‘Hellcats’ are on a mission to flip the House of Representatives to Democrats in 2026
A group of four Democratic women with military backgrounds are running for Congress in the midterm elections.
That’s the big mystery surrounding North Florida Republican Rep. Neil Dunn as he serves out the remainder of his term.
It’s not a useless question. If he leaves office early, the Republican majority in control of the U.S. House of Representatives would further shrink to 217-214. This is the thinnest majority controlling the House of Representatives in nearly 100 years. The House hasn’t been this divided since 1930.
Rumors that he would resign began circulating early in the week of Feb. 9, but were quickly shot down by a spokesperson for his D.C. office, who told the USA TODAY Network that the 72-year-old Panama City urologist and entrepreneur does indeed plan to finish his term and leave Congress in January 2027. Dunn announced on January 13 that he would not seek re-election.
But by February 11, Punchbowl News reported from Congress Hall that Dunn had “no comment” in response to “repeated questions about whether he intends to serve out the remainder of his term.”
As a result, the news site’s founder Jake Sherman posted, “House Republican leadership believes Neil Dunn will resign by July. I know Dunn denies it, but leadership thinks he’s gone in five months.”
Additionally, Politico reported that House Speaker Mike Johnson has asked Dunn to “serve out his term amid concerns that the Florida Republican may resign early.” “I have encouraged Mr. Johnson to stay and be a part of this effort, and he wants to do that,” Johnson told reporters.
Meanwhile, CNN reported that Dunn was suffering from health issues.
Dunn is a supporter of President Donald Trump, with whom he has represented North Florida’s 16-county 2nd Congressional District for 10 years, and is one of a record 30 Republicans not seeking re-election in the 2026 election cycle.
This Congress, Mr. Dunn supported Mr. Johnson’s selection as Speaker of the House, President Donald Trump’s tax and spending overhaul known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” and the defunding of National Public Radio, PBS, and the U.S. Agency for International Development.
North Florida seats tilt Republican
The conservative Heritage Foundation gives Dunn a lifetime voting score of 78%. There are currently four Republicans and three Democrats in the race to succeed him. The Cook Political Report rates the district as leaning Republican by 8 points.
Florida law requires Gov. Ron DeSantis to schedule primary and special elections to fill vacancies. In many cases, such elections are held at the same time as existing scheduled elections. DeSantis’ office has been contacted for comment. Regular primary and general elections are already scheduled for August and November.
Complicating speculation about what happens next are efforts by states to redistrict their congressional maps to gain partisan advantages in Washington. For example, redrawing California’s map could give Democrats five more seats.
Mr. DeSantis responded by calling the state Legislature into a special session in April to give Republicans a chance to pick up more Florida seats.
Since narrowly winning the 2016 Republican primary by 1,700 votes, and after Democrat Gwen Graham vacated the gubernatorial seat, Dunn has won the general election five times by more than 59%. In 2020, the Democratic Party didn’t even want to field a candidate.
Some reports in this article were previously published. James Call is a member of the USA TODAY NETWORK Florida Capital Bureau. Please contact us at jcall@tallahassee.com. Follow X: @CallTallahassee. Jim Rosica is a member of the USA TODAY Network’s Florida Capital Bureau. Please contact jrosica@tallahassee.com. Follow him on X: @JimRosicaFL.
