Democratic voters chose him over Allen Spence to oppose incumbent Greg Steube this November.
By Ramon Lopez
Original Air Date: August 20, 2026
Host: Democratic voters picked Matt Montavon to be the one to try to oust Greg Steube from his congressional seat. WSLR News reporter Ramon Lopez took Montavon’s pulse after his primary victory.
Ramon Lopez: Fresh off his win over Allen Spence in Tuesday’s Congressional District 17 primary, Democrat Matthew Montavon is gearing up to go head-to-head with incumbent Republican U.S. Representative Greg Steube who ran unopposed.
We found Montavon that night at Sarasota’s Tamiami Tap bar over a cold one. Other Sarasota Democratic Party stalwarts were at the watch party, including Chairman David Dean and Julie London, who is running against Republican Jim DeNiro in the November 3 general election. The retired cop on Tuesday defeated incumbent first-term District 4 Sarasota County Commissioner Joe Neunder.
Montavon got nearly 55% of the votes. He was confident of a win over Spence.
Matthew Montavon
Matthew Montavon: I thought I could win because I did have the experience. I’ve been in government. I’ve been in community. People know me here and there because of what I’ve done locally. I think people appreciated who I am. They’ve seen who I am. They know that I’m honest—that I’m committed.
RL: Steube, a 48 year old politician and lawyer, has represented the solid GOP district since 2018 where he easily sailed through re-election three times. The local boy with rural roots is an Army vet and gun rights advocate. District 17 includes all of Charlotte and parts of Sarasota and Lee counties.
Montavon, on the other hand, is from Indiana, spent two years in the Peace Corps, then 27 years with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. He’s retired and lives in suburban Sarasota.
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 Steube. Last time, he lost in the primary with 40% of the Democratic vote.
Montavon is confident of his chances to unseat Steube this go-around.
MM: He’s tied to Trump. He’s very unpopular. The economic policies are unpopular. The fact that they’re not listening to the people. They’re cutting programs and hurting people economically. They’re sending us off to a crazy war in Iran that has no end. They’re implementing tariffs that are hurting businesses. I think they’re hurting people across the board, and people want a change.
He’s just a Trump stooge, and Trump is not popular. I think that, frequently, the midterm is a referendum on the President and on the administration, and this Congress has been useless in terms of implementing policies that will really benefit the country. They’ve basically surrendered their authority to the President, and I don’t think people appreciate that.
Matt Montavon and Allen Spence
RL: Montavon says Spence will now back his campaign against Steube.
MM: He recently called me to congratulate me. He sees the importance of defeating Steube and that he would help me in any way he can.
RL: On the campaign trail, Ramon Lopez for WSLR News.
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