Victor Arias
Victor Arias was born in the Dominican Republic, raised in New York, and moved to Southwest Florida in 1999 to work for the School District of Lee County; he has run his own law firm in Cape Coral since 2003, handling personal-injury, workers' compensation and school-law cases. He ran for Lee County superintendent of schools in 2024. He won the Aug. 18, 2026 Democratic primary with about 45% of the vote (15,406 votes), defeating Howard Sapp (about 41%) and Robert Neeld (about 13%).
How they got on the ballot: Won Aug 18, 2026 Democratic primary with ~45% over Howard Sapp (~41%) and Robert Neeld (~13%) (Fort Myers Beach Observer; Pine Island Eagle)
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.
Health care Leans agree· stated position
Arias proposes expanding Medicare's authority to negotiate drug prices, capping out-of-pocket prescription costs for seniors, ending surprise medical billing and increasing price transparency. No statement on Medicaid expansion in Florida was found.
Social Security & Medicare Leans agree· stated position
Says he is running to 'protect Medicare for seniors'; no statement on Social Security financing was found.
Environment & water Leans agree· stated position
Says he will 'defend the water quality that drives our economy,' secure federal funding for Everglades restoration and combat red tide at its source.
Veterans Strongly agrees· stated position
Pledges to 'cut the red tape for veterans,' expand VA health-care access and ensure veterans receive the benefits they earned.
No public position found on 13 issues
We searched campaign sites, questionnaires, interviews, votes and official actions and did not find a clear stance on: Taxes & spending, Housing affordability, Immigration, Abortion, Guns, Education & school choice, Elections & voting, Crime & policing, Gender identity laws, Energy & utilities, Tariffs & trade, Ukraine, Trump administration. 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
- Everglades restoration funding and red tide — Wants federal Everglades funding and efforts to combat red tide 'at the source' to protect tourism.
- Surprise medical billing and price transparency — Supports ending surprise billing and increasing transparency in health-care pricing.Sources: Victor Arias | BallotReady
- VA red tape — Pledges to slash VA bureaucracy so veterans get benefits faster.
- 'Real representation' for the district — Campaign frames the race around bringing 'real representation to Florida's 19th District' against a large Republican registration advantage.
Record: votes, actions and documented facts
- Ran for Lee County Superintendent of Schools in 2024 (Ballotpedia).
- Had not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey as of the search date.Sources: Victor Arias - Ballotpedia