safe Republican House seat in Southwest Florida has drawn a colorful cast of characters vying for the MAGA crown.
Ten candidates are competing for the seat being vacated by Rep. Byron Donalds, who’s running for governor, and remarkably six of them have previously run for or served in Congress in other states, reported CNN on Friday.
“The free-for-all is unfolding in President Donald Trump’s adopted home state at a moment when he continues to play kingmaker in Republican primaries across the country,” CNN reported. “But in this corner of his backyard, Trump has yet to weigh in, leaving a sprawling field of carpetbaggers, characters and conservatives fighting over who can claim the MAGA mantle.”
The field includes former North Carolina Rep. Madison Cawthorn, whose chaotic 2022 tenure ended in a primary loss and who has since racked up a string of Florida traffic citations, including two for driving 50 mph over the speed limit and seven for illegally parking in handicap spaces.
Also running: Chris Collins, a former New York congressman pardoned by Trump after serving time for insider trading; Jim Oberweis and Catalina Lauf, two Illinois transplants who once faced each other in a suburban Chicago primary; Ola Hawatmeh, a onetime New York candidate turned adviser to an Indiana lawmaker; and Linda Sawyer, a two-time also-ran for Michigan’s House seat. Turning Point Action has endorsed John Strand, a former underwear model and Jan. 6 defendant pardoned by Trump who has struggled to raise money.
“It’s a who’s who of the clown show,” a House GOP operative told CNN.
Trump, who carried the district by 30 points in 2024, has notably stayed out of the race despite his frequent role as kingmaker elsewhere. A senior adviser said an endorsement hasn’t been ruled out, but the crowded field has muddled the polling.
Into that vacuum has stepped Jim Schwartzel, a local broadcasting mogul and lifelong resident, who has built his campaign around attacking rivals as “failed politicians from Chicago and New York.”
His TV and radio stations, which several opponents rely on for advertising, have also aired segments criticizing them — prompting Lauf and Oberweis to accuse him of using his media position to buy a congressional seat. Schwartzel has denied directing his hosts’ coverage.
“Two candidates who moved to Southwest Florida to run for this seat are now upset that Southwest Florida radio political talk hosts aren’t deferential enough to them,” Schwartzel said. “That’s not an FCC problem. That’s talk radio, and it’s the First Amendment.”
Oberweis has loaned his campaign nearly $5 million, Collins has self-funded $2.6 million, and a pro-Lauf super PAC has spent over $2.1 million. Meanwhile, the Club for Growth has pledged $1.1 million to block Collins specifically.
Despite the infighting, the candidates share one thing – unconditional loyalty to Trump. At a recent debate, none could name a single issue on which they disagreed with the president.
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