Who is running for Florida Senate, District 22 in 2026?

Attorney

Lew Wasserman says in his 2026 Ballotpedia survey that he is an attorney, educator and public servant with a Ph.D. in psychology from Hofstra University and a law degree from St. John's University, who served as an assistant superintendent of schools and later taught graduate courses at the University of Texas¹. He faces Republican James Buchanan and independent Martin Hyde for Florida Senate District 22 on November 3, 2026, and there is no incumbent².

Where they stand 1 issues · tap any issue for the evidence

• HealthcareKeep the Affordable Care Act and fix what is brokenmedium

  Questionnaire answer · medium confidence

  • In his 2026 Ballotpedia survey he said he supports expanding Medicaid and practical approaches that move toward every Floridian having access to quality, affordable care. (2026) source

No public position found on: Safety net programs, Minimum wage, Business regulation, Abortion, Guns, Immigration, Energy and climate, School choice, Curriculum and books, Housing and growth, Policing and crime, Election rules, Judges, Politicians trading stocks, Marijuana, Gender care for minors, Redistricting, Term limits, Campaign finance, Electoral College, Ranked-choice voting, Death penalty, Qualified immunity, Mandatory minimums, Drug prices, Childcare and pre-K, Paid leave, Student loans, AI regulation, Kids online, School vaccines, Nuclear power, E-Verify mandate, Transgender athletes, DEI programs, Religion in schools, China policy.

Private citizen

Martin Hyde is running with no party affiliation for Florida Senate District 22 and faces Republican James Buchanan and Democrat Lew Wasserman on November 3, 2026¹². He has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey and no 2026 campaign statements on the quiz topics were found, so no positions are listed¹.

No public position found on: Safety net programs, Minimum wage, Business regulation, Healthcare, Abortion, Guns, Immigration, Energy and climate, School choice, Curriculum and books, Housing and growth, Policing and crime, Election rules, Judges, Politicians trading stocks, Marijuana, Gender care for minors, Redistricting, Term limits, Campaign finance, Electoral College, Ranked-choice voting, Death penalty, Qualified immunity, Mandatory minimums, Drug prices, Childcare and pre-K, Paid leave, Student loans, AI regulation, Kids online, School vaccines, Nuclear power, E-Verify mandate, Transgender athletes, DEI programs, Religion in schools, China policy.

Florida House member, District 74

James Buchanan is a Sarasota County real estate broker and small business owner who holds a finance and entrepreneurship degree from Florida State University and an MBA from the University of South Florida, according to his campaign site³. He has served in the Florida House, District 74, since 2018, won the August 18, 2026 Republican primary for Senate District 22, and faces Democrat Lew Wasserman and independent Martin Hyde on November 3, 2026¹². There is no incumbent in this race¹.

