Speaking to supporters at The Ben Hotel in West Palm Beach, just a short drive from Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago, Republican incumbent James Uthmeier claimed victory tonight in the race for Florida Attorney General.
He vowed to "keep Florida safe, strong, and brave" as the crowd chanted, "Four more years, four more years!"
This midterm election win provides Uthmeier with his first full four-year elected term, defeating Democratic challenger Jose Javier Rodriguez, a former state lawmaker.
Uthmeier had just under 51% of the vote, according to preliminary results with 97% of the vote counted at the time of publication.
He was originally appointed to the position in February 2025 by Governor Ron DeSantis, stepping in to fill the vacancy left when Ashley Moody was appointed to the U.S. Senate.
Prior to his appointment, Uthmeier served as DeSantis's chief of staff and entered the race with an endorsement from Donald Trump.
Some polling accurately indicated the potential for a close race, but the Democratic challenger faced significant hurdles in a state with 1.5 million more registered Republicans, while Uthmeier maintained a fundraising advantage.
Uphill battle for Rodriguez
In his concession speech, Jose Javier Rodriguez acknowledged the uphill battle he faced but also the impact his campaign made — results were down to the wire — and issued a challenge to the winner.
“ This was a 519-day campaign. And what did we accomplish in those 519 days if we did not prevail?” he said. “What we did together is we raised expectations. Whether we voted for him or not, we expect that our attorney general will meet our expectations.”
He also called out Uthmeier’s record on pursuing legal fights tailored to grab headlines as well as his role in the Hope Florida scandal.
“There are many in this state justifiably concerned with the politicization of the Attorney General’s office, the use of cruelty for headlines, the brazen corruption and the lack of respect for our judicial branch,” he said. "You have a chance. Prove us wrong."
READ MORE: Live election results: Key races in Florida
Rodriguez ended by vowing to continue his work.
“ I'll have to answer to my kids when they ask me: 'What now?' Keep working, keep fighting” he said. “I fought the powerful in the courts my whole career and in the legislature, and that continues. “
For most of the night, a DJ cranked tunes while supporters mulled around the warehouse that houses the Shake-a-Leg nonprofit sailing organization in Coconut Grove. Rodriguez’s parents, along with his wife’s mother attended. Most remained in good cheer, even as they recognized the uphill battle Rodriguez faced.
”JJR's campaign, David Jolly's campaign, even Angie Nixon's campaign, that they've really done a lot to change the perceptions of what Florida can be like in the future,” said William Quinlan, 32, who just graduated from law school. “I, as a liberal Democrat, do not accept the narrative that Florida is a red forever.”
With his loss, however, they recognized Tuesday was not the night the tide changed.
”It seems like the rest of the country has gotten the message and may save us to a large extent, given all the flipping that's going on at this time of night,” said Mitch Kaplan, owner of Books & Books. “But I think we in Florida have a lot of work to still do. “
Uthmeier's top priorities
Uthmeier told WLRN his top priorities include keeping pressure on big tech companies.
" So the next two years will be a lot of litigation. I feel very good about all of these cases," he told WLRN. "I think Florida juries recognize kids have suffered greatly based on the addictive features in these applications and the risk of predators getting to kids. "
The state's top chief legal office said his other priorities include continuing his pressure on child traffickers.
"I wanna keep going after child predators. We've done a lot of that the last two years, we've taken down over 2,300," he told WLRN. "That's not gonna stop. We're gonna use every tool, every resource."
Throughout his campaign, Uthmeier leaned heavily on conservative policy priorities.
He spotlighted his efforts to enforce strict immigration laws and help spearhead the controversial $1 billion Alligator Alcatraz detention facility.
His win could bring other long-term priorities to the spotlight.
Uthmeier, who is a staunch anti-abortion advocate, also campaigned on a platform to completely eliminate abortion access in the state.
He’s a prominent supporter of "fetal personhood," which is a legal framework seeking to grant embryos and fetuses the same constitutional rights as born individuals, a policy that would end abortion access even in cases of rape and incest, also carries legal implications for in vitro fertilization (IVF) and surrogacy.
