Redistricting brings 8 candidates for 2 Northeast Florida congressional seats
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A mix of political veterans and newcomers are running for two Northeast Florida congressional seats in the first election since redistricting changed boundaries in a shake-up that could have national ramifications for control of Congress.
The 4th Congressional District now covers all of Nassau and Clay counties along with a large portion of Duval County to the west and north of the St. Johns River. That seat is wide open with no incumbent on the ballot.
In the 5th Congressional District, U.S. Rep. John Rutherford, R-Jacksonville, faces two challengers in this month's GOP primary for another two-year term in the district that covers Duval County east and south of the St. Johns River and most of St. Johns County. No Democrat has filed for that seat.
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The newly drawn 4th District won't have a winner until November because it has three candidates running in the Republican Party primary and two in the Democratic primary.
The winner of each primary on Aug. 23 will advance to the general election that will determine whether redistricting flips what had been a Democratic seat for decades to the Republican side, an outcome that will help decide which party controls the House when it gavels into session in January.
U.S. Rep. Al Lawson, D-Tallahassee, had represented Jacksonville in an east-west district that extended from part of Jacksonville to the Tallahassee area. But redistricting by the state Legislature and Gov. Ron DeSantis wiped out that district and replaced it with the new Northeast Florida district.
On the campaign trail, the cost of living for everything from gas to rent to home mortgages is the single-most common concern candidates are hearing from voters.
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The Democratic Party primary pits Tony Hill, a former state senator who had been a top legislative aide for Lawson, against LaShonda "L.J." Holloway, who is making her third run since 2016 for the U.S. House of Representatives.
Hill and Holloway, both hailing from Jacksonville, point to their work in government preparing them to assist residents of the district.
"We need to have people in office who understand not only the needs of the people, but who also understand Washington," Holloway said.
Holloway, 52, worked in the congressional office of Florida Congresswoman Carrie Meeks in the late 1990s and at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Hill, 64, served in the state House of Representatives from 1992 to 2000 and in the state Senate from 2002 to June 2011. He then worked as the federal policy director in the administration of Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown and then as an aide in Lawson's congressional office.
He said he knows how to connect people with federal assistance so there won't be a loss of that constituent service when a new representative takes office in the district.
"I'm a connector," he said. "I want to connect people, not correct people."
Three top issues for Hill are the economy and "making sure we have our hands wrapped around this inflation." He said expanding Jacksonville's port will help bring in more goods to catch up with demand that is driving up prices.
He said he will fight to continue subsidies for affordable health care. "If a criminal has a right to an attorney, then I think our seniors should have a right to see a doctor," he said.
In education, he said there should be nationwide pre-kindergarten programs with no family income restrictions. He said he will "be in the president's ear to tell him 'no more student debt'" for college.
"If we can give Ukraine $53 billion, we can do away with student debt," he said.
Three top issues for Holloway are the economy, reproductive rights, and affordable housing.
Holloway, who is a health care advocate and civil mediator, said she supports raising the federal minimum wage. "They definitely need higher-paying jobs because gas is going up and groceries are going up," she said.
She said as the only woman in the race for the 4th District, she is asked often about reproductive rights. She said she would support a federal law protecting access to abortion by codifying the Roe vs. Wade ruling.
"Absolutely, I will do the will of the people," she said. "I believe in the fundamental right to privacy."
To put a check on the rise in home prices, she said she would seek to put limits on how many houses investors can purchase in a neighborhood. For renters, she said she would seek to enact a sliding scale tied to household income for how fast rent can rise, such as no faster than the inflation rate.
"If you're on a fixed income or if you're straight out of college or high school, it's hard to survive when the rent goes up," she said.
The Democratic nominee will face off in November against whoever emerges from a three-candidate race for the Republican Party nomination.
State Sen. Aaron Bean of Fernandina Beach is vying with two Jacksonville residents: Erick Aguilar, who unsuccessfully challenged Rutherford in the 2020 primary, and first-time candidate Jon Chuba.
Aguilar, 47, retired from the Navy and works as a history professor. He said he is a "political outsider" in contrast to "career politicians who are not putting the interests of the country" at the top of their priorities.
Top issues for Aguilar include ensuring the integrity of elections. "Whatever the outcome is, that's a whole different story, but let's be sure we make them fair and the voice of the people is heard," he said.
"I'm a firm believer based on how easy it is for people to commit fraud that the 2020 election was stolen," he said of the election of Joe Biden over Donald Trump. "That's something we need to investigate."
He said the federal government needs to finish constructing a wall along the southern border with Mexico and make sure entry points have the right equipment to prevent illegal immigration.
He said Congress should not put any limitations on constitutional rights such as freedom of speech and the Second Amendment for gun ownership because "the government works for the people, not the other way around, so restricting citizens is not really the government's job."
