Congressional Candidate for Florida’s 6th District and former Brevard County School Board member Jennifer Jenkins (D-Fla.) has announced her pivot towards Florida’s 8th district, pitting herself against U.S. Rep. Mike Haridopolos (R-Fla.) instead of incumbent Rep. Randy Fine (R-Fla.).
Jenkins announced her transition following Gov. Ron DeSantis’s passage of a new congressional map. The map, re-designed ahead of the 2026 Midterm Elections, reconfigures Florida’s 8th Congressional District.
The district now covers the Space Coast and the University of Central Florida region near Orlando, and Brevard County – home to Jenkins.
“Once the Legislature passed these maps, I received several calls from around Brevard and Orange counties asking me to run here,” Jenkins revealed. “District 8 voters have pain at the pump, a struggle to afford adequate health care, and a representative who dodges town halls and real conversations with the people he’s supposed to serve.”
Jenkins' Prior Attempt for Congress
Jenkins’ pivot comes just three months after announcing her run against Rep. Fine, as reported by The Floridian. Prior to her efforts for a position in the U.S. House of Representatives, Jenkins also ran for the 2026 U.S. Senate Democratic primary race before dropping out and endorsing Alexander Vindman.
Jenkins Affirms Her Decision
Jenkins reportedly said the new congressional map grants her the opportunity to build a coalition similar to the one that gave her a leg up during the 2020 Brevard County School Board race, unseating incumbent Tina Descovich.
“This is my home. This is where I’m raising my family and where I’ve spent years fighting for our schools and our community,” Jenkins said. “And people here are sick and tired of out-of-touch politicians who have no idea what it costs to live, work, and raise a family in this state. Brevard deserves someone who actually understands the pressure families are under — and is ready to fight like hell to fix it.”
