Republican Rep. Neal Dunn announced Tuesday that he would not seek a sixth term this year, opening up a red-leaning North Florida seat based in Tallahassee. Dunn, a urologist and former Army surgeon, is the eighth House Republican to announce retirement plans in 2026, while 18 others are departing to seek other offices. “The time has come to pass the torch to new conservative leaders, return home to Panama City, and spend more precious time with my family and our beloved grandchildren,” Dunn said in a statement. Dunn was first elected to Florida’s 2nd District in 2016 after redistricting transformed what had been a battleground seat into a safe Republican one. Republicans will be strongly favored to hold the Panhandle district. Dunn won a fifth term in 2024 by 23 points, while district voters backed Donald Trump by 18 points, according to calculations by Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales. A member of the GOP Doctors Caucus, Dunn is a senior member of the Energy and Commerce Committee — which has significant influence over health care policy — and was named the panel’s vice chair in July 2025. The Army veteran served two terms on the Veterans Affairs’ Committee and chaired its subcommittee on veterans health issues. He also sits on the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. "It has been my greatest honor to fight for lower taxes, our military and veterans, the unborn, healthcare innovation, and policies that empower Americans over bureaucracy and addressing threats from Communist China, Russia and others,” his statement read. Throughout his congressional tenure, Dunn has consistently criticized the 2010 Affordable Care Act. He has also led nuts-and-bolts bills, ranging from streamlining the reimbursement process for radiologic diagnostic screenings to a bipartisan effort with Illinois Democrat Danny K. Davis to revamp treatments for Medicaid patients with sickle cell anemia. Dunn has also remained active in promoting his state’s interests, backing measures by members of the Florida delegation on issues such as disaster relief for fisheries and support for the nation's space program. In 2024, President Joe Biden signed into law a bill led by Dunn, Florida Democrat Darren Soto, and Missouri GOP Sen. Eric Schmitt that created a new framework for allocating certain frequencies for commercial space flight.
