Two Democrats are challenging Republican incumbent Greg Steube. We begin with Matt Montavon.
By Johannes Werner
Original Air Date: May 8, 2026
Host: Congressional District 17 covers most of Sarasota County, all of Charlotte County, and parts of Lee County. The area has been represented by Greg Steube in the U.S. House since 2019, and he easily sailed through re-election three times. This time, he is again being challenged by two Democrats—Matt Montavon and Allen Spence. We begin with Matt Montavon.
Johannes Werner: Matt Montavon is retired and living in suburban Sarasota. He worked in local government planning and in the United Nations’ World Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome, helping to run a department with a $50 million budget. Montavon has been a consistent presence in the local Democratic Party, including the Hispanic Caucus. He also co-founded the Suncoast Immigration Justice Coalition, an organization that represents the interests of immigrants.
This is his second try to unseat the Trump-endorsed candidate Greg Steube. Last time, he lost in the primary with 40% of the Democratic vote.
Matt Montavon puts affordability at the top of his priorities:
Matt Montavon
Matt Montavon: We have a situation where there’s a large segment of the population that just doesn’t feel like they’re making it. There are statistics that show that, in this district, 47% of the people are not making enough to meet their daily living expenses. Restoring our faith in our government. We’ve seen quite a number of situations where we don’t trust our government. We see that there’s a lot of corruption, abuse, incompetence; there’s wars that have started without the consent of the American people or the consent of Congress. There are policies that have been put in place that are hurting people directly such as cuts to SNAP, reductions in Medicaid, restrictions on other public benefits. Our democracy’s not working, and we seem to have people in Congress who are mostly looking after the rich.
JW: When asked about specific policies, Montavon brings up universal healthcare. He would prefer a “government-supported single-payer kind of operation” but says he is open to private options. In considering other ways of lowering the cost of living and saving essential federal programs for working people: He says sending the U.S. military to war is expensive, and Congress should end tax breaks for the super-rich. He also wants to support federal programs that support affordable housing and daycare.
Montavon is an advocate for immigrants. He posits that we need “some enforcement at the border.” But he does not agree with ostracizing and deporting people, including children, who have lived in the United States for a long time.
MM: We’ve seen the abuses in immigration. A lot of people who have no criminal background—have a civil violation—they’re being arrested and thrown into these horrible detention centers where there’s abuse, people being locked up, the bad food, lack of medicine, lack of access to family members and to lawyers. These items are just cruel. It’s not what we are as Americans.
JW: Montavon says ICE, the federal immigration enforcement agency, needs to fundamentally change, and if it can’t change, then it has to go.
MM: ICE should be dramatically reformed, and if it can’t be, it should be abolished.
JW: He also advocates for investigations into alleged corruption by Trump and his family. The ultimate goal: Impeachment.
How can he win against an entrenched incumbent?
“I have to work my butt off,” he says, and improve his social media game.
JW: Reporting for WSLR News, Johannes Werner.
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