U.S. House, District 5
Represents Florida's 5th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives; votes on federal laws and spending. Term: 2 years.
Partly verified. Either the November opponent could not be confirmed from available sources, or only a few positions are documented. Confirm the full candidate list on your county sample ballot; unknown positions are shown as such.
How we verified who is on the ballot
UPDATE (Sept 2026 research pass): Rutherford won the Aug. 18, 2026 Republican primary with about 67.7% to 32.3% for challenger Mark Kaye, per a NewsForce post on X citing results ; Ballotpedia's primary page lists the contest ). The percentage comes from a social-media post and should be confirmed against the Florida Division of Elections. Both Trump-endorsement roundups also list Rutherford as a primary winner . Action News Jax/AP reports Rachel Grage won the Aug. 18, 2026 Democratic nomination in the 5th District . The result of the Republican primary among incumbent John Rutherford, Mark Kaye and Donald Muirheid (Ballotpedia roster: was NOT found in searches run for this guide; Rutherford is listed below as the incumbent primary candidate with his nomination unconfirmed. NPA/write-in candidates not confirmed. Florida's Legislature passed a new congressional map in the April 2026 special session (Senate vote 21-17 on April 29, 2026) and the Florida Supreme Court on June 10, 2026 declined (6-1) to block it, so the new district lines apply to the Nov. 3, 2026 election; litigation on the merits continues. ; ; County list reflects pre-2026 district boundaries unless a 2026 source is cited; boundaries changed under the April 2026 map and the exact new county composition was not confirmed in searches run for this guide.
Candidates
John Rutherford
John Rutherford, a former Jacksonville sheriff, has served in the U.S. House since 2017. He won the Aug. 18, 2026 Republican primary with about 68% over radio host Mark Kaye, per results posted by NewsForce on X (to be confirmed with the Division of Elections). He was endorsed by President Trump for 2026 and voted for…
Rachel Grage
Rachel Grage was born in Oswego, N.Y., and earned bachelor's and master's degrees in engineering from Tulane University; she has worked as a biomedical engineer researching biomechanics, cardiac interventions and therapies for children with cerebral palsy (Ballotpedia; campaign site). She ran for Florida House Distric…
Side-by-side on the major issues
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 | John Rutherford Republican | Rachel Grage Democratic |
|---|---|---|
| Taxes & spendingCutting taxes should be a top priority, even if it means less government spending on services. | Strongly agrees· based on record Voted for H.R. 1 (One Big Beautiful Bill Act) in 2025, which extended the 2017 individual tax cuts and created new deductions (tips, overtime) while reducing projected federal spending on Medicaid and SNAP. His statement said the bill gives Americans 'a much-needed tax break' and 'historic tax relief for seniors'; his site maintains a 'Tax Cuts for Working Americans' page. | No public position found |
| 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 Voted for the Laken Riley Act (Jan. 2025) and for H.R. 1, which he said would deliver on 'permanently closing the Southern Border'; has issued statements supporting Homeland Security appropriations and a CR to end a DHS shutdown. Sources: Congress.gov: S. 5 - Laken Riley Act (119th Congress) (2025-01-29) · House Clerk: Roll Call 23 (Jan. 22, 2025) - passage of S. 5… (2025-01-22) · Rep. Rutherford press release: Statement on Passing the One… (2025-07-03) · Rep. Rutherford official site: Immigration issue page · Rep. Rutherford press release: Statement on FY25 Homeland S… (2024) · Rep. Rutherford press release: Statement on CR to End DHS S… (2026) | Mixed / neutral· stated position Supports 'securing the border through smart, efficient enforcement' while maintaining 'a fair and humane immigration system that respects due process'; no position on large-scale deportation was found. Sources: Ballotpedia: Rachel Grage |
| AbortionAbortion should be legal in most cases (Florida's six-week ban should be repealed or loosened). | Leans disagree· based on record His statement on the FY2026 appropriations bills highlighted provisions to 'defund abortion-related travel' at the Department of War; Reproductive Freedom for All's scorecard tracks his votes as opposing abortion access. A statement on Florida's six-week ban was not found. | Strongly agrees· stated position Supports protecting access to reproductive health care including abortion; Ballotpedia lists her as legislative chair of Jacksonville NOW, which backs allowing abortion before viability and exceptions to six-week bans. Florida Choice Tracker lists her as pro-choice. |
| 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). | No public position found | No public position found |
