US Midterms 2026
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John Rutherford, a Republican who has represented Florida's 5th congressional district since 2017 and earlier served as Duval County sheriff from 2003 to 2015, seeks re-election in 2026 against Democrat Rachel Grage.
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Florida has removed President Trump’s personal information from voter files after he cited a new law, with election officials also shielding registration details for about 10 Members of Congress, including Rep.
Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA-42) – B [...] Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) – A
The article from Armenian Directory & News reports that the ANCA (American n) endorses Congressional allies and grades members of Congress on their pro-Armenian stance.
Lawmakers emphasized that recruiting numbers show Florida has the capacity to expand.
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John Rutherford was born on September 2, 1952, in Omaha, Nebraska, while his father was serving with the U.S. Navy in Korea. His family moved to Jacksonville, Florida, in the 1950s, and he graduated from Nathan Bedford Forest High School in 1970. He earned an Associate of Science in criminology in 1972 from Florida State College at Jacksonville, then known as Florida Junior College, and a Bachelor of Science in criminology from Florida State University in 1974.
John Rutherford joined the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office in 1974 as a patrolman, was promoted to sergeant in 1980, and rose to the rank of captain, commanding units that included the Arson and Burglary divisions and the Police Academy. Sheriff Nat Glover appointed him director of corrections in 1995, with responsibility for the jail. He was elected Duval County sheriff in 2003 and held the post until 2015, completing 41 years with the agency.
In 2016 Rutherford ran for the open seat in what was then Florida's 4th congressional district, created by the retirement of Republican incumbent Ander Crenshaw.
He won the Republican primary with 38.7% of the vote and defeated Democrat David Bruderly, 70.2% to 27.6%, and he was re-elected in 2018, 2020 and 2022.
He joined the House Committee on Ethics in February 2021, and in the 118th Congress he served on the Committee on Appropriations, including its Subcommittee on Homeland Security. He is a member of the Republican Main Street Partnership and the Republican Governance Group.
Florida's 5th congressional district, which encompasses southeast Jacksonville and all of St. Johns County, is represented by John Rutherford, who was re-elected with 63.1% of the vote in 2024.
He is the Republican nominee for 2026, having faced a primary challenge from conservative podcaster and former radio host Mark Kaye. The Democratic nominee is Rachel Grage, who won the Democratic primary with 65.1% of the vote against software developer Alex Hazen and project manager Mark Heggestad.
Rutherford faces Grage in the general election on November 3, 2026.
