Joe Kaufman launches bid for Florida's new 25th District

By AI, Created 4:23 PM UTC, May 18, 2026, /AGP/ – National security expert Joe Kaufman has entered the race for Florida’s newly created 25th Congressional District, leaning on a campaign centered on border security, public safety and economic opportunity. The South Florida Republican is highlighting his 2024 near-miss, his counterterrorism background and a recent legal win tied to a pro-Hamas conference fight.

Why it matters: - Kaufman is running in a newly created South Florida district that stretches from Miami Beach north past Boca Raton. - The race gives Republicans an early candidate with name recognition in a region where public safety, immigration and cost-of-living issues can dominate. - Kaufman is framing the campaign around border security, public safety and economic strength, three themes likely to shape the district contest.

What happened: - Joe Kaufman announced his candidacy for Florida’s 25th Congressional District on May 12, 2026. - Kaufman is a South Florida conservative leader, national security expert and founder of the Boca Raton-based Joe Kaufman Security Initiative. - Kaufman was the Republican nominee in Florida’s 23rd Congressional District in 2024 and won 48% of the vote. - Kaufman said he is running to address weak borders, economic instability and threats to public safety.

The details: - Kaufman’s campaign platform includes border security, constitutional freedoms, Social Security and Medicare protection, workforce preparation, lower living costs and preserving South Florida’s quality of life. - Kaufman said the campaign will also focus on economic opportunity and protecting the values that have helped South Florida thrive. - Kaufman recently helped push to shut down a pro-Hamas conference planned in Coral Springs. - The event’s organizers, including CAIR and the South Florida Muslim Federation, later filed a federal lawsuit against Kaufman in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, Case No. 24-cv-61811. - The case was dismissed. - Kaufman has spent decades working on terrorism, extremism and border security. - Media outlets have featured Kaufman’s work on national and international issues, and he has been described in coverage as a “terrorist hunter.” - Seventeen years ago, Kaufman co-founded the Iranian opposition group Cyrus Force, also known as Payrovan Kourosh inside Iran, with Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi. - Kaufman has also received praise from former Acting ICE Director and former Trump administration Border Czar Tom Homan. - Homan said Kaufman’s background in national security and counterterrorism would make him an asset in Congress and a partner on border security.

Between the lines: - Kaufman is trying to turn a résumé built on security and activism into a congressional argument about competence and urgency. - The campaign appears aimed at voters who want a hard-line response to immigration, crime and cultural conflict, while also hearing a message about taxes, jobs and retirement security. - The dismissed lawsuit may help Kaufman present himself as someone willing to confront political opponents and survive legal pushback.

What’s next: - Kaufman’s campaign said he will begin meeting voters and community leaders across the district in the coming weeks. - The race will test whether South Florida voters reward a national security-focused candidate in a newly drawn district with shifting political dynamics.

The bottom line: - Kaufman is betting that experience in counterterrorism and a law-and-order message can carry him from activist and repeat candidate to member of Congress.