Montavon challenges Steube for Florida's 17th District seat

Matthew Montavon, a Democrat, is running for Florida's 17th Congressional District in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. He faces Republican Greg Steube and Michael Quirk, who has no party preference, according to BallotReady election data.

Montavon also ran for the Democratic nomination in 2024, losing to Manny Lopez, according to Ballotpedia.

This is his second run.

We recently profiled Steube's reelection campaign.

Candidate information

Party: Democratic
Office sought: U.S. House of Representatives, Florida 17th Congressional District
Birthplace: South Bend, Indiana, according to his campaign website
Residence: Southwest Florida since the 1990s, according to his campaign website
Education: Bachelor's degree in political science and Spanish, The Catholic University of America, 1978; MBA, Indiana University, 1984, according to BallotReady. Montavon also says he holds a master's in public administration from Indiana University, according to his campaign website.
Family: Montavon says he married Marjorie E. in 1991 and they had two children. She died of cancer in 2019.

Experience and public service

Montavon spent much of his career at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, according to BallotReady. He served as a planning officer in the forestry department from 1991 to 2000. He then worked as a program coordinator in administration and finance from 2000 to 2009. He became a senior program coordinator in agriculture and consumer protection from 2009 to 2017.

Before that, he worked as a senior analyst at the Government Finance Research Center from 1989 to 1991, according to BallotReady.

Montavon says on his campaign website that he served as a Peace Corps volunteer. He also worked at regional planning councils in Martinsburg, West Virginia, and Lynchburg, Virginia, as well as the Illinois Migrant Council and the National Association of Regional Councils.

Locally, Montavon says he co-founded the Immigration Justice Coalition of Southwest Florida, served as president of the Sarasota Democratic Hispanic Caucus and chaired the Democrats Abroad Rome Chapter. He says he has volunteered with AARP's Tax-Aide program, Habitat for Humanity, Boy Scouts, food pantries and local hurricane relief groups.

On the issues

Montavon outlined these positions in responses published by The News-Press and BallotReady.

Economy and cost of living: Montavon says tariffs should end and safety-net programs such as SNAP, Affordable Care Act subsidies and Medicaid funding should be restored. He calls for policies to reduce the wealth gap, add housing stock and limit corporate ownership of private homes. He supports moving toward universal health care.

Environment and energy: Montavon says climate change is "particularly problematic for Florida's Gulf Coast" and calls for restoring funds to FEMA, the EPA and NOAA. He supports federal backing for renewable energy and enforcement of pollution standards.

Immigration: Montavon calls for "effective and humane border security and immigration reform." He says birthright citizenship should be respected and that immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility.

Gun policy: Montavon says Congress should ban civilian use of assault weapons, require universal background checks, support state licensing, enact gun safety laws and expand red-flag laws.

Government reform: Montavon says he would work to limit campaign donations, end gerrymandering and establish Supreme Court term limits. He says he supports legislation to protect the independence of the U.S. Department of Justice.