Republican incumbent John Rutherford is seeking his sixth term in Congress. He faces one challenger in the Republican primary, and there are three candidates in the Democratic primary.
The 5th Congressional District was redrawn by the state in 2022 and covers Duval County south and east of the St. Johns River and northern St. Johns County. The state’s 2026 congressional redistricting did not affect District 5.
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News4JAX sent a questionnaire to each candidate asking about their background and their views on several issues. Scroll down to read the responses of those seeking your vote -- in their own words.
Note: Responses are sorted alphabetically by party and are published exactly as submitted, with no editing by News4Jax staff.
| DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES |
Rachel Grage
Occupation: Biomedical Engineer
Age: 55
Family: My family reflects a deep commitment to service, learning, and creativity. I’m married to a physician who previously served as a medical officer in the U.S. Army, grounding their household in both medical expertise and military experience. Together we have four children whose paths span science, innovation, and global engagement: two are currently in medical school, one works as an Imagineer at Walt Disney World, and one is teaching English in Poland as a Fulbright recipient. Our family story highlights a shared dedication to education, curiosity, and contributing meaningfully to the world.
Education: Bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering, with a minor in dance, from Tulane University.
Political experience: I served as an elected president of my homeowner’s association and spent years researching, tracking, advocating and communicating about legislation impacting the lives of Florida families.
What do you see as the top three issues in this race, and how do you plan to address them?
I am deeply passionate about tackling the issues that impact our daily lives—starting with affordable housing and skyrocketing insurance costs, which are placing an immense burden on Florida families.
Public education is also a top priority for me. As a state, we rank near the bottom nationally in education funding, and our teachers and students deserve far better. I’m committed to increasing funding for our schools, raising teacher pay, and ensuring that every child in Florida has access to a world-class education.
Economic development that lifts everyone is key to building a prosperous future. We need to create opportunities for small businesses to thrive, while also fighting for equality and justice across all sectors of government.
How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?
What sets me apart is that I’m not approaching this race as a career politician or someone beholden to party insiders — I’m bringing a grassroots, community‑driven perspective shaped by real experience in the issues North Florida families face every day. I’ve spent years listening to parents, teachers, healthcare workers, small‑business owners, and military families, and I understand how disconnected Washington has become from the practical realities of people’s lives. Because I’m not tied to the political establishment, I can focus on common‑sense solutions instead of culture‑war distractions, and I can work across differences to get things done. My background in STEM, my work in community advocacy, and my family’s deep ties to medicine, military service, education, and innovation give me a broad, real‑world understanding of the challenges facing this district. I’m running to bring compassion, problem‑solving, and independence back to Congress — and that’s something voters won’t get from the usual political voices.
What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?
I want to be remembered for restoring something North Florida families haven’t felt in a long time: trust that their government is working for them again. My hope is that when people look back on my time in Congress, they’ll see real progress on the issues that shape their daily lives—lower healthcare and insurance costs, stronger protections for Medicare and Social Security, and a government that is finally transparent and accountable to the people instead of big-money interests.
Campaign website: rachelgrage.com
Campaign social media: Facebook | Instagram
Alex Hazen
Occupation: Principal Software Developer for Healthcare Education Simulations (Video Games for BSN nursing students)
Age: 29
Family: I am engaged to Haley, a fourth-generation Jacksonville native, and we plan to start a family here in Jacksonville.
I have one brother who is an ice skating coach and retired parents who live in Wilmington, Delaware.
Education: Bachelor of Science in Game Design and Development from Rochester Institute of Technology
Political experience: I haven’t held elected office, but I’m not new to politics or the political scene. A number of years ago I served as a co-president of an LGBTQIA+ advocacy group.
Within this congressional race we’ve had major successes politically. I testified before the Florida House Select Committee on Congressional Redistricting, the campaign qualified for the ballot by collecting 2,890 valid petitions (the most in our race), and earned the most endorsements of any other candidate. We know how to organize, show up, and how to create a strong platform that people can get behind.
What do you see as the top three issues in this race, and how do you plan to address them?
Affordability: Everyday Floridians can’t keep up with rising costs. I support expanding affordable healthcare access, including lowering the Medicare eligibility age. We deserve affordable healthcare for all. I’ll fight for smart infill housing development that doesn’t fuel Florida’s overdevelopment crisis. And I’ll push for real homeowner’s and auto insurance reform, because families in Florida pay for some of the highest premiums in the country while insurers keep raising rates and denying claims.
