Attorney General
Florida's chief legal officer and a member of the Cabinet. Represents the state in court, issues legal opinions, enforces consumer-protection and antitrust laws, and runs the Office of Statewide Prosecution. Term: 4 years.
How we verified who is on the ballot
Third pass (Sept 17, 2026): verified against the Sumter County Supervisor of Elections' official 2026 General Election sample ballot, which lists James Uthmeier (REP) and Jose Javier Rodriguez (DEM) for Attorney General with no other candidates and no write-in line.
Sources: elections.sumtercountyfl.gov · files.floridados.gov
Candidates
James Uthmeier
James William Uthmeier was born Nov. 25, 1987, and grew up in Destin, attending Fort Walton Beach High School. He graduated from the University of Florida, where he competed in track and field, and from Georgetown University Law Center in 2014. He practiced at Jones Day, served as senior counsel and senior advisor at …
José Javier Rodríguez
Rodríguez is an attorney from Miami who served in the Florida House and then the Florida Senate before losing his Senate seat in 2020. He served in the Biden administration as U.S. Assistant Secretary of Labor. He launched his campaign for attorney general on June 2, 2025, saying he wants to be 'the people's lawyer,' …
Side-by-side on the major issues
AgreeDiffer a littleDiffer stronglyNot enough data· hover for details, click to jump to the row
Taxes & spendingProperty taxesProperty insuranceHousing affordabilityImmigrationAbortionGunsHealth careEducation & school choiceEnvironment & waterGrowth & developmentMarijuanaElections & votingCrime & policingGender identity lawsEnergy & utilitiesTrump administrationVeterans
Where the candidates in this race split, issue by issue.
Strongly agreesLeans agreeMixed / neutralLeans disagreeStrongly disagreesNo public position found
Each row is a statement. The chips show how each candidate's stated positions or record relate to that statement. Expand a row to read the evidence and sources. "No public position found" means we could not find a statement or record on the topic, not that the candidate has none.
| Issue | James Uthmeier Republican | José Javier Rodríguez Democratic |
|---|---|---|
| Taxes & spendingCutting taxes should be a top priority, even if it means less government spending on services. | No public position found | No public position found |
| Property taxesFlorida should eliminate or sharply reduce homestead property taxes, even if local governments must cut services or find other revenue. | Leans agree· stated position Uthmeier has said he supports Amendment 3, which would raise the homestead exemption to $250,000 by 2028, arguing the property-tax structure is 'anchored in the Constitution' and the change would let the Legislature make adjustments as needed. At the same time he said the proposal 'could certainly have been rolled out with greater transparency' and that sheriffs and law enforcement, who warned of revenue losses, should have been consulted. After a judge found the original ballot summary misleading, his office rewrote it and removed the 'full elimination' language. Sources: James Uthmeier says team is taking a 'hard look' at court d… (2026-08) · Does Florida AG Uthmeier dislike the property tax amendment… (2026-08-14) · Uthmeier rewrites property tax cut ballot summary (WGCU) (2026-08-14) · Florida AG revises property tax amendment language after ju… (2026-08-14) | No public position found |
| Property insuranceThe state should intervene more directly in the property-insurance market (rate caps, expanding Citizens, stricter insurer regulation) rather than relying mainly on market-based reforms. | No public position found | Leans agree· stated position Rodríguez says the attorney general should take on 'multimillion-dollar corporations, especially those in the insurance and utility industries,' go after fraud in property insurance and enforce consumer protections he says recent administrations have ignored. He has not been found to propose rate caps or expanding Citizens. |
| Housing affordabilityGovernment should do more to make housing affordable (subsidies, zoning changes, rent measures). | No public position found | No public position found |
