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Candidates › FL-17 race › 2025–2026
Matthew Montavon
D Democratic nominee for U.S. House, FL-17
Has not served in Congress
- On the ballot
- On the general election ballotNov 3, 2026 · Florida US House 17
- Where to vote
- Find your polling place (opens in a new tab) · More ways to vote
- Top priorities
- Common-Sense Immigration Reform
- Lowering the Cost of Living
- Fiscal Responsibility and Efficient Management
- Preserving Checks & Balances
- Investing in Southwest Florida's Infrastructure
- Money
- $156.3K raised, $131.1K spent, $25.1K cash on hand (through Oct 14, 2026). Where it comes from
- Who gives
- 31% of individual money from donors at $200 or less · 62% from Florida
- Backed by
- James Muwakkil · American People's Compact · ANGIE NIXON and 10 more. As the campaign lists them
6 priorities from montavonforcongress.com, in the order they are listed there. Every heading and the text under it is copied exactly, as one passage for each page it is from, and links to that place on the page; hover a source to see which passage it opens.
A broken immigration system hurts our communities, our economy, and our national security, and fixing it requires a balanced approach that rejects partisan extremes.
We must secure our borders and uphold the rule of law while simultaneously ensuring our local agricultural, hospitality, and construction sectors have access to a predictable, legal workforce.
True reform means implementing orderly, rule-based processes that combine rigorous security with fair, clear guidelines.
- Securing the Border & Supporting Law Enforcement: Modernizing border security infrastructure, technologies, and staffing while ensuring federal enforcement agencies have the clear guidelines and proper training to enforce our laws effectively.
- Upholding Accountable Enforcement: Supporting our law enforcement professionals by providing strong standards of public accountability and transparency, ensuring community trust is maintained.
- An Orderly Pathway to Legal Status: Creating an organized, background-checked, and lawful process for individuals who are currently contributing to our local economy to earn legal status, stabilizing the workforce for Florida's critical small business and agricultural industries.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · montavonforcongress.com
Heading as listed on montavonforcongress.com ↗ (opens montavonforcongress.com at this heading)
From the grocery aisle to the monthly mortgage payment, families across Southwest Florida are feeling the heavy squeeze of a rising cost of living.
Addressing inflation requires moving past ideological debates and focusing on practical, localized economic stability. By focusing on smart investments, market transparency, and relief for working families, we can ease household budgets and keep our local economy strong and competitive.
- Incentivizing Affordable Housing: Easing housing costs by supporting public-private partnerships and local incentives to build attainable, workforce housing for young professionals, teachers, first responders, and families.
- Relief for Working Families: Cutting unnecessary red tape and addressing the unique regional cost-of-living factors in Florida, such as the compounding property and homeowners insurance market crisis.
- Practical Healthcare Solutions: Improving the transparency of healthcare and prescription drug pricing, maximizing market competition, and expanding access to high-quality care without upending consumer choices.
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Washington lacks the technical, administrative experts required to make the federal government run like a responsible business. With decades of professional experience managing public programs and balancing complex budgets, Matthew understands exactly how easily taxpayer dollars can be lost to bureaucratic inefficiency. He will bring direct, managerial accountability to the federal budget.
- Rooting Out Bureaucratic Waste: Implementing regular, strict financial audits across federal agencies to identify and eliminate redundant programs, unnecessary red tape, and wasteful spending.
- Optimizing Taxpayer Investments: Ensuring that every dollar spent by the federal government delivers measurable, transparent returns for everyday citizens.
- Pragmatic Budgeting: Approaching federal spending with the same practical fiscal restraint that Southwest Florida families use to manage their own household budgets.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · montavonforcongress.com
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We need a government that is transparent, accountable, and focused on serving the people - not expanding its own reach.
Matthew believes in protecting our constitutional system by ensuring clear boundaries between the branches of government.
- Fiscal Oversight: Safeguarding critical, existing programs that working families and seniors rely on by focusing on efficiency and cutting waste.
