José Javier Rodríguez earns Democratic AG nomination by qualifying

With no other Democrats challenging incumbent Attorney General James Uthmeier, former state Senator José Javier Rodríguez earned the nomination Friday by default.

Rodríguez, a former Assistant Labor Secretary and state Senator, looks forward to making his case to voters.

“Today it is official: I am honored to be the Democratic nominee for Florida Attorney General,” he said Friday.

We launched my campaign committed to the notion that Floridians deserve an Attorney General who works for them, not for special interests. Since then, we’ve built a statewide campaign focused on tackling the three issues that matter most to Florida families: crime, higher costs, and corruption in Tallahassee,” he adds.

Uthmeier was appointed last year by Ron DeSantis after having served the Governor as Chief of Staff among other roles. He has been a very active chief legal officer for the state, but his priorities diverge from those of his Democratic opponent in November.

Expect Rodriguez to spend the period between now and November traveling the state to make his case.

“I am deeply grateful to everyone who has supported this campaign and helped us reach this milestone. Our work, however, is far from over. The stakes for Florida families have never been higher, and I look forward to continuing to travel the state and take our message directly to voters. As the People’s Lawyer, I will fight to make our communities safer, bring down costs for working families, and hold the powerful accountable.”

Rodriguez faces a significant cash disadvantage and is burning through cash much more quickly than his opponent.

He has raised roughly $641,000 and spent approximately $366,000 thus far.

Uthmeier has raised more than double that to his campaign account, taking in more than $1.3 million. He’s also spent roughly $266,000.

An associated political committee (Friends of James Uthmeier) has raised more than $7.8 million, and has spent less than $770,000.