Winter Springs voters will help decide who serves as Florida's attorney general, the state's chief legal officer and a member of the Cabinet. Two candidates qualified for the Nov. 3 general election, according to the Florida Division of Elections: Republican incumbent James Uthmeier and Democrat Jose Javier Rodriguez. Neither had a primary opponent.
Early voting began Monday, Oct. 19, at seven Seminole County sites.
James Uthmeier, Republican
Uthmeier, 38, has been attorney general since 2025. He was previously chief of staff to Gov. Ron DeSantis and, according to his campaign website, worked as counsel to Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and as a senior adviser to then-U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. He studied at the University of Florida and Georgetown Law.
His campaign site says his focus is prosecuting dangerous criminals, fighting illegal immigration and suing corporations it says harm shareholder value by "sexualizing and indoctrinating our children." He told the News Service of Florida in an interview that pursuing child predators would remain his top priority, according to the Osceola News Gazette.
He has called election integrity a priority; WFLA radio quoted him in September saying, "Don't let anybody tell you out there that election fraud does not happen." He has declined to defend some state gun restrictions, including the ban on long-gun purchases by people under 21, saying those decisions rest on his oath to the constitution.
Regarding the Hope Florida controversy, he said in April that no criminal activity occurred.
Jose Javier Rodriguez, Democrat
Rodriguez, 48, is a Miami attorney who served in the Florida House from 2012 to 2016 and the state Senate from 2016 to 2020. He holds a bachelor's degree from Brown University and a law degree from Harvard.