Institutional Reform: Our government no longer represents the people it serves. I support uncapping the House of Representatives so districts reflect actual population growth, term limits to end career politicians, and Supreme Court reforms including term limits for justices and stronger ethics enforcement. I’ll fight to get corporate dark money out of politics and rebuild a government that’s accountable to the people, not donors.
Tech Regulation: AI and social media are reshaping our society without real oversight. We need more people who understand technology in Congress. I support stronger worker protections so AI is used as a tool, not a replacement for people. I’ll push for common sense federal reforms banning social media’s addictive, deceptive design practices. And I support real oversight of hyperscale AI data centers straining Florida’s electrical grid and water, including usage disclosure and community input before they’re built.
How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?
I’m a young professional trying to start a family here in this community. My fiancé is a 4th generation Jacksonville native and we plan to start a family together here. We want to raise a 5th generation Jacksonvillian but everyday costs are making that dream, that reality, difficult.
Inflated costs of groceries, housing prices, and medicare costs: they all directly impact us. The issues that everyday Americans face aren’t theoretical. These issues are impacting me and the future I wish to build. I am the only candidate that works, that rents, and that understands the struggles that everyday people are going through.
I also understand technology. I work as a Simulation Developer. Knowledge of technology is important because emerging technology needs regulation (AI, social media, data protections, and flock cameras). We need young people who understand technology in congress.
What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?
The biggest issues I want to tackle for everyday people are common-sense tech regulation and healthcare reform.
For my legislative legacy, I want to be known as a main cosponsor or author of laws that make technology work for people, not against them. I also want to be remembered for proving that being young doesn’t mean you can’t make a real impact in your community and in the institutions that shape it.
Winning this race and serving in office would mean I’d be remembered not just as someone who helped flip a Republican seat, but as someone who brought real, meaningful change to people’s lives here in Northeast Florida through policy.
Campaign website: www.alexhazen.com
Campaign social media: Facebook | Instagram | Threads | TikTok | YouTube
Mark Heggestad
Occupation: I recently worked at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville as an IT project manager supporting rare disease research and clinical operations. In addition to my professional career, I have been a football official for more than forty years, working high school and college games as well as practices and training camps for the local professional team. Officiating has been a long-standing part of my life, and I’ve remained active in the sport through training, mentoring, and game administration.
Age: 61
Family: We live in the Mandarin area of Jacksonville with my wife, Darlene. Our family includes my stepson Michael, my stepdaughter Brianna, and my son Matthew, and we’ve built a close-knit household rooted in the community. I was born and raised in Dawson, Minnesota, where my early years shaped my work ethic and sense of responsibility. About ten years ago, we moved to Jacksonville, and our family has made Northeast Florida our home ever since, becoming deeply connected to the neighborhoods, church, and community life here.
Education: I hold two undergraduate degrees, one in Management Information Systems and one in Business Management. I am also a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and a certified Scrum Master, credentials that support my work in technology, operations, and team leadership.
Political experience: My professional experience includes many years as an IT project manager, where I’ve led complex initiatives, coordinated multidisciplinary teams, and worked within structured processes that require planning, accountability, and clear communication. I have also spent more than forty years as a football official, working high school and college games as well as practices and training camps for the local professional team. Officiating has required consistent rule interpretation, impartial decision‑making, conflict management, and maintaining order in fast‑moving situations.Together, these experiences have given me a strong foundation in process discipline, fairness, collaboration, and working within established systems — qualities that translate well to public service and the responsibilities of political office.
What do you see as the top three issues in this race, and how do you plan to address them?
Affordability
Affordability is a major concern for families across Northeast Florida and the country. Many people are working full‑time yet still struggle to cover basic expenses such as housing, utilities, food, transportation, and insurance. One part of this challenge is that wages have not kept pace with rising costs. Raising the minimum wage would help strengthen purchasing power so workers can reliably afford monthly essentials and have the ability to save. At the same time, lowering the cost of everyday necessities is critical to ensuring families aren’t forced to choose between basic needs. Improving affordability means creating conditions where people can live securely, plan for the future, and maintain a reasonable standard of living.
Restoring Trust in Government
Public confidence in government has weakened as people question whether institutions operate transparently, fairly, and within their intended roles. Restoring trust requires clear communication, accountability, and predictable processes. A key part of this involves ensuring that the three branches of government: legislative, executive, and judicial. To maintain proper checks and balances so no branch becomes overly dominant. When each branch functions within its constitutional responsibilities, oversight is stronger and decision‑making is more consistent. A balanced system reinforces fairness and helps people feel that government is working as designed.