| ImmigrationImmigration enforcement should be stricter, including large-scale deportation of people in the country illegally. | Strongly agrees· based on record As attorney general Uthmeier has made immigration enforcement a signature issue: Florida became the first state with all officers certified under ICE's 287(g) program, he threatened Orange County and Key West officials with removal from office for not honoring 287(g) agreements, he proposed the 'Alligator Alcatraz' Everglades detention facility, and he launched a program to support federal immigration officers. In June 2025 a federal judge held him in civil contempt for continuing to direct enforcement of a state immigration law she had blocked. Sources: Attorney General James Uthmeier Stands with Federal Immigra… · Florida attorney general threatens Orange County leaders ov… (2025-07-29) · James Uthmeier threatens Key West leaders with removal from… (2025-07) · Judge finds Florida AG in contempt for defying court order … (2025-06) · James Uthmeier campaign website (2026) | Leans disagree· based on record As a state senator Rodríguez voted against SB 168 (2019), which banned 'sanctuary' policies and required local agencies to support federal immigration enforcement. His 2026 campaign has not made immigration a stated priority. |
| AbortionAbortion should be legal in most cases (Florida's six-week ban should be repealed or loosened). | Strongly disagrees· based on record As DeSantis' chief of staff Uthmeier helped lead the effort that defeated 2024's Amendment 4, which would have repealed the six-week ban. As attorney general he filed a $354 million lawsuit against Planned Parenthood over advertising of abortion medication and intervened in a challenge to the FDA's approval of mifepristone. | Leans agree· based on record Voted against SB 404 (2020), which requires parental consent before a minor's abortion; he left the Senate before the 2022 and 2023 abortion limits and has not campaigned on the six-week law as a candidate for attorney general. |
| GunsGun laws should be stricter (keep the red-flag law and the age-21 purchase rule; expand background checks) rather than looser (permitless or open carry, lower purchase age). | Strongly disagrees· stated position Uthmeier has said the Parkland-era law barring 18-to-20-year-olds from buying firearms is unconstitutional and directed his office not to defend it if it reached the U.S. Supreme Court. After a September 2025 appellate ruling, he declared open carry 'the law of the state' and told police and prosecutors not to arrest people visibly carrying firearms. No statement on the red-flag law was found. | Leans agree· stated position Rodríguez lists addressing gun violence among his public-safety priorities. He acknowledges that state preemption limits local gun rules but says the attorney general can enforce liability laws, advocate safe storage and work with law enforcement on 'commonsense reforms.' No specific statement on the red-flag law, the age-21 purchase rule or open carry was found. |
| Health careGovernment should expand its role in health coverage (expand Medicaid in Florida, extend Affordable Care Act subsidies). | No public position found | Strongly agrees· based on record As a state senator repeatedly filed and supported bills to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. |
| Education & school choicePublic money should follow students to private, charter or home schools (universal school vouchers). | Leans agree· stated position Uthmeier's campaign biography says that as Gov. DeSantis' chief of staff he worked to expand school choice (the 2023 universal-voucher law passed during his tenure). As attorney general he has treated voucher eligibility as conditional on compliance with state law, warning Catholic schools that refusing religious vaccine exemptions could disqualify them from scholarships and asserting that vouchers to some Islamic schools violate state law. | No public position found |
| Environment & waterProtecting water quality, conservation land and climate resilience should take priority even if it slows development or raises costs. | Leans disagree· based on record Uthmeier proposed and defended the 'Alligator Alcatraz' detention site in the Everglades over lawsuits from conservation groups alleging harm to endangered species, and he subpoenaed the Environmental Law Institute's Climate Judiciary Project as an alleged 'climate cartel' under the state's deceptive-trade-practices law. No statement prioritizing conservation over development was found. | Leans agree· stated position Says he would use the office against polluters: 'If you're polluting the state with algae blooms, we're going to go after you.' He is endorsed by VoteWater and the Democratic Environmental Caucus of Florida. |
| Growth & developmentGrowth and development should be slowed or more tightly regulated (higher impact fees, density limits, stronger local control). | No public position found | No public position found |
| MarijuanaRecreational marijuana should be legal for adults. | Strongly disagrees· based on record Uthmeier led the political committee that campaigned against the 2024 recreational-marijuana amendment. As attorney general he urged the Florida Supreme Court to reject the 2026 Smart & Safe amendment as misleading and in conflict with federal law, and opened dozens of criminal investigations into the campaign's petition gathering. | No public position found |
