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)
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.
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.
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.'
No public position found on 10 issues
We searched campaign sites, questionnaires, interviews, votes and official actions and did not find a clear stance on: Taxes & spending, Immigration, Education & school choice, Environment & water, Elections & voting, Crime & policing, Gender identity laws, Energy & utilities, Ukraine, Veterans. 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.'
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