Bean, 55, who is a relationship development officer at UF Health Jacksonville, said his No. 1 issue is fighting inflation.
He said Biden is proposing "another huge spending package" and "basic economics says more government spending is going to accelerate the problem."
"We have to fire [House Speaker] Nancy Pelosi to put the brakes on any other damage done by our president," Bean said.
Bean has served in the state Senate since 2012 after being in the state House from 2000 to 2008 and a mayor and commissioner for Fernandina Beach from 1996-99. He said the federal government would benefit from the state's approach to budgets that doesn't "spend more than we take in."
"Let's tackle the debt," he said. "The first way to get out of a hole is to stop digging, and they're digging fast and furious right now in D.C."
He said tackling inflation also requires bringing down gas prices by developing more of the country's own oil and natural gas.
"It seems like our leaders are not putting common sense priorities first," he said. "Common sense says we should be working on energy independence."
Bean said the country also needs to control the southern border that "is open and out of control."
Rounding out the field for the GOP primary is Chuba, 34, who works in the field of insurance contract compliance and is on a ballot for the first time.
"Too many people are seeking political office for power and money and not for service, and that's what we need," he said.
He said the economy is the major issue and he would push for making the country energy-independent while also finding ways to make housing costs more affordable. He said in addition to boosting the supply of housing so it catches up with demand and brings down prices, he wants to "prioritize families over investors" in the real estate market.
For instance, he said if a family offers more than the asking price for a home, the family should get the inside track on buying the home even if an investor offers to pay more for the house.
"I want to level the playing field a bit with that," he said.
He said the nation needs to secure its border. In the debate over abortion, he said he would vote for a constitutional amendment that favors "protecting life from conception" with "some exceptions until the child has a heartbeat."
"I believe in the sanctity of life," he said.
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5th District election: U.S. Rep. John Rutherford's re-election bid faces challenge by two political newcomers
John Rutherford faces 2 challengers in 5th District
In the 5th District race, Rutherford will run for re-election in a district that contains the eastern portion of Duval County and the northern two-thirds of St. Johns County, including St. Augustine.
The redrawn lines moved Nassau County out of the district, but it remains solidly Republican in its voter make-up. No Democrats filed for the seat. In the GOP primary, Rutherford faces two political newcomers.
Ponte Vedra resident Leigha "Luna" Lopez, who freelances and volunteers in psychological research and advocacy, said Congress needs to ensure election integrity, stop the "destruction of the Bill of Rights by statist government tyranny" and also repair the economy.
Lopez, 37, said she would restore "constitutionally based, limited government which protects our freedom" while tackling economic issues through "the 3D approach: deregulation, delegislation and defunding." She said she would obstruct "all efforts for the establishment to grow its power and maintain their position" and expose Republicans who are RINOs, or "Republicans in name only."
Jacksonville resident Mara Macie, 42, said Congress must have term limits because "we have people who think they know what's best for us, and yet they go off to D.C. and they're there for decades. They don't relate to their constituents anymore."
Macie, who describes herself as a military spouse for almost 16 years, said she believes in "medical freedom and being able to refuse unwanted medical procedures on your body" such as the COVID-19 vaccine.
She said many people, including those serving in the military, faced threats to their occupations for refusing to get the vaccine.
"Their rights have been violated," she said.
She said the focus instead should be on assisting those who have served in the military and law enforcement.
She said the country must clamp down on spending instead of running up more debt that will burden future generations. "It's my kids' money and my grandkids' money," she said. "We need to close that down."
Rutherford, who was elected to Congress in 2016, said "inflationary spending" in Biden's Build Back Better agenda is driving up the cost of everyday items that people buy.
"The 'Build Back Better' we've absolutely got to stop," he said. "And we have to get back to energy independence for America. Every time I pull up to the gas pump, I'm reminded of what I need to do up here in returning America to energy independence."
Rutherford, 65, said the country must finish construction of the southern border wall while deploying technology that gives border patrol agents the ability to catch people trying to cross into the United States while also cracking down on shipments of lethal drugs such as fetanyl.
"We've got to have a nation that's safe, which means we've got to secure that southern border," he said.
Rutherford, who was Jacksonville's sheriff before going to Congress, said he also will push for the support of police and backs legislation for a "Parents Bill of Rights" for families in the education of their children.
"We've got to get back to funding our police," he said. "We've got to protect our police officers. If you're going to target the police, I'm going to target you."
Early voting starts Monday in the primaries for the congressional seats.
In the 4th Congressional District, the race between the Democrats will be decided by Democratic Party voters and the contest among the Republicans will be up to Republican Party voters in the primary.
For the 5th District where Rutherford is seeking re-election, all the candidates are Republicans so that triggers a provision in election law that opens the primary to all registered voters in the district, regardless of party affiliation.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Election 2022: 8 candidates for Congress in redistricted Jacksonville area
