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Op-ed

The Conservative Case for Dan Green

By Sam RomainChairman, Polk County Republican Executive Committee

Navy veteran and Trump defense appointee Dan Green, the GOP nominee in Florida's 9th Congressional District, is running to unseat U.S. Rep. Darren Soto.

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, and he is endorsed by the Polk County Republican Executive Committee. 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, and he faces the Democratic incumbent.

On August 18, Republican voters picked Green out of a field of seven. He took 25.4% of the vote, 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. He holds the rank of Commander and has been selected for promotion to Captain.

He has also written the history of the wars he fought in. He is the author of *The Valley's Edge: A Year with the Pashtuns in the Heartland of the Taliban* (2011) and *In the Warlords' Shadow: Special Operations Forces, the Afghans, and their Fight with the Taliban* (2017), and co-author of *Fallujah Redux: The Anbar Awakening and the Struggle with al-Qaeda* (2014), along with more than 55 journal articles, op-eds and policy papers.

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."

A Trump appointee who knows the Pentagon from the inside

In March 2019, Green was sworn in as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy and Force Development, appointed by President Trump. Before that he had been a defense fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy since 2011, focused on counterterrorism and counterinsurgency. 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."

Making Florida affordable again

Green's first priority is the one Polk families feel at the checkout line. "In Congress, I will fight to make America affordable again," he says, "because when groceries and gas prices are too high, Florida's families, farmers and small business owners suffer." His campaign pledges to 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." 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, the goal of the SAVE America Act, which he backs.

Backed by the badge and the President

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 said Green "has my Complete and Total Endorsement to be the next Representative from Florida's 9th Congressional District" and added, "HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!"

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!"

On October 1, the Florida Police Benevolent Association, which represents about 31,000 law enforcement and corrections professionals, endorsed him. "Throughout your career, you have demonstrated a strong commitment to public safety and to the men and women who risk their lives every day maintaining public safety," PBA President John Kazanjian wrote. Green is also endorsed by Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey and Osceola County Sheriff Chris Blackmon, SEAL PAC, the War Veterans Fund, U.S. Sen. Tim Sheehy, U.S. Reps. Jim Jordan and Mike Haridopolos, former U.S. Sen. Connie Mack, state Sen. Danny Burgess and state Reps. Patt Maney and Dana Trabulsy.

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."

The clear contrast in District 9

The new district 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. 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. Volunteers from Polk can knock doors in Osceola just as easily as in Frostproof.

Frequently asked questions

Is Dan Green a conservative? Yes. He is a Navy combat veteran and former Trump Pentagon appointee who backs peace through strength, proof of citizenship to vote and the property tax cut amendment. President Trump endorsed him.

What part of Polk County is in District 9? The southeastern corner, including Frostproof, Indian Lake Estates and rural areas east toward Lake Kissimmee, home to about 6,500 active Polk voters.

What will Dan Green do for Polk County? He is running to lower grocery, gas and insurance costs, cut federal spending, expand domestic energy and slow the overdevelopment pushing longtime Floridians out.

Who endorsed Dan Green? President Donald J. Trump, Gov. Ron DeSantis, the Florida Police Benevolent Association, Sheriffs Wayne Ivey and Chris Blackmon, SEAL PAC, Sen. Tim Sheehy, Reps. Jim Jordan and Mike Haridopolos and the Polk County Republican Executive Committee.

When is the election? Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Polls are open from 7 AM to 7 PM at your assigned precinct. Early voting has ended.

How to vote in Polk County

Early voting has ended. Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026, and polls are open from 7 AM to 7 PM at your assigned precinct. Bring a photo ID with your signature. If you have a mail ballot, it must be received by the Supervisor of Elections by 7 PM on Election Day. For your polling place and everything else, see the Polk County GOP Voter Guide.

Dan Green answered the call on September 11 and has kept answering it for more than two decades. Vote Dan Green for U.S. House, Florida's 9th Congressional District.

Want to help? Volunteer today at polk.gop/volunteer.

Sources

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.

Portrait of Sam Romain

About the author

Sam Romain

Chairman, Polk County Republican Executive Committee

Sam Romain is Chairman of the Polk County Republican Executive Committee, the county party organization representing registered Republicans across Polk County's precincts. He writes here on behalf of the committee on elections, county governance and the issues facing Polk County voters.

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