Republican incumbent Chad Johnson is seeking re-election District 22, which covers western Alachua County and extends west to the Gulf Coast, including Gilchrist and Levy counties. He will face Democrat Amy Trask in the general election. Neither candidate faces any opposition in their party primaries.
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 published exactly as submitted, with no editing by News4JAX staff.
| DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE |
Amy Trask
Occupation: I’m currently, and mostly, now a homeschool mom. I take occasional freelance work in civil disagreement and in editing work, but it’s not a primary source of income. My day‑to‑day work is centered on raising my kids, supporting their education, and staying engaged in community‑focused policy conversations.
With that being said, without being paid for it, I am also a bill author. This last Session, I authored twelve pieces of legislation at the state and federal levels. Of those, two were introduced as Senate priority bills, and one was signed into law, the HAVEN Act.
I have two pieces of legislation being hopefully introduced in Washington in August.
Age: 33
Family: I’m a mom of two school-aged kids, and a seventh‑generation Floridian. My family’s roots run deep here- from my grandparents’ restaurant in LaBelle to the communities I’ve worked alongside across the state.
I also come from a long line of public servants. My grandfather served in the Florida Legislature and was Senate Pro Tempore. Before him, my three‑times‑great aunt, May Mann Jennings - known as the “Mother of Forestry”-fought for women’s rights, education, and environmental protection. Her husband served as Florida’s 18th Governor, and her father was a signer of the ratified Florida Constitution.
My husband and I are raising our children in the same Florida my family helped build, the same Florida we grew up in, and that’s a major part of why I’m running: I want them, and every family, to inherit a state that is stable, safe, and full of opportunity.
Education: (No response)
Political experience: I’ve spent years working in civic advocacy, legislative research, and community-driven policy development. I worked with Harvard Safra Center for Ethics for years in civil disagreement, and was even flown out to Washington, where I spoke at the Bipartisan Policy Center.
Whilst I have never officially held office, I ran last cycle and won the two rural counties (out of three total counties). I was also raised by folks who have held office, or served in the legislature. My grandfather was in the legislature and my father served as a Paige and a Legislative Aide. My upbringing was shaped by understanding how to communicate across differences, how to build sound policy, and how to translate complex legislation into everyday language. That foundation has guided my work ever since.
What do you see as the top three issues in this race, and how do you plan to address them?
Cost of Living, Healthcare, Infrastructure
Cost of Living: Families aren’t just struggling with traditional “cost of living”- they’re struggling with the cost of existence. Groceries, rent, insurance, utilities, childcare, transportation: the basics have become unpredictable and unaffordable. My focus is on stabilizing the systems that drive those costs. That includes strengthening insurance markets, expanding access to affordable housing, addressing childcare costs and expanding current resources, addressing supply‑chain pressures, and supporting policies that reduce everyday expenses for working families. The goal is long‑term stability, not temporary relief.
Healthcare: Healthcare in Florida is both a cost issue and an access issue. Too many families fall through gaps in coverage, especially in rural areas. I, myself, had an ACA subsidy that disappeared after the BBB, and now my own coverage went from $121 to $465 every month. I support expanding access to primary care, mental‑health services, OBGYN care, and preventive care; improving reimbursement structures; and reducing barriers that keep people from getting timely treatment. Healthcare should be accessible, affordable, and centered on dignity.
Infrastructure: Infrastructure is more than roads; it’s the backbone of community stability. Florida needs stronger home rule so local governments can respond to local needs without state interference. We also need modernized public‑safety systems, including domestic violence law reform, updated emergency‑response infrastructure, and serious investment in hurricane resilience. Infrastructure is how we protect people, strengthen communities, and prepare for the future.
I’d also like to an add a fourth issue: Education.
Education is the foundation of long‑term economic stability. Families need strong public schools, reliable transportation, mental‑health supports, and fully staffed classrooms. I support policies that strengthen teacher retention, expand paraprofessional support, improve IEP/504 services, and ensure schools are safe, inclusive environments where students can thrive.
How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?
I bring a lived understanding of how Florida’s systems fail families- not in theory, but in practice. I’ve navigated those systems myself as a former single mom and as a domestic violence survivor, and I’ve helped others do the same. I know what it feels like when insurance collapses, when healthcare is inaccessible, when housing is unstable, and when government seems more interested in headlines than solutions. My strength is translating real‑world experience into policy that is constitutional, durable, and actually workable for the people who need it most. I don’t approach issues as binaries or culture‑war talking points; I approach them as systems that must be fixed so families can thrive. That perspective- grounded in lived experience, policy expertise, and a commitment to practical solutions- is something I uniquely bring to this race.
What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?
I want to be remembered for making Florida more stable for families- for introducing unique or new ways to help lower the cost of living, strengthen healthcare access, and protect our environment, and for helping to rebuild the systems people rely on. I want to be known as someone who didn’t shy away from hard problems, who listened, who learned, and who fought for solutions that were both effective and constitutional.
Even before holding office, I’ve already done the work of a legislator: I wrote twelve bills, including two federal pieces, two Senate priorities, and authored a bill that became law, the HAVEN Act. I brought lawmakers from both sides of the aisle together on nearly all of those bills, and I built a statewide system for domestic‑violence response that is now undergoing its feasibility study to begin the building blocks of shaping how Florida protects survivors. That’s the kind of work I want to continue- identifying gaps, building systems, and creating durable solutions that actually help people.
I want to be remembered as someone who didn’t sit quietly when there was injustice or inequity. When something is broken, I stand up, I speak up, and I don’t sit down until there’s change. My background allows me to uniquely see where systems fail and how to fix them, and I hope my time in office reflects that: not just in policy, but in the lives of the families who finally feel seen, supported, and safe.
And personally, I want my kids to be able to say that when things were broken, I didn’t look away- I stepped up and did something about it.
Campaign website: amytraskforflorida.com
Campaign social media: Facebook | Instagram | TikTok
Chad Johnson
Campaign website: www.johnsonforflorida.com
Campaign social media: Facebook | X
The Republican incumbent, first elected in 2024, 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.