Matthew Montavon
Matthew (Matt) Montavon grew up in Indiana, served two years in the Peace Corps and spent 27 years with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome, where he helped run a department with a $50 million budget; he also worked in local-government planning. Now retired in suburban Sarasota, he has been active in the local Democratic Party and co-founded the Suncoast Immigration Justice Coalition. He won the Aug. 18, 2026 Democratic primary with nearly 55% of the vote, defeating Allen Spence by roughly 5,000 votes, and faces incumbent Greg Steube in November.
How they got on the ballot: Won Aug 18, 2026 Democratic primary with ~55% over Allen Spence (WSLR)
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
Platform includes addressing affordable housing and disaster recovery; says affordability is his top priority, citing that 47% of district residents cannot meet daily living expenses.
Immigration Leans disagree· stated position
Says 'some enforcement at the border' is needed but opposes deporting people, including children, who have lived in the U.S. for a long time; supports a comprehensive pathway to citizenship, limits on enforcement abuses and reform of ICE detention practices. He co-founded the Suncoast Immigration Justice Coalition.
Abortion Strongly agrees· stated position
Montavon's issues page says reproductive-health decisions should be between a woman and her medical provider and that Congress should ensure birth control, abortion and comprehensive reproductive care are accessible and affordable.
Guns Strongly agrees· stated position
Calls for banning civilian use of assault weapons, universal background checks, state licensing, and enforcing and expanding red-flag laws, while saying hunters and sportsmen should still be able to buy guns.
Health care Strongly agrees· stated position
Supports universal health care and says he would prefer a government-supported single-payer system but is open to private options.
Social Security & Medicare Leans agree· stated position
Lists 'protecting Social Security and Medicare' among his platform planks; financing details were not captured.
Environment & water Leans agree· stated position
Lists the environment as a platform priority alongside disaster recovery.
Tariffs & trade Leans disagree· stated position
At a WSLR-covered forum Montavon said President Trump is implementing tariffs that are hurting businesses.
Trump administration Strongly disagrees· stated position
At a candidate forum Montavon blamed the Trump administration for a military conflict he said Congress did not want and called for funding cuts to address executive overreach; he also criticized the administration's tariffs.
No public position found on 8 issues
We searched campaign sites, questionnaires, interviews, votes and official actions and did not find a clear stance on: Taxes & spending, Education & school choice, 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
- Affordability as top priority — Says 47% of district residents are not making enough to meet daily living expenses and puts affordability first.
- Disaster recovery — Platform pairs affordable housing with faster disaster recovery for the hurricane-prone district.
- Immigrant advocacy — Co-founded the Suncoast Immigration Justice Coalition and is active in the local Democratic Hispanic Caucus.
- Executive overreach / war powers — Called for Congress to use funding cuts to check what he described as executive overreach in military action.