Luis Dávila Pernas, president of the Democratic Party of the United States in Puerto Rico, believes that Democratic congressman Darren Soto has opportunities to revalidate his seat in November, despite the conservative majority in Florida's 9th district. Dávila Pernas made campaign stops in Orlando and Kissimmee over the weekend, focusing on Puerto Rican communities, alongside vice president of the Democratic Party Emma Marrero and representatives from the New Progressive Party José 'Che' Pérez and Alex 'Chino' Roque.
Nearly 30% of the district's voters are Latino, mostly Puerto Rican. Dávila Pernas hopes to return to Florida in October to campaign in the conservative Indian River County area, which heavily favored Donald Trump in 2024. Trump won the areas now part of the 9th district by around 18% over Democratic candidate Kamala Harris in 2024.
Dávila Pernas thinks Soto could benefit from significant mobilization in Kissimmee and Orlando, as well as potential Republican abstention due to economic dissatisfaction with the Trump administration.