Rachel Grage won the Democratic primary for Florida’s 5th Congressional district in Northeast Florida, the Associated Press called early Tuesday evening, pitting her against former Jacksonville sheriff and incumbent John Rutherford, who has held the seat since 2017.

Grage won the race against candidates Mark Heggestad and Alex Hazen, who all agreed on one key idea: affordability in Northeast Florida is a top priority for this election.

In 2024, Grage ran for Florida House District 16 and lost with 39% of the vote to Republican incumbent Kiyan Michael. She’ll face another difficult challenge in November given the district’s heavy Republican makeup. 

Rutherford, a three-time sheriff in Jacksonville, who also has the support of President Donald Trump and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. 

With $272,423 raised through July 29, Grage was the top Democratic fundraiser in the primary. John Rutherford’s campaign raised twice as much, reporting $726,727. 

The winner of Florida’s 5th Congressional District race will be decided in the Nov. 3 general election.

Zoe Millán is a journalist and graduate of the M.S. at Columbia School of Journalism and a summer 2026 fellow with The Florida Trib. You can reach Zoe at zoe.millan@floridatrib.org.