ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – A U.S. Army veteran and staunch former President Trump supporter will take on incumbent U.S. House District 9 Rep. Darren Soto, in November.
The Associated Press reports that Thomas Chalifoux won the three-way Republican primary Tuesday night.
The retired U.S. Army colonel and businessman defeated former State Rep. John Quiñones and Disney executive Jose Castillo.
Florida House District 9 is comprised of Osceola County and parts of Orange County including Orlando International Airport and areas just north of it to State Road 408 between Edgewood and State Road 417. It also includes a small part of Polk County.
The district includes much of the tourist district abutting Florida’s major theme parks, as well as cattle and farmland, and an estimated 821,662 people live there, more than half of whom — 435,376 — are Hispanic or Latino, according to the latest U.S. Census.
According to the Florida Division of Elections, there are 116,252 registered Republicans, 165,262 registered Democrats and 149,021 no-party-affiliate voters eligible to vote for this district, as of July 22.
Votes
%
Thomas Chalifoux(R)
John Q Quiñones(R)
Jose Castillo(R)
(187 / 189)
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JOSE CASTILLO - Campaign website
Jose Castillo was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and boasts a career in hospitality at Walt Disney World that’s lasted over a decade, latest in a Resort Management role, according to his website.
Castillo bills himself as “a loud voice for the Silent Majority” who has “stood up to Woke Corporate America” and champions such policy initiatives as “gun rights,” “religious freedom,” “protecting the unborn” and ending “Biden inflation” among several others, the website states.
Jose Castillo has been a loud voice for the Silent Majority, he stood up to Woke Corporate America as a Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham guest on their Fox News shows. Jose will bring Common Sense Conservative principles back to Washington DC.
Jose Castillo for Congress (excerpt)
THOMAS CHALIFOUX - Campaign website
Retired U.S. Army Col. Thomas Chalifoux was born in Holyoke, Massachusetts, and is a military veteran who served for some 30 years, according to his website. Chalifoux was appointed to the Kissimmee Board of Adjustment in 1978 and served until 2000 when he was elected to the Osceola County School Board, which he served until 2008, the website states.
Chalifoux’s website describes his stances on such issues as prioritizing the “apprehension and removal of illegal immigrants,” implementing budget reforms that target “areas of excessive spending and unnecessary regulations” for elimination, supporting the “America First” movement with pointed support for MAGA and the Second Amendment, and subjecting President Joe Biden and his family to “the same level of scrutiny” alleged against former President Donald Trump within the criminal justice system, among some others.
Florida Ninth District Congressional candidate Thomas Chalifoux‘s success and patriotism as a proud, conservative Republican, MAGA-supporting American has, in fact, covered 40 years of demonstrated exceptional leadership and entrepreneurial spirit; having started and developed several small businesses (SMBs) into multimillion-dollar enterprises.
Col. Thomas Chalifoux for Congress (excerpt)
JOHN QUIÑONES - Campaign website
John “Q” Quiñones was born in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico, and was the first Puerto Rican Republican candidate elected to the Florida Legislature, serving in House District 49 from 2002 until his resignation in 2007 to successfully run for the Osceola County Commission’s District 2 seat in a special election that April. You can find a list of bills Quiñones sponsored on the Florida House website.
He’s run against Soto before, falling behind in the 2022 Primary to Republican candidate Scotty Moore, who went on to lose to Soto with over 14,000 fewer votes. A decade earlier, Quiñones had similarly finished second in the Republic Primary for District 9 by getting around 5,000 fewer votes than Todd Long, an attorney who ultimately lost the race to Democrat Alan Grayson.
Quiñones’ website describes him as a highly qualified candidate and a “heavily (sought-after) recruit for the National GOP in a district that (Gov.) Ron DeSantis won in 2022.” The website pledges Quiñones “will fight for the values that matter to our families and our community, like lower taxes, less regulation, and safer streets,” pointing to his track record as an elected official.
I’ve served the people of Central Florida time and time again. It’s time they had someone on their side. Let’s stop Biden’s anti-Florida agenda and restore common sense leadership and sanity in D.C.
John Quiñones for Congress (excerpt)
The Florida Statewide Primary is Tuesday, Aug. 20.
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