U.S. House, Florida 8th Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in Florida's 8th Congressional District?
Mike Haridopolos has the strongest record in Florida's 8th Congressional District. Mike Haridopolos scores 71 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Jennifer Jenkins at 58, as of October 9, 2026. Mike Haridopolos's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Jennifer Jenkins's highest marks are relevant experience and communication. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Republican · incumbent
Strongest record
Mike Haridopolos
71 / 100
Public evidence on 12 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 90
- Performance
- 75
Democratic
Jennifer Jenkins
58 / 100
Public evidence on 9 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 65
- Performance
- NR
The good, the bad and the unresolved
The record
The notable facts of each candidate's public life, each tied to a source and confirmed to be this person. Unresolved matters are labeled with where they stand and do not move a score.
Mike Haridopolos
- Mark against2011-02-24
Received a letter of admonishment from the Florida Senate Rules Committee in February 2011 over his financial disclosure errors, which the committee ruled were not willful; he apologized to the Senate.
Sources: Tampa Bay Times archive, Feb. 24, 2011, The Florida Current, Feb. 24, 2011 (reprinted by Colodny Fass)
- Mark against2010-12-03
Admitted, in a settlement the Florida Commission on Ethics approved in December 2010, that he did not fully disclose his income on 2004 to 2008 financial disclosures; he called it embarrassing and filed amended forms.
Sources: Independent Florida Alligator, Dec. 5, 2010, Florida Commission on Ethics, final orders, fourth quarter 2010
- On the record2026-08
Recruited and backed a 2026 primary challenger to fellow Florida Republican Rep. Cory Mills while House Republican leadership and the White House supported Mills.
Source: NOTUS, Aug. 19, 2026
- On the record2025-03-25
Voted Nay on the IMPACT Act (H.R. 1534) on March 25, 2025, when Majority Leader Scalise and Whip Emmer voted Yea; it passed.
Source: House Clerk Roll Call 74, 2025
- Credit2025
Named chair of the House Science Committee's Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee in his first term.
Source: GovTrack, committee membership
Jennifer Jenkins
- On the record2026-10-08
Debated Rep. Mike Haridopolos in a 30-minute Florida Today online debate on Oct. 8, 2026.
- Credit2020-11-17
Served one term on the Brevard County School Board, District 3, from Nov. 17, 2020 to Nov. 19, 2024.
Source: Ballotpedia, Jennifer Jenkins
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Mike Haridopolos. His 2025 annual financial disclosure was filed Aug. 13, 2026, after an extension; the Clerk index lists no periodic transaction reports for him. No House Ethics matter or FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10076343, House Committee on Ethics site search for Haridopolos, FEC administrative fines search
Jennifer Jenkins. Filed a House candidate financial disclosure on May 3, 2026, and campaign reports are on file with the FEC through July 29, 2026. No FEC administrative fine or ethics finding found.
Sources: House Clerk candidate financial disclosure, Filing ID 10076231, FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Mike Haridopolos. Recruited and backed a primary challenger to Rep. Cory Mills in 2026 while House Republican leadership and the White House stood behind Mills.
Source: NOTUS, Aug. 19, 2026
Jennifer Jenkins. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Mike Haridopolos. Debated Jennifer Jenkins in a Florida Today online debate on Oct. 8, 2026, and holds telephone town halls, his sixth on June 1, 2026.
Sources: Florida Today via USA Today Network, Oct. 9, 2026, Office site, home page
Jennifer Jenkins. Debated Rep. Mike Haridopolos in a Florida Today online debate on Oct. 8, 2026.
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Mike Haridopolos. Served 12 years in the Florida Legislature, including as Senate President from 2010 to 2012, and in Congress since 2025. No censure or conduct finding in the last 10 years found.
Sources: Office site, About, House Committee on Ethics site search for Haridopolos
Jennifer Jenkins. Served a four-year term on the Brevard County School Board, 2020 to 2024. No censure, reprimand or conduct finding found.
Source: Ballotpedia, Jennifer Jenkins
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Mike Haridopolos. Has held sworn state and federal office since 2000. Entered the House in 2025, after the January 2021 count, and is not on the Texas v. Pennsylvania amicus list. No misuse-of-office finding found.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Mike Haridopolos, GovTrack, Mike Haridopolos
Jennifer Jenkins. Held sworn office as a Brevard County School Board member from November 2020 to November 2024. No official finding of misuse of office found.
