Austin Rogers
Austin Rogers graduated from Mosley High School in Bay County, played college soccer, and earned a law degree from Duke University as well as theology degrees from Duke and Wheaton College (Florida Politics). He served as chief counsel for Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans and as general counsel to Sen. Rick Scott (The Hill; Florida Politics). He won the Aug. 18, 2026 Republican primary in the open 2nd District with 30.47% of the vote in a large field, ahead of Keith Gross (16.39%), Republican Party of Florida Chair Evan Power (15.78%) and Luke Murphy (15.36%), and faces Democrat Amanda Marie Green in November.
How they got on the ballot: Won Aug 18, 2026 Republican primary with 30.47% over Keith Gross (16.39%), Evan Power (15.78%), Luke Murphy (15.36%) and others (WFSU: https://news.wfsu.org/2026-election-coverage/2026-08-18/austin-rogers-secures-republican-nomination-for-district-two-congressional-seat ; Florida Politics: https://floridapolitics.com/archives/814735-austin-rogers-emerges-as-republican-nominee-to-succeed-neal-dunn-in-congress/ ; Florida's Voice: https://flvoicenews.com/austin-rogers-wins-republican-nomination-for-floridas-2nd-congressional-district/)
Campaign finance (FEC filings through 10/14/2026): raised $1,359,852, spent $1,261,557, cash on hand $98,295; $800,465 from individual donors, $184,000 from PACs, $375,000 from the candidate. FEC filings ↗
Sources last checked 2026-09-18. Report an error ↗
Positions on the major issues
Compare with opponents →Each entry describes what the candidate has said or done, and what they say they will do, in neutral terms with sources. The chip shows how that relates to the statement voters rate in the matching tool.
Immigration Strongly agrees· stated position
Pledges to secure the border.
"secure the border"
Guns Strongly disagrees· stated position
Says every American has a constitutional right to keep and bear arms and that he will be 'a strong and unwavering defender of the Second Amendment in Congress.'
"a strong and unwavering defender of the Second Amendment"
Crime & policing Leans agree· stated position
Pledges to back law enforcement and the military.
"back law enforcement and the military"
Trump administration Strongly agrees· stated position
Promises to be a strong, reliable vote for President Trump's America First agenda.
"a strong, reliable vote for President Donald Trump's America First agenda"
Veterans Leans agree· stated position
Says veterans 'gave much to protect our country' and that he will fight to ensure service members receive the funding, equipment and support they need; specifics on VA benefits were not found.
No public position found on 12 issues
We searched campaign sites, questionnaires, interviews, votes and official actions and did not find a clear stance on: Taxes & spending, Housing affordability, Abortion, Health care, Social Security & Medicare, Education & school choice, Environment & water, Elections & voting, Gender identity laws, Energy & utilities, Tariffs & trade, Ukraine. This is reported as unknown rather than guessed from party affiliation; these issues are excluded from this candidate's match score.
Other issues this candidate has raised
- Support for military and law enforcement — Lists fighting 'for our military and law enforcement' among his core campaign planks; his father is a retired Air Force fighter pilot who trains at Tyndall AFB.
- Business and economy — Says he will work to 'strengthen American businesses' and put 'Florida families and America first.'Sources: Austin Rogers for Florida: Issues
- Values and faith — Campaign says it will 'stop the radical left's assault on our values'; aired a Panhandle TV ad focused on his faith.
- Agreed to a general-election debate with Amanda Green — Rogers told WJHG that he has agreed to debate Green, with the campaigns still working out details for a debate expected in late October, and said he would like the debate to cover the cost of living, wasteful spending, money spent abroad, and newer issues including artificial intelligence, data centers and Flock surveillance cameras.
- Child safety and Chinese surrogacy — Rogers said his top day-one priority is passing the Safe Kids Act on Chinese surrogacy, which he called "a massive national security issue. It's a massive human trafficking issue." He also supports expanding health savings accounts and interstate insurance shopping.
Record: votes, actions and documented facts
- Florida Politics reported questions in September 2026 about whether his family still lives in Washington, D.C., where he worked as a Senate staffer.
- Raised more than $550,000 within two weeks of launching his campaign, per his campaign.
Endorsements (as reported)
- House Majority Leader Steve Scalise
- House Majority Whip Tom Emmer; Chief Deputy Whip Guy Reschenthaler; Rep. Jim Jordan; Rep. Greg Steube
- A Bay County clerk and a retired three-star general (per Florida Politics)
- President Donald Trump (Truth Social, Sept. 1, 2026)
- U.S. Chamber of Commerce