- Restoring Congressional Authority: Easing the reliance on executive orders and ensuring major policy changes—especially regarding economic tariffs—go through Congress to keep decision-making closer to the voters.
- Accountability in Bureaucracy: Streamlining federal agencies so they remain efficient, responsive, and accountable to the public.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · montavonforcongress.com
Heading as listed on montavonforcongress.com ↗ (opens montavonforcongress.com at this heading)
Southwest Florida is growing rapidly, and our roads, bridges, and flood protection systems need reliable, non-partisan federal coordination. We cannot afford empty political gridlock when it comes to the safety and connectivity of our neighborhoods.
As a representative, Matthew will prioritize securing the vital federal investments required to maintain our quality of life and protect our local economy.
- Regional Planning Expertise: Leveraging Matthew's extensive professional background in urban and regional planning to effectively secure federal block grants and infrastructure resources.
- Grid Resiliency and Upgrades: Modernizing our local transportation grids, water management lines, and utility systems to keep on pace with rapid regional population growth.
- Disaster Mitigation Funding: Fighting for permanent infrastructure hardening and storm drainage systems designed to withstand the unique climate and environmental vulnerabilities of our Gulf Coast.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · montavonforcongress.com
Heading as listed on montavonforcongress.com ↗ (opens montavonforcongress.com at this heading)
In recent years, government actions have put more and more obstacles in the way of legitimate voters, with widely varying state laws about voter ID, mail-in ballots, drop boxes, and election schedules, as well as irrational, gerrymandered voting maps. The Supreme Court began gutting the Voting Rights Act in 2013 and has been eroding it further ever since. Congress must immediately pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to enshrine the basic principle of one person, one vote. Voting should be encouraged, not discouraged.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · montavonforcongress.com/platform
The U.S. Constitution specifies that redrawing district lines should occur regularly every 10 years after each Decennial Census. So why is additional redistricting mid-decade being allowed? Congress must act to end this extra-constitutional collusion between the Executive Branch and partisan extremists in state legislatures.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · montavonforcongress.com/platform
The Supreme Court ruled in favor of dark, unlimited campaign contributions in the Citizens United decision of 2010. Congress must enact laws to limit campaign donations and make campaign finance completely transparent. Choosing candidates should be the role of the people, not giant corporations and billionaires. Votes, not money, should decide elections.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · montavonforcongress.com/platform
Veterans sacrificed to serve their country, and they should return to civilian life with all the support they need: access to education, help finding a job, affordable housing, and good healthcare. This is no time to be cutting services for veterans or for military families, as current budget proposals do. Florida’s 17th District has a high percentage of residents who are veterans (8%), and they will have Matthew Montavon’s full support in Congress.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · montavonforcongress.com/platform
We have been told that Social Security and Medicare are unsustainable, that they will not be able to pay out benefits much longer. Yet one Congress after another has done nothing to prevent the impending crisis. Congress needs to pass legislation to ensure the solvency of the system to pay benefits to retirees now and into the future.
I will vehemently support Social Security and defend that benefit.
· No retirement age increase
· No turning my back on seniors
· Yes to protecting Social Security for the future
I do not and will never support raising the retirement age! Any claim otherwise is categorically false. I do not support raising the retirement age as a solution to the Social Security shortfall.
Why I oppose raising the retirement age
Raising the retirement age is a bad idea. It is regressive, and the burden falls primarily on the working class — I am fully committed to protecting Social Security.
SOLUTIONS ↗ (opens montavonforcongress.com/platform at this heading)
I support raising the tax cap on earnings and taxing all income, including capital gains.
Use a Consumer Price Index for the Elderly so Social Security keeps up with the true cost of living.
Ensure that Social Security offices are fully funded so seniors do not face declines in services or long delays.
Protect earned benefits without raising the retirement age.
Social Security has been around for 90 years keeping tens of millions out of poverty. It has become the most popular federal program.
