The Conservative Case for Dan Green

On the morning of September 11, 2001, Dan Green was at work inside the Pentagon. He has served in the Navy Reserve for most of the years since.

Dan Green is the Republican nominee for the U.S. House in Florida's 9th Congressional District. Under the congressional map Gov. Ron DeSantis signed in May 2026, the district takes in all of Indian River, Highlands, Okeechobee and Glades counties, most of Osceola County including Kissimmee and St. Cloud, part of Orange County and a slice of southeastern Polk County that includes Frostproof and Indian Lake Estates. The general election is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. His opponent is the Democratic incumbent, U.S. Rep. Darren Soto of Kissimmee.

On August 18, Republican voters picked Green out of a field of seven. He took 25.4% of the vote to rancher Ben Butler's 24.4%, a margin of fewer than 600 votes. Two weeks later, President Donald J. Trump endorsed him.

Service that began at the Pentagon

Green is the child of an Army veteran and a school teacher, and he grew up in Indian River County. He graduated from Vero Beach High School, where his mother taught in the county school system for 25 years, and he still lives in Vero Beach. He earned degrees from American University and Florida State University and a Ph.D. from George Washington University.

September 11 changed his path. After the attack, Green joined the United States Navy. He completed four Navy deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, plus a civilian tour of duty in southern Afghanistan with the U.S. Department of State. While serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, he was attached to two SEAL Team deployments, in Fallujah and in southern Afghanistan, and also served in Baghdad and Kabul.

He has not hung up the uniform. Green remains a drilling Navy reservist after 23 years of service.

In his own words: "I didn't fight radical extremists overseas just to stand by and watch left-wing extremists attack our freedoms here at home."

That line is not a slogan borrowed from a consultant. It comes from a man who deployed alongside SEAL teams in Fallujah and southern Afghanistan and now wants to defend those same freedoms in Congress.

A Trump appointee who knows the Pentagon from the inside

In 2019, President Trump appointed Green Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy and Force Development at the U.S. Department of Defense. Most recently, he served as a research fellow for defense analysis at The Heritage Foundation.

That matters because Congress controls federal spending, including the defense budget. Green arrives already knowing where the money goes and what it buys. He advocates "peace through strength" and has pledged to work with President Trump to keep our military "funded and fit for action."

A freshman who has served on the ground and in the Pentagon's policy shop does not need a year of briefings to understand what a strong military costs, or what weakness costs.

Making Florida affordable again

Green's first priority is the one Polk families feel at the checkout line. His campaign pledges to make groceries and gas affordable again, lower property insurance rates for Florida homeowners and "take their fight to Washington." He argues that cutting federal spending and expanding domestic energy production will bring costs down.

He is also willing to name a problem many candidates avoid: overdevelopment "has started to push native Floridians out of their communities." Anyone who has watched farmland across Central Florida turn into rooftops faster than roads can be built knows what he means. He has also said he would vote yes on the proposed constitutional amendment to cut property taxes.

On spending, his message is straightforward: "Hard working families and small business owners can't afford the gridlock in Congress that keeps our nation in debt and our liberties at risk."

He also supports requiring proof of citizenship and identification to vote in federal elections. That is a common-sense safeguard, and Florida conservatives have fought for it for years.

Backed by the badge and the President

Green has been endorsed by Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey and Osceola County Sheriff Chris Blackmon. Also backing him are U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, U.S. Rep. Mike Haridopolos of Florida, U.S. Sen. Tim Sheehy of Montana and former U.S. Sen. Connie Mack.

On September 1, 2026, President Donald J. Trump endorsed Green on Truth Social, writing: "A Brave U.S. Navy Veteran, and a former Presidential Appointee in my First Administration, Dan knows the Wisdom and Courage it takes to Ensure LAW AND ORDER, Strongly Support our Great Heroes in Law Enforcement, and Champion our Military and Veterans." The President closed with: "Dan Green has my Complete and Total Endorsement to be the next Representative from Florida's 9th Congressional District — HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!"

National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson said after the primary: "A decorated Navy veteran, former Trump administration appointee, and Indian River County native, Dan Green has what it takes to deliver for the Sunshine State in Washington."

Gov. Ron DeSantis is in as well. On August 27, the Governor wrote to Green and Florida's other new Republican congressional nominees: "Congratulations. You have my support!"

The clear contrast in District 9

Voters in District 9 face a choice between two very different records.

• Dan Green (Republican) is a Navy reservist, a former Trump defense appointee and an Indian River County native. He is running on affordability, a strong military and support for law enforcement.
• U.S. Rep. Darren Soto (Democrat) has been in Congress since 2017 and is seeking a sixth term. On July 3, 2025, he voted no on final passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. That law created new federal tax deductions for tips and overtime pay, and it passed the House 218 to 214 without a single Democratic vote.

The new district is not the seat Soto is used to. It voted 58 to 41 for President Trump in 2024. Voters there now have a real chance to send Washington a representative who shares their values.

What this race asks of Polk Republicans

Nearly all Polk County voters, about 97 percent, live in the 18th Congressional District, and a small number in southern Polk around Fort Meade and Bradley are in the 16th. They will not see this race on their ballot. District 9 reaches into the southeastern corner of the county: Frostproof, Indian Lake Estates and the rural areas east toward Lake Kissimmee, home to about 6,500 active Polk voters. If you live there, Dan Green is your Republican nominee for Congress. Your sample ballot from the Polk County Supervisor of Elections will confirm your district.

If you live anywhere else in Polk, this race still matters to you. Control of the U.S. House may come down to a handful of seats like this one, and District 9 runs along much of Polk's eastern border and its border with Highlands County. Volunteers from Polk can knock doors in Osceola just as easily as in Frostproof.

For registration deadlines, vote-by-mail and early voting in Polk, see our voting information page.

Dan Green answered the call on September 11 and has kept answering it for more than two decades. On Tuesday, November 3, 2026, District 9 voters can give him one more post to fill.

Vote Dan Green for U.S. House, Florida's 9th Congressional District.

Sources

• Dan Green, Ballotpedia profile, primary results and Candidate Connection survey
• Dan Green for Congress campaign site
• Dan Green wins Republican nomination for Florida's 9th Congressional District, WPBF
• Dan Green emerges as GOP nominee who will face Darren Soto in CD 9, Florida Politics
• GOP primary nominee Dan Green to face Rep. Darren Soto, FOX 35 Orlando
• Navy veteran Dan Green courts Indian River voters in District 9 primary, Sebastian Daily
• Dan Green, Former Research Fellow for Defense Analysis, The Heritage Foundation
• President Donald J. Trump endorsement of Dan Green, Truth Social (archived)
• Darren Soto contrasts record with Dan Green, Florida Politics
• 2026 Congressional Districts (Plan EOGPCRP2026), Florida Office of Economic and Demographic Research
• 2026 Congressional Districts statewide map, Florida EDR
• 2026 Congressional District 9 map, Florida EDR
• Breaking down the changes in Florida's new congressional districts, NBC 6
• Roll Call 190, One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Office of the Clerk, U.S. House
• No tax on tips and overtime, Internal Revenue Service
• Dan Green Candidate Profile, Polk GOP
• Your Republican Ballot This November, Polk GOP
• Polk County Supervisor of Elections Upcoming Elections

Paid political advertisement paid for by the Polk County Republican Executive Committee, 6039 Cypress Gardens Blvd; Box 108, Winter Haven, FL 33884. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.