An Orlando-area teacher who has run for Senate once already and lost a special election in April for Florida’s 6th Congressional District seat is running for Senate again.
The self-described “proud progressive” unsurprisingly lost the congressional district seat to Randy Fine, who was backed by President Trump, in a district where he won 60% of the vote in all six of the counties included in the district during the 2024 presidential election.
Weil, who earned almost 43% of the vote in his congressional race earlier this year, will be the first Democrat to represent Florida in the Senate since 2018 if he wins his 2026 race for one of Florida’s two Senate seats.
Here’s who Josh Weil is, who he’s running against and a quick refresher on how midterm elections work.
Who is Josh Weil?
Josh Weil is a 40-year-old teacher from Orlando who has worked in Orange County Public Schools and the Osceola County School District as a math and science teacher, instructional coach and dean of students.
He’s affiliated with the Islamic Center of Orlando, the Florida Education Association, the Florida LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus and the Florida chapter of Progressives for Democracy in America.
According to BallotPedia, Weil was born in East Meadow, New York, and earned bachelor’s degrees from Stony Brook University and Northwood University in 2009 and 2011, before moving to Florida to earn his master’s in 2013. He has a master’s degree in teaching from the University of Central Florida in Orlando and a specialist of education certificate from Stetson University in DeLand. According to his campaign website, though, he was raised in Orlando.
He’s also a divorced father to two boys, but told The Daytona Beach News-Journal in December that it didn’t stop him from being fully dedicated to his then-campaign for a congressional seat.
“Josh was raised in Orlando by a single mom. Now, Josh is raising his own two boys, and he knows firsthand how hard it is becoming for Florida families to make ends meet,” Weil’s current campaign website says.
“Our health care costs too much, our homes cost too much, and our home insurance – when we can get it – costs even more. He’s running for the U.S. Senate to keep Florida affordable for all Floridians and to ensure the economy works for the people it’s currently leaving behind: workers, seniors, and families.”
This is his second attempt at running for a Senate seat. In 2022, he made a bid for the Senate and dropped out just before qualifying, when then-U.S. Rep. Val Demings went on to challenge incumbent Marco Rubio, The News-Journal reported in December.
Weil was “among the longest of longshots” in a district that was 49% Republican and 26% Democrat going into the 2024 presidential election, where President Trump won with more than 60% in each of the six counties that make up the 6th District. Weil still went on to earn 42.7% of the vote in that election, according to BallotPedia.
Who is Josh Weil running against? Special election for Marco Rubio’s Senate seat
Weil is running for the Senate seat currently held by Ashley Moody, who was Florida’s Attorney General from 2019 through January 2025, when she was sworn into office after Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed her to fill Marco Rubio’s seat.
Rubio’s Senate seat was left vacant after he was appointed to become the U.S. Secretary of State in January.
Moody has President Trump’s endorsement for the seat, but isn’t running uncontested. Not only is Weil running against her in the race for the seat she currently holds, but a fellow Republican announced his candidacy as well.
Jake Lang, who was charged with and pardoned for attacking police officers during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection in Washington, D.C., is also running for the Senate seat, according to reports from Newsweek and The Guardian.
How many senators does each state have? Here’s who Florida’s current senators are
The United States Congress is composed of two governing bodies: the House of Representatives and the Senate.
The number of representatives each state gets in the House is determined by the state population. Florida has 28 congressional districts, so it is represented by 28 representatives in the House.
But the number of representatives each state has in the Senate is the same for all 50 states. Each state is represented by two senators, totaling 100 senators. Florida’s current senators are Rick Scott and Ashley Moody, both Republicans. Former Florida Gov. Rick Scott has represented Florida in the Senate since 2019.
If Weil wins his run for Senate, it will be the first time Florida’s been represented by a Democrat in the Senate since 2018.
When are the Senate elections? How congressional, midterm elections work
Elections for the United States Senate are part of midterm elections, which are held approximately halfway through a presidential term.
Elections to the U.S. Senate are expected to be held on Nov. 3, 2026, with 33 of the 100 seats up for regular election, according to BallotPedia.
Those elected to the U.S. Senate in the 33 regular elections on Nov. 3, 2026, will begin their six-year terms on Jan. 3, 2027. U.S. Senators serve six-year terms. Senators elected in the 33 regular midterm elections in November 2026 will begin their six-year terms on Jan. 3, 2027.
The reason why Moody’s seat is up for reelection, although she will have only served for around a year by the time midterms come, is that the governor appointed her to fill a vacancy. When a Senate seat is left vacant, the state’s governor makes a temporary appointment to fill the seat until an election can be held to fill it. That makes this election a special election.
Ashley Moody announced her candidacy shortly after being appointed by Gov. DeSantis in early 2025.
Whoever wins the 2026 election to fill Rubio’s seat will have to run again in 2028, when his term would have ended had he not been appointed as the Secretary of State.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Who is Josh Weil? Florida teacher is running for US Senate. What we know
Reporting by Lianna Norman, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