| Health careGovernment should expand its role in health coverage (expand Medicaid in Florida, extend Affordable Care Act subsidies). | Leans disagree· based on record Voted for H.R. 1 (2025), which added Medicaid work-reporting requirements and other eligibility changes and did not extend the enhanced ACA premium subsidies; the vote is coded as leaning against expanding the federal role in coverage. | Leans agree· stated position Says she will work to keep premiums and prescription costs affordable and 'maintain federal cost-sharing supports'; an explicit position on Medicaid expansion was not found. |
| Social Security & MedicareSocial Security and Medicare benefits must be protected from any cuts, even if that requires more revenue. | No public position found | Strongly agrees· stated position Platform highlights 'protecting Medicare and Social Security' and defending the programs so Americans are not priced out of basic care. |
| Education & school choicePublic money should follow students to private, charter or home schools (universal school vouchers). | No public position found | No public position found |
| Environment & waterProtecting water quality, conservation land and climate resilience should take priority even if it slows development or raises costs. | No public position found | Leans agree· stated position Campaign priorities include defending coastal ecosystems, disaster resilience and addressing climate impacts that she says leave families and seniors vulnerable. |
| Elections & votingVoting should be made easier (mail voting, drop boxes, restoring voting rights) rather than adding new restrictions. | Leans disagree· based on record Voted for H.R. 22, the SAVE Act (April 2025), which would require documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections; coded as supporting a new voting requirement rather than easing access. | No public position found |
| Crime & policingCriminal penalties should be tougher and police funding increased, rather than emphasizing reform and rehabilitation. | No public position found | No public position found |
| Gender identity lawsFlorida's laws restricting gender-affirming care for minors and classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity should remain in place. | No public position found | 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. | Strongly disagrees· based on record Voted for H.R. 1 (2025), which phased out most Inflation Reduction Act clean-energy tax credits and expanded oil and gas leasing. | No public position found |
| Tariffs & tradeTariffs on imported goods are good for the American economy. | No public position found | No public position found |
| UkraineThe U.S. should continue military aid to Ukraine. | Leans disagree· based on record What The Vote records him voting 'No' on a 2026 measure authorizing additional Ukraine aid including up to $8 billion in military assistance via loans; he was not among the 18 House Republicans listed as voting for the June 4, 2026 Ukraine aid bill. | No public position found |
| Trump administrationI approve of the direction of the Trump administration. | Strongly agrees· stated position Endorsed by President Trump for 2026; his statements describe H.R. 1 as 'delivering on promises made by President Trump' and he issued a statement supporting the administration's February 2026 Operation Epic Fury against Iran. | No public position found |
| 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.
Rachel GrageHow 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 |
|---|---|---|
| John Rutherford | 1.67 (3 statements) | 1.50 (4 statements) |
| Rachel Grage | not enough data | -1.00 (3 statements) |
Other issues the candidates have raised
Priorities each candidate has brought up on their own, beyond the major-issue list above.
John Rutherford
- FY2026 appropriations — Voted for the final four full-year FY2026 funding bills, which he said fund combat-ready forces, a secure border, education and health systems and transportation.
- Operation Epic Fury (Iran) — Issued a February 2026 statement supporting U.S. military operations against Iran, citing the regime's terrorism sponsorship and nuclear program.
- DHS funding — Supported a continuing resolution to end a Department of Homeland Security shutdown and the FY25 Homeland Security appropriations bill.
- Congressional reform — Maintains an official 'Congress' issue page on his site.
Rachel Grage
- Home insurance stabilization — Lists stabilizing home insurance among her affordability priorities.Sources: Rachel Grage for Congress: Issues
- Government accountability and campaign-finance transparency — Platform includes accountability and campaign-finance transparency; published a Substack post questioning Rep. Rutherford's answers at a Fleet Landing event.
- Prescription drug costs — Would work to keep prescription costs affordable.Sources: Rachel Grage for Congress: Issues
- Equality under the law — Lists ensuring equality under the law among her focuses; affiliated with Equality Florida, Catholic Charities and the Democratic Women's Club of Florida.Sources: Ballotpedia: Rachel Grage