Alexis Calatayud seeks re-election to Florida Senate District 38

Republican Alexis Maria Calatayud is running for re-election to the Florida State Senate in District 38. The seat covers parts of southeast Miami-Dade County, including portions of the Coral Gables area.

Calatayud faces two opponents in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election: Richard Lamondin Jr., a Democrat, and Jeffrey Solomon, who has no party preference. All three candidates are certified for the ballot, according to BallotReady.

Candidate information

Party: Republican
Office sought: Florida State Senate, District 38
Birthplace: Miami, Florida, according to her Florida Senate biography
Education: Bachelor's degree in political science, Florida International University (2016), according to BallotReady
Religion: Nondenominational Christian, according to her Florida Senate biography
Family: Calatayud describes herself as the granddaughter of Cuban political asylum seekers, according to her campaign website

Experience and public service

Calatayud has represented Senate District 38 since 2022, according to BallotReady. Florida Politics reported she describes herself as a "lifelong Republican."

In the Senate, Calatayud says she chairs the Education Postsecondary Committee and serves as vice chair of the Education Pre-K–12 Committee, according to her campaign website.

Before entering the Senate, Calatayud worked in several government and political roles. She served as director of policy and programs at the Florida Department of Education from 2021 to 2022 and as director of legislative affairs at the same department from 2020 to 2021, according to BallotReady.

She worked as a legislative aide in the Florida House of Representatives from 2018 to 2020. She managed Vance Aloupis's state representative campaigns in 2018 and 2020 and Andrew Vargas's state representative campaign in 2018, according to BallotReady.

She interned in the office of Sen. Marco Rubio, according to Wikipedia, and worked in the office of Gov. Jeb Bush, according to Florida Politics.

BallotReady lists Calatayud as public policy and community engagement lead at the Early Learning Coalition of Miami-Dade/Monroe from 2023 to the present.

Her board service includes serving as a full-voting member of the board of trustees at Florida International University, according to her Senate biography. She has served as a trustee of the Jackson Memorial Health System Public Health Trust, according to her campaign website.

Calatayud completed a public leadership credential at Harvard University in 2022, according to Florida Politics. She was a fellow at the National Campus Leadership Council and served as president of the Florida International University Student Government Association, according to Wikipedia and her Senate biography.

She says she has trained over 500 university student leaders on higher education affordability issues, according to her campaign website.

On the issues

Education: Calatayud says she advocates for strong public schools, parental choice and early learning. She says she has championed school safety, $150 million in reading initiatives, $400 million in teacher salary increases and legislation to expand parental choice, according to her campaign website.

Housing and cost of living: Calatayud says she supports lower costs of living and attainable housing. She says she funded the $250 million Hometown Hero down payment assistance program, which offers $35,000 at 0% interest to first-time homebuyers, according to her campaign website.

Childcare: Calatayud says she secured funding for low-cost childcare expansion. She says more than 3,000 Miami families have lowered their childcare costs over three years, according to her campaign website.

Environment: Calatayud says she preserved Miami-Dade County local control on the urban development boundary to protect the Everglades and the water supply, according to her campaign website.

Abortion: Calatayud has at times voted with Democrats, including in opposing the state's six-week abortion ban, according to the Florida Phoenix voter guide.

Endorsements

Calatayud says she was honored by The Children's Trust for excellence in advocacy on behalf of Miami's children and families, according to her campaign website.