Congress should also fix the Affordable Care Act’s gap in Medicaid coverage, which allows states like Florida to refuse extra federal funds to cover health insurance for low-income families.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · montavonforcongress.com/platform
As a life-long Democrat, unlike my opponents, I am fully committed to protecting Social Security.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · montavonforcongress.com/platform-1
As a world leader, we must reestablish respect rather than yield to other countries such as China. Congress needs to reassert its Constitutional role in foreign affairs.
The Executive Branch does not have the authority to conduct foreign policy alone. Congress has the sole authority to fund (or not fund) wars, to declare war, and to finance our overseas commitments.
Random chaotic actions, insulting our allies, and praising dictators does not help our standing in the world.
International trade should be an instrument of peace, not of bullying. International cooperation has been the foundation of peace. We are a world leader and should not willingly cede that position to China.
Our government should treat international visitors with respect. These tourists support a valuable sector of our economy and offer opportunities for mutual dialogue and understanding.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · montavonforcongress.com/platform
Congress needs to reassert its Constitutional role in foreign affairs. The Executive does not have the authority to conduct foreign policy alone. Congress has the sole authority to fund (or not fund) wars, to declare war, and to fund our overseas commitments. Random chaotic actions putting down our allies and praising dictators do not help our standing in the world.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · montavonforcongress.com/platform-1
The United States has the highest level of gun violence of all the peace time countries.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · montavonforcongress.com/platform
No other peacetime country has our level of gun violence. Gun homicides are 26 times higher in the U.S. than other high-income nations. Congress must ban civilian use of assault weapons, require universal and comprehensive background checks, support state licensing, enact gun safety laws, and enforce and expand red flag laws. Hunters and sportsmen should be able to buy guns, but we need to ensure that our communities are safe.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · montavonforcongress.com/platform-1
Reproductive health decisions should be between a patient and their medical provider, but state legislators and Supreme Court decisions have diminished that basic principle of individual freedom.
Government has no place interfering in these personal choices. Reproductive freedom is essential for women's equality. Congress should ensure that birth control, abortion, and comprehensive reproductive health care are accessible and affordable for all women.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · montavonforcongress.com/platform
Reproductive health decisions should be between a woman and her medical provider, but state legislators and Supreme Court decisions have diminished that basic principle of individual freedom. Government has no place interfering in those personal choices. Reproductive freedom is essential for women's equality. Congress should ensure that birth control, abortion, and comprehensive reproductive health care are accessible and affordable for all.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · montavonforcongress.com/platform-1
As a nation, we need to respect the rights of all people living here under our Constitution, regardless of race, creed, color, national origin, or who they love. Congress needs to lead by example and secure legislation to ensure that every individual can share in our economy and contribute to our society according to his or her ability, without fear of threats or mockery, or even physical harm. Our struggles for freedom and equality have been a model for the world. Let’s keep it up!
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · montavonforcongress.com/platform
Envisioning a future where students love learning, quality teachers are paid well, and education isn't banned. Every child deserves a high-achieving, well-rounded education in all the subject areas: Science, Math, Reading, Writing, Civics, and History.
Public school education needs to be supported and strengthened. Not long ago, community colleges were free and young people didn’t need to take on large college loans.
Congress must enact legislation to make high-quality education accessible and affordable to all without the burden of future debt.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · montavonforcongress.com/platform
We must deal with the very real crisis of climate change, which is particularly problematic for Florida’s Gulf Coast. By utilizing science-based criteria to address this problem we can protect our beaches, homes, and local economy from rising seas, stronger storms, Red Tide, and algae blooms.
Additional protections to our threatened and endangered animals and natural resources are also important environmental considerations.
The costs in life and property damage of doing nothing are astronomical. We must start taking action now.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · montavonforcongress.com/platform
We need to deal with the very real crisis of climate change, which is particularly problematic for Florida’s Gulf Coast. Rising temperatures have led to rising sea levels in Florida by an inch every decade. Heavy rainfall is causing more flooding and storm damage. Warmer ocean temperatures are damaging coral reefs and harming sea life.Development must be environmentally sensitive. The costs in life and property damage of doing nothing is astronomical. We must start taking action now.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · montavonforcongress.com/platform-1