Source: Ballotpedia, Jennifer Jenkins
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Mike Haridopolos. Served in the Florida House from 2000 to 2003 and the Florida Senate from 2003 to 2012, including as Senate President, and in the U.S. House since 2025.
Source: Ballotpedia, Mike Haridopolos
Jennifer Jenkins. Elected Brevard County School Board member for one term, 2020 to 2024, and a speech-language pathologist in public schools.
Source: Ballotpedia, Jennifer Jenkins
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Mike Haridopolos. Chairs the House Science Committee's Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee and sits on Financial Services. His bills include space workforce and readiness measures.
Source: GovTrack, committee membership
Jennifer Jenkins. Her Ballotpedia survey sets out positions on homeowners insurance, including a federal catastrophe backstop, and on health care and drug prices, mostly in general terms.
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Mike Haridopolos. Offers an e-newsletter, telephone town halls and issue pages, and debated his opponent. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Jennifer Jenkins. Completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey, writes guest columns in Florida Today, and debated her opponent.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Jennifer Jenkins, Florida Today guest column via Yahoo News, July 10, 2026, Florida Today via USA Today Network, Oct. 9, 2026
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Mike Haridopolos. Lives in Indian Harbour Beach and represented Brevard County in the Legislature from 2000 to 2012. FEC by-state totals show about 72 percent of itemized individual contributions from Florida.
Sources: Office site, About, FEC contribution totals by state
Jennifer Jenkins. Lives in Satellite Beach in Brevard County and served on the Brevard County School Board. FEC by-state totals show about 77 percent of itemized individual contributions from Florida.
Sources: Florida Today via USA Today Network, Oct. 9, 2026, FEC contribution totals by state
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Mike Haridopolos. Led the Florida Senate as its President from 2010 to 2012. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through July 29, 2026, and no FEC administrative fine was found.
Sources: Office site, About, FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Jennifer Jenkins. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through July 29, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Mike Haridopolos. No public record found.
Jennifer Jenkins. No public record found.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Mike Haridopolos. Missed 10 of 676 roll call votes, 1.5 percent, from January 2025 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Jennifer Jenkins. No public record found.
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Mike Haridopolos. Runs a district office in Melbourne, takes casework requests, and has held at least six telephone town halls this term.
Sources: Office site, Office Locations, Office site, Help with a Federal Agency, Office site, home page
Jennifer Jenkins. No public record found.
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Mike Haridopolos. No public record found.
Jennifer Jenkins. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Mike Haridopolos. No public record found.
Jennifer Jenkins. No public record found.
How to read this
Each criterion is scored 0 to 4 against the written rubric in the Ballot Standard. NR means no record: there is no reliable public evidence either way, so the criterion is left out and never counts against the candidate. A total is published when at least 8 of 15 criteria have evidence.
A sitting officeholder has a longer public record than a first-time candidate, so the two totals rest on different amounts of evidence. Read the count of criteria beside each score. Low marks require an official finding or a primary record. Allegations and opinion are not used.
No policy position is scored. Evidence checked October 9, 2026. Campaigns and readers can send a correction with a public source to tpg@thepoliticalgroup.com.
Questions
Who should I vote for in Florida's 8th Congressional District?
Mike Haridopolos has the strongest record in Florida's 8th Congressional District. Mike Haridopolos scores 71 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Jennifer Jenkins at 58, as of October 9, 2026. Mike Haridopolos's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Jennifer Jenkins's highest marks are relevant experience and communication. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Who is running in Florida's 8th Congressional District in 2026?
Mike Haridopolos (Republican, incumbent), Jennifer Jenkins (Democratic). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Mike Haridopolos a good candidate for Congress?
Mike Haridopolos scores 71 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 12 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 90 of 100, performance 75 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Jennifer Jenkins a good candidate for Congress?
Jennifer Jenkins scores 58 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 9 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 65 of 100, performance no record. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
How is the strongest record decided?
The candidate with the highest Ballot Standard score has the strongest record. Each of 15 criteria on character, qualifications and performance is scored 0 to 4 from public records and established reporting, the same way for every party. No policy position is scored, and unresolved accusations never move a score.
More on this race: every Florida race scored, the trailing candidate's path to victory, and the Florida 2026 election guide. Independent scorecard by The Political Group, not affiliated with any candidate or party.