2026 forecast · Florida 26th

Mario Diaz-Balart is slightly favored to win Florida's 26th District.

Nicole Locklin vs Mario Diaz-Balart. The model has Diaz-Balart ahead by 2.3 points, winning 64 percent of 2,000 simulated elections.

Lean RModel R +2.3Updated October 22, 2026
Nicole Locklin
Democrat
47.7%
155,843 projected votes
Mario Diaz-Balart
Republican
50.0%
163,336 projected votes
64%Diaz-Balart
36%Locklin
Diaz-Balart slightly favoredEach square is one simulated election night, Diaz-Balart wins about 64 of 100
RatingLean R64% chance for Diaz-Balart
Model marginR +2.3No polls in the race
80 percent rangeD +6.2 to R +10.92,000 simulations
Projected votes326,502Diaz-Balart 50.0%

The district map

Every district in the state, shaded by its rating

Florida districts

28 districts
Safe DLikely DLean DToss upLean RLikely RSafe R

Vote share

Each candidate's projected share and the range of 80 percent of simulations

Nicole LocklinDemocrat · 36% to win
47.7%
Mario Diaz-BalartRepublican · 64% to win
50.0%

Scale runs from 25 to 75 percent. The dot is the forecast, the band is the 80 percent range and the brighter tick marks 50 percent.

Projected district vote

326,502 votes
CandidateVotesShare
Mario Diaz-Balart R163,33650.0%
Nicole Locklin D155,84347.7%
Deborah Ann Meidinger Hosey I7,3232.2%
Total326,502100%

Each candidate's expected vote in the On Point simulation, at the forecast's projected turnout.

The trend

Each side's chance of winning over the forecast's recent updates

0%25%50%75%100%36% Locklin64% Diaz-Balart16 updates agoToday

Polling

Every poll in the average, and how the model reads it

The Florida governor polling average
36%38%40%42%44%46%48%50%52%54%MayJunJulAugSepOct43.0Jolly48.3Donalds
The line is the On Point average: a robust LOWESS fit through the polls, weighted by recency, sample, voter screen and pollster grade, refit three times so outliers count for lessDot size is each poll's weight todayHover or use the arrow keys to read any day
What moves the average today
Fabrizio Lee for Donalds (R)Oct 11 · 1,200 LV · A18%Donalds +6.0
On Point PollingOct 18 · 378 LV · Gold17%Donalds +4.2
MDW Communications (D)Oct 10 · 2,351 LV · NR15%Donalds +2.1
University of North FloridaOct 19 · 1,471 LV · NR11%Donalds +2.0
Targoz Market Research (R)Oct 4 · 1,000 LV · C+10%Donalds +10.0
co/efficient (R)Oct 20 · 1,014 LV · C+7.0%Donalds +9.0
Every other poll together: 21%

This is the same On Point polling average as the full average page. The forecast reads the polls through its own Election Day projection, shown as the On Point average in the table below, and blends it with partisan lean and fundamentals.

Polls of the race

Full average
PollsterSampleAgeMargin
On Point averageWeighted averageNo polls

Each margin is the poll as the pollster published it. The forecast counts every poll after its house effect and the undecided split, which is what the trail above shows; hover a margin for the counted value. Lean R and Lean D mark partisan leaning firms.

Model margin
Diaz-Balart +2.3
Chance of winning
Nicole Locklin36%
Mario Diaz-Balart64%
Simulated vote
Nicole Locklin47.7%
Mario Diaz-Balart50.0%
Deborah Ann Meidinger Hosey2.2%
How the model gets there
Partisan leanD +18.0
FundamentalsR +2.9
With pollsR +0.8
Early vote turnoutR +1.5
With early voteR +2.3

Read from 0 ballots cast so far in Florida, against the party mix the forecast expected of them, with similar states and primary turnout. Early vote tracker

How we got here

From the state's partisan lean to the forecast, one stage at a time

D +22R +22Partisan leanthe state's baselineD +18.0Fundamentalsapproval, economy, candidatesR +2.9With pollsno pollsR +0.8With early voteturnout so farR +2.3
Methodology
Every county is rebuilt by simulating voters going to the polls, 2,000 times, from On Point Polling survey data, past results, and the polling average. How the model works.