Healthcare
Healthcare access and reliability remain central to community well‑being. Many individuals face high premiums, gaps in coverage, or the risk of losing insurance when changing jobs. A national healthcare plan that everyone can join would provide a stable, universal option that is not tied to employment. Such a plan could offer essential benefits, preventive care, primary care, mental health services, prescription coverage, and specialized treatment, while ensuring affordability so families can manage healthcare costs without financial strain. Detaching insurance from employers would allow people to switch jobs or pursue new opportunities without fear of losing coverage. Strengthening healthcare access in this way supports long‑term stability, better health outcomes, and greater economic mobility.
How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?
My background combines two disciplines that are rarely found together: decades of experience as a football official and a career in professional project management. As an official for more than forty years, I’ve spent my life studying rules, applying them consistently, and enforcing them impartially in fast‑moving, high‑pressure situations. Officiating requires diplomacy, calm communication, conflict management, and fairness. Skills that translate directly into working within structured systems and making decisions that people can trust.As a project manager, I’ve led diverse teams, defined complex problems, built clear plans, and driven those plans toward successful delivery. This work requires organization, accountability, collaboration, and the ability to bring people with different perspectives together around shared goals.These two experiences, rule‑based decision‑making and structured team leadership which give me a unique combination of skills that can help voters by bringing fairness, clarity, and disciplined problem‑solving to public responsibilities.
What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?
I would hope to be remembered for helping restore trust in government and strengthening the relationship between people and the institutions meant to serve them. Ensuring that government operates transparently, predictably, and with proper checks and balances is essential to rebuilding public confidence.I would also hope to contribute to advancing a national healthcare solution that every American can join, one that is affordable, comprehensive, and provides essential care and more. A system that is not tied to employment would allow people to change jobs or pursue new opportunities without risking their coverage. Creating a healthcare structure that families can rely on, and that people are proud of, would be a meaningful long‑term accomplishment.If my service could help move the country toward greater trust in its institutions and a stronger, more accessible healthcare system, those would be achievements worth being remembered for.
Campaign website: www.heggestadforcongress.com
Campaign social media: Facebook | Instagram
Mark Kaye
Occupation: Podcaster
Age: 51
Family: Wife and two kids.
Education: (No response)
Political experience: (No response)
What do you see as the top three issues in this race, and how do you plan to address them?
Term limits are a necessity.
Banning Congressional Stock Trading
Putting America First!
How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?
The other person running for the office is John Rutherford who has only helped himself.
What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?
Serving the people of North Florida loudly and boldly. Transparency and honesty. Working hard to push conservative, pro-America policies.
Campaign website: markkayeforcongress.com
Campaign social media: Facebook
John Rutherford
Occupation: Congressman representing Florida’s 5th Congressional District; former Jacksonville Sheriff and career law enforcement officer.
Age: 73
Family: Married to my High School sweetheart for 53 years, father, grandfather and member of Assumption Catholic Church
Education: Bachelor of Science in Criminology, Florida State University; Graduate of the FBI National Academy.
Political experience: I served three terms (12 years) as Sheriff of Jacksonville and for nine of those 12 years, served as the Legislative Chairman for the Florida Sheriffs Association Legislative Committee representing all 67 Florida Sheriffs. I was then elected to Congress in 2016. I am currently serving my fifth term representing Northeast Florida in the U.S. House of Representatives, where I serve on the House Appropriations Committee.
What do you see as the top three issues in this race, and how do you plan to address them?
First, securing our southern border and enforcing our immigration laws to keep our communities safe. Second, lowering the cost of living by cutting taxes, reducing government spending, and eliminating burdensome regulations that drive up the cost of everyday goods. Third, protecting Northeast Florida’s economy by supporting our military installations, investing in critical infrastructure, and ensuring veterans receive the care and benefits they have earned. I will continue fighting for these priorities in Congress while delivering real results for the people of our district.
How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?
My experience matters. I’ve spent more than 40 years serving this community - as a police officer, Sheriff, and now Congressman. I understand how government works at every level, and I have a proven record of delivering results. Whether it’s helping veterans navigate the VA, bringing federal resources back to Northeast Florida, or passing legislation to make our communities safer, I know how to get things done.
What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?
I hope to be remembered as someone who faithfully served Northeast Florida with integrity, protected our communities, stood up for conservative principles, and always put the people I represented first. If I’ve left our district safer, stronger, and better positioned for future generations, then I’ll consider my service a success.
Campaign website: johnrutherfordforcongress.com