U.S. House, District 20
Represents Florida's 20th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives; votes on federal laws and spending. 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
Regular (full-term) election for the newly drawn CD 20. Roster from CBS Miami, WSVN and WLRN: Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D) faces Republican nominee Brent Andersen and NPA candidate Kedner Maxime; Kevin McClellan filed as a write-in (CBS Miami; a Ballotpedia snippet lists him as NPA, so his ballot status should be checked against the county sample ballot). Special election: the seat has been vacant since Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick resigned Apr. 21, 2026. CBS Miami reported Gov. DeSantis scheduled a special primary for Aug. 18, 2026 with the winner advancing to the Nov. 3 general election, under the pre-2026 district lines; the special-election nominees were not identified in this research, so voters in the old CD 20 may see two CD 20 contests on Nov. 3.
Candidates
Debbie Wasserman Schultz
Debbie Wasserman Schultz has served in the U.S. House since 2005 and currently represents Florida's 25th District; after the 2026 map moved her home out of that district she ran in the new 20th. She won the Aug. 18, 2026 Democratic primary with about 45% (more than 30,000 votes), defeating former Broward Mayor Dale Ho…
Brent Andersen
Brent Andersen is the founder and president of Pilgrim Bay Insurance Agency, which focuses on construction, commercial real estate and high-net-worth clients. He won the Aug. 18, 2026 Republican primary for the redrawn 20th District over Army veteran Rod Joseph, Navy veteran Carla Spalding and Lateresa 'LA' Jones, and…
Kedner Maxime
Kedner Maxime is a Haitian American tax accountant, immigration-services specialist and small-business owner based in Oakland Park. He is running with no party affiliation and will appear on the Nov. 3 ballot for District 20, per CBS Miami and Ballotpedia.
Kevin McClellan
Kevin McClellan filed as a write-in candidate for District 20, per CBS Miami; write-in names do not appear printed on the ballot.
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 | Debbie Wasserman Schultz Democratic | Brent Andersen Republican | Kedner Maxime No Party Affiliation | Kevin McClellan Write-in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taxes & spendingCutting taxes should be a top priority, even if it means less government spending on services. | Leans disagree· based on record Wasserman Schultz voted against H.R. 1 (the One Big Beautiful Bill Act), which made the 2017 tax cuts permanent while reducing projected Medicaid and SNAP spending. No standalone statement on tax cuts as a priority was found. | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found |
| Housing affordabilityGovernment should do more to make housing affordable (subsidies, zoning changes, rent measures). | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found |
| ImmigrationImmigration enforcement should be stricter, including large-scale deportation of people in the country illegally. | No public position found | Leans agree· stated position Campaign says he will 'secure our borders and stand with law enforcement'; no statement on deportation scale was found. | No public position found | No public position found |
| AbortionAbortion should be legal in most cases (Florida's six-week ban should be repealed or loosened). | Strongly agrees· based on record Voted for the Women's Health Protection Act (2022), which would have codified abortion access nationally; called the Florida Supreme Court ruling allowing the six-week law 'essentially a total abortion ban'; as ranking member on the Military Construction-VA appropriations subcommittee she opposed a provision blocking the VA from providing abortion services. | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found |
| 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 | 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). | Leans agree· based on record Voted against H.R. 1, which added Medicaid work-reporting requirements and reduced projected federal Medicaid spending. No 2026 statement on Medicaid expansion in Florida or ACA subsidies was captured. | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found |
| Social Security & MedicareSocial Security and Medicare benefits must be protected from any cuts, even if that requires more revenue. | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found |
| Education & school choicePublic money should follow students to private, charter or home schools (universal school vouchers). | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found |
| Environment & waterProtecting water quality, conservation land and climate resilience should take priority even if it slows development or raises costs. | No public position found | No public position found | 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. | Leans agree· based on record Voted against the SAVE Act (H.R. 22), which would require documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections. | No public position found | No public position found | 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 Centered his campaign on public safety and says he will 'stand with law enforcement'; specific proposals on penalties or police funding were not captured. | No public position found | No public position found |
| 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 | 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. | Leans agree· based on record Voted against H.R. 1 (2025), which repealed most clean-energy tax credits. | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found |
| Tariffs & tradeTariffs on imported goods are good for the American economy. | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found |
| UkraineThe U.S. should continue military aid to Ukraine. | Strongly agrees· based on record Voted for the April 2024 Ukraine Security Supplemental Appropriations Act and has said the U.S. should send a clear signal that it stands with NATO allies as Russia wages what she calls an illegal war in Ukraine. | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found |
| Trump administrationI approve of the direction of the Trump administration. | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found |
| VeteransExpanding VA services and veterans' benefits should be a top priority. | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found | No public position found |
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.
Debbie Wasserman SchultzBrent AndersenKedner MaximeKevin McClellanHow 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).
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).
| Candidate | Economic issues | Social & legal issues |
|---|---|---|
| Debbie Wasserman Schultz | -1.00 (3 statements) | not enough data |
| Brent Andersen | not enough data | not enough data |
| Kedner Maxime | not enough data | not enough data |
| Kevin McClellan | not enough data | not enough data |
Other issues the candidates have raised
Priorities each candidate has brought up on their own, beyond the major-issue list above.
Debbie Wasserman Schultz
- Israel and antisemitism — A prominent supporter of Israel; after defeating rivals critical of Israel she said district voters were focused on daily living costs ('nobody talked to me on the doors or the phones, about Israel').
- Veterans and military-construction appropriations — Serves as ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies, where she has criticized Republican-written 2026 funding bills.
- Rejects 'fringe left socialism' — After her primary win she credited her experience and said the party should reject 'fringe left socialism.'
- Running in the redrawn 20th District — Moved from CD 25 to the new CD 20 after the 2026 map, a decision that drew criticism from some Democrats concerned about a majority-Black seat.
Brent Andersen
- Public safety, education and lowering insurance costs — CBS Miami reports he centered his campaign on these three themes.
- Lower costs and 'constitutional principles' — Campaign site says he is committed to lower costs, economic opportunity and constitutional principles, and to protecting taxpayers and small businesses.
- Debate challenge — Challenged Wasserman Schultz to three debates.
Kedner Maxime
- Affordable health care, economic security, housing and transparent government — Campaign lists these as its focus areas.
- Immigration services background — Says he has spent decades running an accounting and legal-immigration-services practice helping clients navigate the immigration system.
Kevin McClellan
No additional issues found in public statements as of the last data review.