Where they stand 18 issues · tap any issue for the evidence

• AbortionIllegal, except to save the mother's life or in cases of rape or incestmedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted yes on SB 300 (2023), which banned most abortions after six weeks, with exceptions for rape, incest and trafficking up to 15 weeks and for the mother's life or serious health risk; it passed the House 70 to 40. (2023-04-13) source
  • Voted yes on HB 5 (2022), which banned most abortions after 15 weeks with exceptions for the mother's life or health and fatal fetal conditions but not for rape or incest; it passed the House 78 to 39. (2022-02-17) source
  • Voted yes on SB 404 (2020), which requires parental consent before a minor can have an abortion; it passed the House 75 to 43. (2020-02-20) source
• School choiceYes, universal school choice for every familymedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted yes on HB 1 (2023), which made every Florida K-12 student eligible for a state scholarship that can pay for private school or home education; it passed the House 83 to 27. (2023-03-17) source
• DEI programsBan DEI offices and required training at public institutionsmedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted yes on SB 266 (2023), which barred public colleges and universities from spending money on diversity, equity and inclusion programs; it passed the House 81 to 34. (2023-05-03) source
  • Voted yes on HB 7 (2022), the Individual Freedom Act often called the Stop WOKE Act, which restricted how race related concepts can be taught in schools and in workplace training; it passed the House 74 to 41. (2022-02-24) source
• Gender care for minorsNo, ban these treatments for minorsmedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted yes on SB 254 (2023), which banned puberty blockers, hormones and surgery for minors as treatment for gender dysphoria; it passed the House 83 to 28. (2023-05-04) source
• Transgender athletesNo, teams should be based on biological sex, with open or coed optionsmedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted yes on SB 1028 (2021), which limits school and college sports teams designated for girls or women to students who were female at birth; it passed the House 79 to 37. (2021-04-28) source
• Election rulesStrict photo ID, paper ballots, cleaner voter rolls and fewer mail ballotsmedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted yes on SB 90 (2021), which limited ballot drop boxes, required voters to renew mail ballot requests more often and added identification requirements for mail ballot requests; it passed the House 77 to 40. (2021-04-29) source
  • Voted yes on SB 524 (2022), which created a state election crimes office, expanded voter roll maintenance and raised penalties for collecting others' ballots; it passed the House 76 to 41. (2022-03-09) source
• Policing and crimeTougher sentences, more police funding, and stricter bailmedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted yes on HB 1 (2021), which created new crimes and tougher penalties tied to riots and let the state review local cuts to police budgets; it passed the House 76 to 39. (2021-03-26) source
• Curriculum and booksParents, including the right to remove material they object tomedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted yes on HB 1467 (2022), which required school districts to post library materials, have certified media specialists review them and give parents a process to object to books; it passed the House 79 to 41. (2022-03-10) source
  • Voted yes on HB 1557 (2022), the Parental Rights in Education law, which barred classroom instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity in kindergarten through third grade; it passed the House 69 to 47. (2022-02-24) source
  • Voted yes on HB 1069 (2023), which extended limits on instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity through eighth grade and expanded the process for parents to object to school library books; it passed the House 77 to 35. (2023-03-31) source
• Death penaltyExpand it and use it more often, including for crimes like child rapemedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted yes on HB 1297 (2023), which allows the death penalty for sexual battery of a child under 12; it passed the House 95 to 14. (2023-04-13) source
  • Voted yes on SB 450 (2023), which allows a death sentence when at least 8 of 12 jurors recommend it instead of requiring a unanimous jury; it passed the House 80 to 30. (2023-04-13) source
• China policyGet tougher: broad tariffs, state bans on land purchases, and forced app salesmedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted yes on SB 264 (2023), which restricts people and companies from China and several other countries from buying land in Florida, with the strictest limits on China; it passed the House 95 to 17. (2023-05-04) source
• RedistrictingState legislatures draw maps and may redraw any time, including for partisan advantagemedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted yes on SB 2-C (2022), which adopted the congressional map proposed by the governor after the 2020 census; it passed the House 68 to 38. (2022-04-21) source
  • Voted yes on HB 1-D (2026), which redrew Florida's congressional districts in the middle of the decade at the governor's request; it passed the House 83 to 28. (2026-04-29) source
• Kids onlineBan social media accounts for minorsmedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted yes on HB 1 (2024), which would have barred social media accounts for children under 16; the governor vetoed it and a narrower bill, HB 3, later passed nearly unanimously; it passed the House 106 to 13. (2024-01-24) source
  • Cosponsored HB 1 (2024), which would have required social media platforms to bar accounts for children under 16; the governor vetoed it. (2024) source
• GunsRemove most restrictions; bearing arms is a rightmedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted yes on HB 543 (2023), which allows carrying a concealed weapon without a permit; it passed the House 76 to 32. (2023-03-24) source
  • Voted yes on HB 759 (2025), which would have lowered the minimum age to buy a rifle or shotgun from 21 to 18; it died in the Senate; it passed the House 78 to 34. (2025-03-26) source
  • Voted yes on HB 133 (2026), which would have lowered the minimum age to buy a rifle or shotgun from 21 to 18; it died in the Senate; it passed the House 74 to 37. (2026-01-15) source
  • Cosponsored HB 1223 (2024), which would have reduced the minimum age to buy a firearm; it died in the Senate. (2024) source
  • Cosponsored HB 1615 (2024), which would have repealed automatic restrictions on firearms and ammunition during declared emergencies; it died in the Senate. (2024) source
• ImmigrationNo single answer fitsmedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted yes on SB 2-C (2025), which created a State Board of Immigration Enforcement, funded local cooperation with federal immigration agents and required local law enforcement to take part; it passed the House 85 to 30. (2025-02-13) source
  • Voted yes on SB 4-C (2025), which created state crimes for entering Florida after entering the country illegally and required those charged to be held without bond; it passed the House 85 to 29. (2025-02-13) source
• Religion in schoolsNo single answer fitslow

  Voted · low confidence

  • Voted yes on HB 931 (2024), which lets school districts choose to allow volunteer chaplains in schools; it passed the House 89 to 25. (2024-02-22) source
• Energy and climateNo single answer fitslow

  Voted · low confidence

  • Voted yes on HB 1645 (2024), a broad energy bill that removed most references to climate change from state law, banned offshore wind turbines, eased natural gas pipeline rules and ordered a study of advanced nuclear technology; it passed the House 81 to 29. (2024-03-07) source
• E-Verify mandateNo single answer fitslow

  Voted · low confidence

  • Voted yes on SB 1718 (2023), which required private employers with 25 or more workers to use E-Verify, created penalties for transporting people who entered the country illegally, and voided out of state driver licenses issued to people without legal status; it passed the House 83 to 36. (2023-05-02) source
• Nuclear powerNo single answer fitslow

  Official action · low confidence

  • Cosponsored HB 1461 (2026), which would have let the Public Service Commission regulate advanced nuclear reactors and set permit and laboratory certification rules; it died in the Senate. (2026) source

No public position found on: Safety net programs, Minimum wage, Business regulation, Healthcare, Housing and growth, Judges, Politicians trading stocks, Marijuana, Term limits, Campaign finance, Electoral College, Ranked-choice voting, Qualified immunity, Mandatory minimums, Drug prices, Childcare and pre-K, Paid leave, Student loans, AI regulation, School vaccines.