| Elections & votingVoting should be made easier (mail voting, drop boxes, restoring voting rights) rather than adding new restrictions. | Leans disagree· based on record Uthmeier's election-related actions have focused on citizenship verification and enforcement: Florida joined Iowa, Indiana and Ohio in suing to restore access to the federal SAVE database for checking voter citizenship after a federal judge disabled it, and he announced felony charges against a Canadian permanent resident who registered and voted in Florida. No statement supporting expanded mail voting, drop boxes or rights restoration was found. | Strongly agrees· based on record Voted against SB 7066 (2019), which requires people with felony convictions to pay fines and fees before their voting rights are restored under Amendment 4. |
| Crime & policingCriminal penalties should be tougher and police funding increased, rather than emphasizing reform and rehabilitation. | Strongly agrees· based on record Uthmeier says prosecuting child predators is his No. 1 priority and has cited roughly 2,000 predator arrests during his tenure. He has pushed for the death penalty in several high-profile cases, says his office seeks 'the maximum penalty under the law,' and has proposed new criminal penalties for AI chatbot companies. The Governor and Cabinet approved $90 million in grants to local law enforcement for immigration enforcement. Sources: Florida Attorney General Uthmeier talks his priorities if e… (2026-02-28) · James Uthmeier Highlights 2,000 Child Predator Arrests in O… (2026-08) · Death penalty? AG James Uthmeier wants man accused of killi… (2026) · AG Uthmeier seeks new penalties for chatbot companies abett… (2026-09-09) | Leans agree· stated position Rodríguez frames public safety as one of his three priorities ('crime, costs and corruption'), saying he would support law enforcement, take on the fentanyl crisis, crack down on scammers and protect minors and vulnerable Floridians. He has not been found to address the trade-off between tougher penalties and rehabilitation directly. |
| Gender identity lawsFlorida's laws restricting gender-affirming care for minors and classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity should remain in place. | Strongly agrees· based on record Uthmeier sued the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, the Endocrine Society and the American Academy of Pediatrics over gender-affirming care for minors, created an Office of Parental Rights to enforce laws on gender transition, library materials and school surveys, and led a 21-state brief supporting a Tallahassee mother's parental-rights case at the U.S. Supreme Court. A federal judge in Chicago granted the AAP a preliminary injunction against him in June 2026. | No public position found |
| Energy & utilitiesGovernment should promote renewable energy and tighten oversight of utility rate increases, even at the expense of fossil-fuel production. | Leans disagree· based on record Unlike some prior Florida attorneys general, Uthmeier did not intervene before the Public Service Commission against Florida Power & Light's multibillion-dollar rate increase, and he led a multi-state coalition warning corporations about involvement with what he called anticompetitive environmental groups. No statement supporting renewable-energy promotion was found. | Leans agree· stated position Rodríguez publicly called on Attorney General Uthmeier to intervene against Florida Power & Light's roughly $6.9 billion, four-year rate increase before the Public Service Commission, noting past Republican attorneys general had intervened in utility rate cases, and says as attorney general he would 'expose abuses by monopolistic utilities like FPL.' No statement on renewable-energy promotion or fossil-fuel production was found. |
| Trump administrationI approve of the direction of the Trump administration. | Strongly agrees· stated position Uthmeier says he will champion an 'America-first agenda,' filed a 23-state amicus brief supporting President Trump's removal power in Trump v. Slaughter, and celebrated an appellate ruling as 'a win for Florida and President Trump's agenda.' Trump endorsed him in October 2025. | Strongly disagrees· stated position Served in the Biden administration as an Assistant Secretary of Labor and campaigns against the current administration's policies, including on immigration enforcement. Sources: José Javier Rodríguez campaign site |
| VeteransExpanding VA services and veterans' benefits should be a top priority. | No public position found | No public position found |
Where they sit on the map
Each candidate is placed by the average of their documented stances. It is a summary of the table above, not an extra judgment.
