Florida voters have decided to keep Republican incumbent James Uthmeier as the state’s attorney general.
The Associated Press called the race with Uthmeier leading Democratic opponent José Javier Rodríguez by 2 percentage points with most votes counted.
Uthmeier was first appointed to the role by Gov. Ron DeSantis. Uthmeier had been the governor’s chief of staff when former Attorney General Ashley Moody was elevated to the U.S. Senate.
Read about Uthmeier: What to know about the Florida attorney general race
The attorney general position is an important one. It’s the state's chief legal officer, wielding considerable power to challenge and defend government policies in court, launch investigations and combat crime.
A Democrat hasn’t been elected to the role since 1998.
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Rodríguez, a former state senator, criticized Uthmeier's role behind Alligator Alcatraz, and he bashed Uthmeier’s involvement in the Hope Florida controversy.
Uthmeier says the only people who did something wrong in the Hope Florida situation — where Medicaid settlement money ultimately went to oppose the unsuccessful 2024 Florida recreational marijuana ballot proposal — were the ones who leaked a confidential grand jury report that’s since been expunged.
But from gun laws to abortion to the Trump administration’s agenda and so much more, Rodríguez presented voters with a stark alternative to Uthmeier’s brand of conservatism.
Voters chose Uthmeier, giving him his first-ever election win.
In 2016, Uthmeier worked as counsel for President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign. He later became senior adviser and counsel to former U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross.
