Scrappy Florida Democrat takes on big-money Republican attorney general
Do you want an attorney general owned by special interests or one who stands up for the people? That's the question this race poses.
“While Florida families are struggling to keep up with rising costs, James Uthmeier is bankrolling his campaign with checks from Big Tobacco and a gun manufacturer looking to avoid accountability. That tells you everything you need to know about who he’s working for, and why Floridians aren’t seeing relief.”
— José Javier Rodríguez
By Mitch Perry
First-quarter fundraising totals for state candidates have now been reported, and Florida Democratic attorney general candidate José Javier Rodríguez is taking issue with a couple of financial contributions received by the man he hopes to replace in November, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier.
Among the donations Uthmeier’s political action committee drew was $50,000 from gun manufacturer Sig Sauer. That company showered hundreds of thousands of dollars on Florida Republicans this year as it attempted to get the Legislature to pass a measure (HB 1551) shielding it from liability lawsuits. The bill passed in the Florida House but died in committee in the Florida Senate.
Friends of James Uthmeier also reported a $100,000 contribution from RAI Services Co., a tobacco manufacturer and subsidiary of Reynolds American Inc.
“While Florida families are struggling to keep up with rising costs, James Uthmeier is bankrolling his campaign with checks from Big Tobacco and a gun manufacturer looking to avoid accountability. That tells you everything you need to know about who he’s working for, and why Floridians aren’t seeing relief,” said Rodríguez in a written statement.
“Floridians deserve an Attorney General who stands up to corporate abuse, not one funded by it. As Attorney General, I’ll be the people’s lawyer — focused on lowering costs, protecting consumers, and holding powerful interests accountable.”
Combined with his regular campaign account, Uthmeier has raised more than $8 million in his bid to win office for the first time after being appointed to the position by Gov. Ron DeSantis a year ago.
Rodríguez has raised a combined total of more than $1 million between his regular campaign account and PAC.
Through the bully pulpit of his office, Uthmeier is able to generate media coverage on a nearly daily basis by hosting news conferences around the state.
Despite his lack of visibility, Rodríguez appears to be running a competitive race against his much better-funded opponent. A Democratic-based survey of more than 1,000 statewide voters published on Monday showed him narrowly leading Uthmeier in the race for attorney general.
Mitch Perry has covered politics and government in Florida for more than two decades. Most recently he is the former politics reporter for Bay News 9. He has also worked at Florida Politics, Creative Loafing and WMNF Radio in Tampa. He was also part of the original staff when the Florida Phoenix was created in 2018.
Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization. This story is republished with their permission. To support Florida Phoenix, click here:
Note to readers
Just a note to mention that I am on the road this week. I’m helping my son with a cross-country move. We got the U-Haul yesterday, and we’re loading it up today. Because of this, you will likely see fewer of my original posts for the next few days and more sharing of articles by other contributors, such as today’s story by Mitch Perry. Thanks for reading.
J.C. Bruce
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We want that Scrappy FL Dem 🙌👍let's go!
I hope he's not like the other Florida Democrat. Is he funded by AIPAC?