Mike Haridopolos
Mike Haridopolos served in the Florida Senate and was Senate President from 2010 to 2012. After a 12-year absence from elected office he won the open 8th District seat in 2024 with about 62% of the vote. In Congress he sits on committees dealing with space policy and has sponsored the LEARN AI Act (July 2026). He was endorsed by Donald Trump and advanced from the Aug. 18, 2026 Republican primary; Inside Elections lists him as the Republican nominee for the redrawn district.
How they got on the ballot: Republican nominee; Inside Elections' primary-results page lists the Trump-endorsed incumbent as advancing to November (percentage not confirmed; a '58%' figure in the snippet may refer to Trump's 2024 share in the district) (https://insideelections.com/2026-florida-primary-results/ ; Ballotpedia: https://ballotpedia.org/Florida's_8th_Congressional_District_election,_2026)
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 Leans agree· based on record
Haridopolos voted for H.R. 1 (the 2025 reconciliation law), which extended the 2017 individual tax cuts and added new deductions while reducing projected federal spending on Medicaid and SNAP. No separate statement on the tradeoff was found.
Immigration Strongly agrees· stated position
His House website says the situation at the southern border 'threatened public safety and strained local communities' and that he is committed to securing the border and strengthening immigration enforcement, describing himself as a strong supporter of President Trump's measures to secure the border and remove 'dangerous illegal aliens.' He voted for the Laken Riley Act (every House Republican voted yes).
Abortion Leans disagree· based on record
SBA Pro-Life America lists Haridopolos as a pro-life member who 'has consistently advocated for innocent babies, their mothers & the taxpayers,' and Reproductive Freedom for All's scorecard tracks his votes as opposing abortion rights. No statement specific to Florida's six-week ban was found.
Health care Leans disagree· based on record
Haridopolos voted for H.R. 1, which reduced projected federal Medicaid spending (including new work requirements) and did not extend the enhanced ACA premium subsidies. No statement supporting Medicaid expansion in Florida was found.
Social Security & Medicare Leans agree· stated position
In an op-ed posted on his House site he wrote that he does not support cuts to Social Security or Medicare and that he will 'fight the Democrats' reckless tax and spending agenda' to preserve the programs; he has not said he would raise revenue to do so.
"I do not support cuts to Social Security or Medicare."
Energy & utilities Strongly disagrees· based on record
Voted for H.R. 1 (2025), which phased out most Inflation Reduction Act clean-energy tax credits and expanded oil and gas leasing.
Tariffs & trade Leans agree· stated position
In a 2026 podcast interview he defended reciprocal tariffs, saying every country should compete on a level playing field; separately his office says he secured federal intervention to shield about 1,000 Piper Aircraft jobs in Vero Beach from tariff effects.
"All Trump has said is whatever you tax us, we're going to tax you."
Trump administration Strongly agrees· stated position
Haridopolos is endorsed by Donald Trump, describes himself as a strong supporter of the President's immigration measures, and in a 2026 interview praised the administration's foreign policy and 'America First' agenda.
No public position found on 9 issues
We searched campaign sites, questionnaires, interviews, votes and official actions and did not find a clear stance on: Housing affordability, Guns, Education & school choice, Environment & water, Elections & voting, Crime & policing, Gender identity laws, Ukraine, Veterans. This is reported as unknown rather than guessed from party affiliation; these issues are excluded from this candidate's match score.
Ukraine: No clear public position found as of Sept 2026. In a 2026 podcast interview he described the Ukraine situation as a difficult diplomatic one and asked why Ukraine would not give the United States the same economic terms it offered European countries that helped it.
Other issues this candidate has raised
- Space program and NASA — Maintains a dedicated space-policy page; says he supports NASA's moon mission and the Space Coast launch industry.
- Federal funding for Space Coast projects — His office reports securing federal funding for local Brevard projects in the appropriations process.
- Piper Aircraft tariff relief — Says he secured federal intervention to protect about 1,000 Piper Aircraft jobs in Vero Beach from the effect of international tariffs.
- LEARN AI Act — Sponsored the LEARN AI Act (July 2026), referred to the House Education and Workforce Committee.
Record: votes, actions and documented facts
- Voted for H.R. 1, the 2025 reconciliation law (final passage 218-214, July 3, 2025).
- Voted for the Laken Riley Act (H.R. 29, Jan. 7, 2025; every House Republican voted yes).
- Endorsed Dan Green in the 2026 CD 9 Republican primary.
- Elected to the House in 2024 with about 62% of the vote after serving as Florida Senate President (2010-2012).Sources: Mike Haridopolos - Wikipedia
- Voted for H.R. 1 (2025), the budget reconciliation law that extended the 2017 tax cuts, added Medicaid work requirements, reduced clean-energy tax credits and funded expanded immigration enforcement.
Endorsements (as reported)
- Donald Trump