RepublicanDemocratic· photo or initials inside each bubble · hover or tap for details
Not enough documented positions to place: James Uthmeier
James UthmeierHow the axes are computed
Each axis is the average of a candidate's coded stances (+2 to −2) on a fixed set of statements, so it comes straight from the documented positions and nothing else. A candidate needs at least three documented statements on an axis to be placed.
Economic issues (toward "Smaller government (lower taxes, less spending)"): Taxes & spending (agree), Property taxes (agree), Health care (disagree), Housing affordability (disagree), Property insurance (disagree), Energy & utilities (disagree), Social Security & Medicare (disagree).
Social & legal issues (toward "Conservative side of the statements"): Immigration (agree), Abortion (disagree), Guns (disagree), Education & school choice (agree), Elections & voting (disagree), Crime & policing (agree), Gender identity laws (agree), Marijuana (disagree), Environment & water (disagree), Trump administration (agree).
| Candidate | Economic issues | Social & legal issues |
|---|---|---|
| James Uthmeier | not enough data | 1.70 (10 statements) |
| José Javier Rodríguez | -1.33 (3 statements) | -1.00 (7 statements) |
Other issues the candidates have raised
Priorities each candidate has brought up on their own, beyond the major-issue list above.
James Uthmeier
- Prosecuting child predators — Says continuing to go after child predators will remain his No. 1 priority if elected; cites roughly 2,000 arrests and a crackdown on social-media platforms used to exploit minors.
- China office and data protection — Opened an office focused on Chinese data threats; says more than a dozen companies are under investigation for devices (medical monitors, security cameras) that send personal data to China.
- Cartels, gangs and traffickers — Pledged at his swearing-in to 'fight back against the cartels, the gangs, and the traffickers' as part of an America-first agenda.
- Big Tech, AI chatbots and consumer protection — Launched a probe into OpenAI, proposed criminal penalties for chatbot companies that abet crimes, sued proxy advisory firms, and sued pharmacy benefit managers Prime Therapeutics and Express Scripts for alleged price fixing.
- Office of Parental Rights — Created a litigation team to take cases parents bring on gender transition, library materials and school surveys; warned Catholic schools that refusing religious vaccine exemptions could cost voucher eligibility and claimed vouchers to Islamic schools violate state law.
- Scam and fraud enforcement — Office secured court orders for more than $4 million against moving-broker scams and a judgment against MV Realty for deceptive homeowner contracts, and recovered funds from Universal Property & Casualty for the Hurricane Catastrophe Fund.
José Javier Rodríguez
- 'The people's lawyer' - crime, costs and corruption — Says he would refocus the attorney general's office on public safety, lowering costs for Floridians and fighting corruption, and 'root out' what he calls corrupt deal makers in Tallahassee.
- Standing up to big business for consumers — Says he will use the office to stand up for consumers against big business and 'fight for the little guy.'
- Fentanyl, scams and protecting minors — Lists taking on the fentanyl crisis, cracking down on scammers and protecting minors and 'Florida's most vulnerable' among his priorities.
- Utility rate oversight (FPL) — Called on the attorney general to intervene against FPL's $6.9 billion rate settlement and says he would use the office to challenge what he calls abuses by monopoly utilities.
- Property-insurance fraud and landlords — Says he would go after fraud in property insurance and 'unjust landlords' and enforce consumer-protection laws.
- Independence of the office — Campaigns on 'bringing independence back' to the attorney general's office from the governor, calling himself the 'people's lawyer' rather than the governor's.
- Protect seniors and veterans from exploitation — Priorities page pledges to 'protect seniors and veterans from exploitation and abuse' and to 'crack down on scammers targeting Florida families, renters or homeowners.'
- Check and balance on the governor — Says the attorney general should be 'a check and balance on the governor's administration' and 'a steady, professional enforcer of the law, not a political operation.'