Fort Lauderdale, Florida - Oliver Larkin is running an ambitious campaign to represent Florida's new 25th Congressional District, but is the state's voters ready to support a Democratic Socialist?
On Tuesday, Larkin will face off in his primary election against incumbent Jared Moskowitz, whose seat representing the 23rd District was overhauled last year after Republicans redrew the state's maps.
While Larkin – a Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) endorsed candidate – has rapidly gained attention on the left and tons of endorsements from notable progressives, recent polls show he has an uphill battle to victory.
Five recent polls collected by The New York Times show Moskowitz ahead. One, however, had Democrat Debbie Wasserman Schultz leading.
Three of the polls show Moskowitz ahead of Larkin by more than 30 points.
According to Florida Phoenix, the new 25th District covers a coastal area running from Palm Beach County to Miami-Dade County. While the voter demographics are now slightly more diverse, the district leans Republican.
The two candidates have led very different campaigns, with Larkin standing on progressive ideals, such as Medicare for All, against Moskowitz's more moderate positions. Their biggest difference comes with Israel, as Larkin has called for cutting military funding to the country, while Moskowitz has established himself as a staunch supporter.
Democrats are hoping to grab the new seat ahead of the November midterms as they fight to take back the majority of the House and Senate currently held by Republicans in Washington DC.
Could Oliver Larkin pull off a win, despite low polling?
In recent weeks, a number of progressive candidates have managed to win major races across the country, including Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, Melat Kiros in Colorado, Chris Rabb in Pennsylvania, and Darializa Avila Chevalier and Claire Valdez in New York.
There has also been notable instances in which polling ahead of elections contradicted the finale or were way off. In his Michigan primary, El-Sayed held a commanding lead over his challenger Haley Stevens in nearly a dozen polls, with the highest being 19 points, but on election day he narrowly won by a point.
A poll ahead of Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong's primary found her 25 points ahead of her closest competitor, yet she ultimately lost by less than one point.