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Republican Jim Schwartzel, Democrat Victor Arias, one NPA candidate, and one write-in candidate are competing for Florida’s 19th Congressional District seat, which covers parts of Lee and Collier counties, in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. Registered voters in the district will decide the race. The winner will serve a two-year term in the U.S. House of Representatives.
In this post, I summarize the backgrounds and stated priorities of the two major party candidates seeking this seat, along with their endorsements, recent news coverage, and campaign finance data, to help voters prepare to cast their ballots. I also include links where you can research each candidate further.
- Jim Schwartzel (Republican)
- Victor Arias (Democrat)
- Minor Candidates
- Campaign Finances
Jim Schwartzel
Republican Jim Schwartzel is a lifelong resident of Southwest Florida who graduated from Bishop Verot High School. He is President of Sun Broadcasting, Inc. and Gulfshore Life Media, LLC. The two media organizations own and operate numerous local radio, TV and publishing businesses. These include 92.5 FOX News, a conservative talk radio station, Gulfshore Life Media, which publishes Gulfshore Life and Gulfshore Business magazines, and The Naples Press. He is married to Carly Schwartzel, his high school sweetheart; they have two children, one attending Stetson University and the other enrolled at Florida SouthWestern State College. (jimforcongress.com; Press Club of Southwest Florida)
Platform
Schwartzel’s campaign website has a main “Issues” page with eight named priorities (campaign site):
- Putting America First and Supporting President Trump
- Fighting for Term Limits
- Protecting Southwest Florida’s Water Quality
- Strengthening the Economy and Creating Jobs
- Improving Infrastructure and Easing Traffic
- Defending Constitutional Liberties
- Securing the Border and Stopping Illegal Immigration
- Protecting Family Values and Pushing Back on Woke Ideology
Endorsements
No endorsements were listed on Schwartzel’s campaign website as of Sept. 7, 2026. (jimforcongress.com)
In addition, President Donald Trump gave Schwartzel his “complete and total” endorsement on Sept. 2, 2026, calling him a “MAGA Warrior.” (Gulf Coast News and Weather) House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan endorsed Schwartzel during the Republican primary, as did former U.S. Reps. Connie Mack III and Connie Mack IV. (Florida Politics; Florida Politics)
In the News
- Jim Schwartzel starts 2026 with $1.28 million war chest in race for Florida’s 19th District. (Florida’s Voice, 2/2/26)
- Steve Scalise, Jim Jordan line up behind Jim Schwartzel in CD 19 primary dogfight. (Florida Politics, 8/10/26)
- Connie Mack III, Connie Mack IV both endorse Jim Schwartzel in CD 19 primary. (Florida Politics, 8/11/26)
- Florida Democrat Victor Arias to face Republican Jim Schwartzel for US House District 19 seat in Nov. (Gulf Coast News and Weather, 8/18/26)
- Trump endorses 2 candidates in Southwest Florida Congressional races. (Gulf Coast News and Weather, 9/2/26)
Further Research
Campaign website: jimforcongress.com
Active social media: Facebook, X, YouTube, Instagram, Truth Social
Victor Arias
Democratic Victor Arias received a Bachelor of Arts from Hamilton College in Clinton, NY, and a Juris Doctor degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He has been the owner and managing attorney of Arias Law Firm since 1992, representing working families in personal injury, workers’ compensation, and school law cases in Southwest Florida. He ran unsuccessfully for Lee County Superintendent of Schools in 2024. He is a member of Leadership Florida (Class XIII), Leadership Lee County, Leadership Cape Coral, and Leadership Estero, and has been a member of Covenant Presbyterian Church since 1999, where he serves as an Elder and on the Board of Trustees. He has been married to his wife Angelette for 32 years; they have twins, each attending university. (Ballotpedia Candidate Survey; LinkedIn)
Platform
Arias’s campaign website, votearias.us, has been suspended “because of an unpaid balance” since before the primary and remains down as of Sept. 9, 2026.
Endorsements
The Florida Democratic Party congratulated Arias as the Democratic nominee following the primary, and Lee County Democrats also endorsed him. (FlaDems on X)
As of Sept. 9, 2026, Arias’s campaign website could not be checked for endorsements because it remains suspended (see above).
In the News
- Florida Democrat Victor Arias to face Republican Jim Schwartzel for US House District 19 seat in Nov. (Gulf Coast News and Weather, 8/18/26)
- Arias, Cape Coral attorney, wins Democratic congressional primary. (Cape Coral Breeze, 8/20/26)
Further Research
Active social media: Facebook; LinkedIn
Minor Candidates
One No Party Affiliation candidate and one write-in candidate also qualified for the Nov. 3, 2026, general election ballot:
- Seth Haskin (NPA)
In Florida, the name of a qualified write-in candidate does not appear on the printed ballot.
Campaign Finances
Jim Schwartzel had less than 1 percent of receipts from small-dollar contributions of less than $200, the FEC threshold for itemized donor disclosure. Seventy-eight percent of his itemized individual contributions came from Florida donors; 22 percent came from out of state.
Victor Arias had seven percent of receipts from small-dollar contributions. Ninety-eight percent of his itemized individual contributions came from Florida donors; two percent came from out of state.
In addition, independent expenditures against Schwartzel as of July 29, 2026, included $7,000 by Save American Freedom. No Super PAC independent expenditure activity was identified for Arias as of July 29, 2026. Independent expenditures are not coordinated with candidates and are not included in the campaign finance totals above.
For complete campaign finance data, see the Congressional District 19 race page on OpenSecrets. For more on how to read these figures and what this information does and does not tell us, see the Sparker’s Civics primer, Understanding Campaign Finance Data.
Campaign finance data is from Federal Election Commission filings, cross-checked against source records. See the FEC’s committee filings search for complete records.
This post was researched and drafted with the assistance of Claude (Anthropic AI). The content was reviewed, edited, and fact-checked by the author. Both humans and AI can make mistakes. Please let us know if you spot one.
