The Republican incumbent, James Uthmeier, was appointed as attorney general by Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2025, after the governor named Ashley Moody to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Marco Rubio, when Rubio became President Trump’s Secretary of State. Uthmeier is now seeking a full four-year term. The only other candidate in the race is Democrat Jose Javier Rodriguez. As both are unopposed in their party primaries, this race will first appear on the ballot in November for the general election.
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.
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Note: Responses are sorted alphabetically by party and are presented exactly as submitted, with no editing by News4JAX staff.
| DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE |
Jose Javier Rodriguez
Occupation: Workers’ rights attorney
Age: 47
Family: Wife and two kids
Education: Brown University, B.A.
Harvard Law School, J.D.
Political experience: Former Florida State Senator; former Florida State Representative; former Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of Labor.
What do you see as the top three issues in this race, and how do you plan to address them?
The top three issues are crime, costs and corruption. Florida families are getting squeezed by rising insurance, housing, utility, and grocery costs while powerful interests keep winning in Tallahassee, enabled by corruption and a lack of accountability at the top.
As Attorney General, I will protect communities from dangerous people and organizations and will provide police and prosecutors the support they need as partners in that work; will go after scams, fraud, price gouging, wage theft, and corporate abuse; and will take on corruption when powerful interests put their profits ahead of Floridians.
How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?
Unlike my opponent, I have a record of actually fighting for people — and I know how to use the law to help Floridians when they are being cheated, exploited, or ignored.
As a workers’ rights attorney, I represent workers who have been cheated and mistreated. As a legislator, I took on powerful special interests directly, including electric companies. That is the kind of fight the Attorney General’s office should be picking, instead of chasing headlines, playing to Washington, or using the office as a political weapon.
What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?
I hope to be remembered for restoring the Attorney General’s office to its core mission: being the People’s Lawyer and fighting for the people of Florida.
That means keeping communities safe, lowering costs for families and small businesses, holding powerful interests accountable and taking on corruption in Tallahassee. Most of all, I want Floridians to know that when they are cheated, exploited or taken advantage of, their Attorney General is on their side.
Campaign website: www.jjr.vote
Campaign social media: Facebook | X | Instagram
| REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE |
James Uthmeier
Campaign website: jamesforfl.com
Campaign social media: X
The Republican incumbent, appointed in 2025, has not responded to email and telephone invitations to complete the News4JAX candidate questionnaire. If responses are received, they will be promptly posted in this space.