Florida House, District 43
Represents District 43 in the Florida House of Representatives; votes on state laws and the state budget. Term: 2 years.
Partly verified. Either the November opponent could not be confirmed from available sources, or only a few positions are documented. Confirm the full candidate list on your county sample ballot; unknown positions are shown as such.
How we verified who is on the ballot
ClickOrlando 2026 Voter's Guide for the HD 43 Democratic primary ; Florida Politics on López's decision and endorsement . Candidate names for November not verified, so none are listed. Research limitation: every WebFetch (Ballotpedia, Wikipedia, Division of Elections, county SOEs, news sites) was blocked and the search budget was capped, so this roster comes only from search-result snippets and should be re-verified against the county Supervisor of Elections sample ballot.
Debates and forums
- No debate or candidate forum has been scheduled in this race (checked Oct. 17, 2026). Checked Vote411's Florida debates-and-forums calendar, the League of Women Voters of Florida newsroom, the county Leagues, chambers of commerce, Tiger Bay clubs and local NAACP branches; every legislative forum they list was held during the primary.
Candidates
Report an error ↗
Samuel Vilchez Santiago
Orange County Democratic Party chair; endorsed by outgoing Rep. Johanna López for HD 43. Ran in the Aug. 18, 2026 Democratic primary; result unverified.
Jorge Malavet
Qualified for the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot according to the Florida Division of Elections, 2026 general election candidate list (Qualified).
Side-by-side on the major issues
Each row is a statement. The chips show how each candidate's stated positions or record relate to that statement. Expand a row to read the evidence and sources. "No public position found" means we could not find a statement or record on the topic, not that the candidate has none.
| Issue | Samuel Vilchez Santiago Democratic | Jorge Malavet Republican |
|---|---|---|
| Taxes & spendingCutting taxes should be a top priority, even if it means less government spending on services. | No public position found | Leans agree· stated position Policies page calls for cutting waste and lowering taxes. |
| Property taxesFlorida should eliminate or sharply reduce homestead property taxes, even if local governments must cut services or find other revenue. | Leans agree· stated position Named expanded homestead exemptions, along with toll reduction, as areas where he could work with Republicans. | Leans agree· stated position Malavet said he supports stabilizing the insurance market while also pursuing meaningful property-tax relief for homeowners. |
| Property insuranceThe state should intervene more directly in the property-insurance market (rate caps, expanding Citizens, stricter insurer regulation) rather than relying mainly on market-based reforms. | Leans agree· stated position Wants to lower property-insurance costs by holding insurers accountable and expanding My Safe Florida Home grants. | No public position found |
| Housing affordabilityGovernment should do more to make housing affordable (subsidies, zoning changes, rent measures). | Strongly agrees· stated position Calls for fully funding housing-affordability programs and restoring local control to cities. | Leans disagree· stated position Would expand affordable housing through the private sector rather than government programs. |
| ImmigrationImmigration enforcement should be stricter, including large-scale deportation of people in the country illegally. | Strongly disagrees· stated position Would block state cooperation with mass-deportation efforts, restore in-state tuition for Dreamers and TPS holders, and repeal SB 1718 and the TRUMP Act. | Leans agree· stated position Calls for a safe and orderly border and merit-based immigration reform; does not address deportations. |
| AbortionAbortion should be legal in most cases (Florida's six-week ban should be repealed or loosened). | Strongly agrees· stated position Vilchez Santiago said abortion restrictions should be less strict and that he opposes the six-week ban. | Leans disagree· stated position Malavet told VOTE411 he is pro-life and supports exceptions for rape, incest, human trafficking and serious risk to the mother's life. |
| GunsGun laws should be stricter (keep the red-flag law and the age-21 purchase rule; expand background checks) rather than looser (permitless or open carry, lower purchase age). | No public position found | No public position found |
| Health careGovernment should expand its role in health coverage (expand Medicaid in Florida, extend Affordable Care Act subsidies). | Strongly agrees· stated position Priorities page calls for expanding Medicaid and lowering prescription-drug prices. | Leans disagree· stated position On health coverage, Malavet emphasized efficiency, competition and making sure Medicaid serves those most in need, without supporting expansion. |
| Education & school choicePublic money should follow students to private, charter or home schools (universal school vouchers). | Leans disagree· stated position Calls for fully funding public education and improving oversight of voucher programs, without proposing to end them. | Leans agree· stated position Wants to strengthen schools with 'real choice' and give parents the final say in their children's education. |
| Environment & waterProtecting water quality, conservation land and climate resilience should take priority even if it slows development or raises costs. | Leans agree· stated position He named clean water, clean air and protected green spaces as the top environmental issue and cited his work to protect Split Oak Forest. | No public position found |
| Growth & developmentGrowth and development should be slowed or more tightly regulated (higher impact fees, density limits, stronger local control). | Leans agree· stated position He said he would vote to protect local governments' ability to set rural boundaries and opposes routine state preemption. | No public position found |
| MarijuanaRecreational marijuana should be legal for adults. | No public position found | No public position found |
| Elections & votingVoting should be made easier (mail voting, drop boxes, restoring voting rights) rather than adding new restrictions. | Strongly agrees· stated position Calls for expanding early voting and vote-by-mail, fighting voter suppression and opposing partisan gerrymandering. | No public position found |
| Crime & policingCriminal penalties should be tougher and police funding increased, rather than emphasizing reform and rehabilitation. | No public position found | Leans agree· stated position Pledges to stand behind law enforcement and first responders with the resources they need. |
| Gender identity lawsFlorida's laws restricting gender-affirming care for minors and classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity should remain in place. | No public position found | No public position found |
| Energy & utilitiesGovernment should promote renewable energy and tighten oversight of utility rate increases, even at the expense of fossil-fuel production. | Strongly agrees· stated position He said data centers should bear their full infrastructure costs and that the state should invest in clean, renewable energy and grid modernization. | No public position found |
| Trump administrationI approve of the direction of the Trump administration. | No public position found | No public position found |
| VeteransExpanding VA services and veterans' benefits should be a top priority. | No public position found | Strongly agrees· stated position Pledges to expand veterans' health-care access and career paths for those leaving the military. |
Where they sit on the map
Each candidate is placed by the average of their documented stances. It is a summary of the table above, not an extra judgment.
How the axes are computed
Each axis is the average of a candidate's coded stances (+2 to −2) on a fixed set of statements, so it comes straight from the documented positions and nothing else. A candidate needs at least three documented statements on an axis to be placed.
Economic issues (toward "Smaller government (lower taxes, less spending)"): Taxes & spending (agree), Property taxes (agree), Health care (disagree), Housing affordability (disagree), Property insurance (disagree), Energy & utilities (disagree), Social Security & Medicare (disagree), Teacher and staff pay (disagree).
Social & legal issues (toward "Conservative side of the statements"): Immigration (agree), Abortion (disagree), Guns (disagree), Education & school choice (agree), Elections & voting (disagree), Crime & policing (agree), Gender identity laws (agree), Marijuana (disagree), Environment & water (disagree), Trump administration (agree), Library and classroom materials (agree), School safety approach (agree).
| Candidate | Economic issues | Social & legal issues |
|---|---|---|
| Samuel Vilchez Santiago | -1.20 (5 statements) | -1.60 (5 statements) |
| Jorge Malavet | 1.00 (4 statements) | 1.00 (4 statements) |
Other issues the candidates have raised
Priorities each candidate has brought up on their own, beyond the major-issue list above.
Samuel Vilchez Santiago
No additional issues found in public statements as of the last data review.
Jorge Malavet
No additional issues found in public statements as of the last data review.