Florida Democrat Faces Tough Reelection After Old Prank Story Resurfaces
A 2008 prank targeting Rep. Darren Soto’s conduct in the Florida House is drawing renewed attention as he campaigns in a redrawn district. The episode comes as Republicans target the seat following boundary changes.
Washington ExaminerA story from Rep. Darren Soto’s time in the Florida House is resurfacing as the Democrat campaigns for reelection in a newly drawn central Florida district. The prank occurred in 2008 when Soto, then 30, received a note from a woman claiming to be a Florida State University student and secret admirer. He left his seat to meet her in the visitor’s gallery, violating House rules.
The 2008 incident Colleagues arranged the meeting with a paid actress.
Officials declared Soto out of order and had him removed by the sergeant-at-arms. The prank was described at the time as an effort to address Soto’s “notorious libido,” a reputation colleagues said dated back to his law school years.
Additional details from the period Soto had written sexually explicit rap lyrics for a satirical law school publication. The lyrics used legal terminology in sexual puns and described encounters with a drunk woman. A fictitious profile in the same publication listed his occupation as “Wielder of the shaft” and his field of study as “Sex Law.”
State lawmakers redrew his Orlando-area district after the 2024 election, creating a seat that would have favored Republicans by roughly 17 points that year. Republican Dan Green, a Navy reserve officer and former Pentagon appointee, announced his candidacy on Monday and pledged $1 million of his own money to the race.
The Washington Examiner reported that national Republicans had previously viewed Soto’s seat as a potential target after President Donald Trump improved Republican performance in the old district.
