Bale Dalton
Bale Dalton is a U.S. Naval Academy graduate who served 24 years in the Navy and Navy Reserve, including 13 on active duty, flying medevac missions in Kuwait, delivering relief after Hurricane Katrina and directing combat air support in Afghanistan (campaign site; Florida Politics). He later worked at the State Department and for Sen. Bill Nelson, and served as NASA's chief of staff. He won the Aug. 18, 2026 Democratic primary in the 7th District over former Rep. Alan Grayson and Marialana Kinter and faces Republican Ryan Elijah in November. His campaign centers on affordability, health-care costs and ACA subsidies, and veterans' issues.
How they got on the ballot: Won Aug 18, 2026 Democratic primary over Alan Grayson and Marialana Kinter; led with more than 45% in Volusia County per Florida Politics; district-wide percentage not found (Florida Politics: https://floridapolitics.com/archives/814941-bale-dalton-officially-snags-democratic-nomination-in-battleground-cd-7/ ; FOX 35: https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/florida-primary-election-result-2026-cd7)
Campaign finance (FEC filings through 10/14/2026): raised $2,334,664, spent $2,132,410, cash on hand $202,254; $1,961,801 from individual donors, $319,625 from PACs. FEC filings ↗
Sources last checked 2026-09-24. Report an error ↗
Positions on the major issues
Compare with opponents →Each entry describes what the candidate has said or done, and what they say they will do, in neutral terms with sources. The chip shows how that relates to the statement voters rate in the matching tool.
Taxes & spending Mixed / neutral· stated position
Responding on Sept. 23 to Elijah's first ad, Dalton said he supports making the tax cuts on tips, overtime and Social Security permanent, while accusing Elijah of supporting cuts to Medicaid and of backing tariffs.
"I support making the tax cuts on tips, overtime, and Social Security permanent, and Ryan knows it."
Housing affordability Leans agree· stated position
Supports restricting Wall Street investment in single-family housing to help affordability.
Abortion Strongly agrees· stated position
Opposes Florida's six-week abortion ban and supports writing the protections of Roe v. Wade into federal law (Smarter.Vote summary of his stated positions).
Guns Mixed / neutral· stated position
Describes the Second Amendment as a fundamental right for law-abiding citizens and identifies as a gun owner, while saying gun owners should be well-trained, violent criminals should not have access to firearms, and police should be adequately funded; no position on specific Florida gun laws was found.
Health care Strongly agrees· stated position
Told News 6 that Congress 'let the ACA subsidies expire,' leaving 45,000 people in the district uninsured and raising premiums for 150,000 families; supports expanding ACA protections and negotiating prescription prices, and lists reversing premium hikes as a first priority.
"This Congress has let the ACA subsidies expire, which has left 45,000 people in this district alone without health care at all"
Social Security & Medicare Leans agree· stated position
Lists 'protecting Social Security and Medicare' among his positions; no statement on revenue was found.
Environment & water Leans agree· stated position
Under a 'Keeping Florida Wild' heading, Dalton's priorities page supports protecting Florida's natural areas and opposes offshore drilling near Florida's coasts, while also backing energy independence.
Crime & policing Leans agree· stated position
Dalton's priorities page says public safety is a core government responsibility and calls for police departments to be fully funded with the resources they need.
"police departments are fully funded and have the resources they need"
Gender identity laws Mixed / neutral· stated position
Asked by News 6 Orlando on Sept. 9 whether transgender medical care should be available to patients under 18, Dalton said it is a decision for families and doctors and that the federal government has no business in it. After Elijah's campaign highlighted the answer, Dalton said on Sept. 24 that he does not want boys in girls' sports or children receiving irreversible medical care, and called the question settled law in Florida.
"I don't want boys in girls' sports, children receiving irreversible medical care, or D.C. politicians policing how parents raise their kids."
Energy & utilities Mixed / neutral· stated position
Dalton's priorities page endorses an 'all-of-the-above' energy policy that supports both natural gas and solar industries.
"all-of-the-above energy policy"
Tariffs & trade Strongly disagrees· stated position
His priorities page calls for reversing 'illegal, unpredictable tariffs' as part of making Florida affordable.
"illegal, unpredictable tariffs"
Trump administration Leans disagree· stated position
Criticizes administration tariffs as 'illegal' and says Washington politicians have pursued 'policies that have made a mess of our economy.'
Veterans Leans agree· stated position
Dalton, a retired Navy captain, says every American who serves should receive the benefits earned through service and supports veteran support systems.
No public position found on 4 issues
We searched campaign sites, questionnaires, interviews, votes and official actions and did not find a clear stance on: Immigration, Education & school choice, Elections & voting, Ukraine. This is reported as unknown rather than guessed from party affiliation; these issues are excluded from this candidate's match score.
Other issues this candidate has raised
- Wall Street ownership of single-family homes — Would restrict institutional investment in single-family housing.
- Prescription drug price negotiation — Supports negotiating prescription drug prices.
- National and border security; overseas conflicts — Says he supports strong national and border security and opposes prolonged U.S. involvement in overseas conflicts without clear strategic goals.
- Veterans' benefits — Cites his work in Sen. Bill Nelson's office helping Florida veterans access earned care and benefits.
- Congressional self-enrichment — Campaign message criticizes politicians 'enriching themselves while our families foot the bill.'
- Iran, data centers, stock trading, campaign money — In a Sept. 8 interview Dalton called the Iran conflict a 'war of choice' with no clear strategy; said local governments should have veto power over data centers; said he has pledged not to trade individual stocks; and said he has taken no AIPAC money.
- Calls for a debate — Dalton has pressed for weeks for a debate with Elijah, noting that Elijah had pushed U.S. Rep. Cory Mills to debate during the Republican primary. Elijah has not committed to a WESH-proposed debate that would also include Libertarian Christopher Dennison.
- Fundraising with national Democrats — DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene was scheduled to raise money for Dalton on Sept. 25 as part of a Florida swing with battleground House candidates.
- Released an anti-corruption plan — Dalton released a plan on Oct. 1 that would ban members of Congress from trading stocks, bar federal employees and elected officials from betting on prediction markets, strip taxpayer-funded pensions from members found guilty of ethics violations or who resign during an ethics investigation, require the House Ethics Committee to act faster and more openly, and subject members' finances to independent audits.
- Ad on opponent's stock-trading disclosure — Dalton released an ad saying Republican Ryan Elijah indicated on a state disclosure form that he intends to trade stocks in Congress; the ad also criticizes Elijah on the economy, tariffs and the Iran war.
- Congressional stock trading — Dalton supports banning stock trading by members of Congress and says his holdings will go in a blind trust: "My holdings will be in a blind trust where I don't have any visibility into what they are."
Record: votes, actions and documented facts
- Raised more than $340,000 in the first six weeks of his campaign, per his campaign.
Endorsements (as reported)
- Former U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson
- 314 Action Fund
- Former U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez (Republican)
- Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board