Victor Rohe to challenge James Buchanan in SD 22 Republican Primary

Sarasota Memorial Hospital Board member Victor Rohe has filed to run for Senate District 22, formally entering the 2026 race against Rep. James Buchanan. 

Rohe, a Sarasota County resident since 1997, filed his candidacy documents on Feb. 9 — setting up a Republican Primary contest for the solidly GOP district. SD 22 is currently held by Sarasota Republican Sen. Joe Gruters, who is term-limited and now serves as Chair of the Republican National Committee.

The district covers portions of Sarasota and Manatee counties and has consistently favored Republican candidates in recent election cycles. Rohe currently serves as Assistant Treasurer on the Sarasota County Public Hospital Board, which oversees Sarasota Memorial Hospital, according to the Board webpage. He was elected in 2022 with 71% of the vote after running on a platform of “medical freedom.” His term on the Board runs through 2026.

Rohe told Florida Politics that his Senate campaign will center on three primary issues, led by opposition to a new constitutional convention.

“One of the main reasons I’m running, I don’t want to see a new constitutional convention — an Article V convention,” he said. “There’s a lot of states moving in that direction. I like the Constitution the way it is. I think if we have a new constitutional convention, the First Amendment especially is in danger. My other two issues are local control and health freedom.”

He criticized the Florida Legislature’s prior action transmitting an application to Congress calling for a convention, arguing it “needs to be repealed.” He noted that Buchanan voted in favor of that effort.

“If you want to maintain this country as an independent country, we need to stand up and oppose having a new constitutional convention,” Rohe said. “A new constitutional convention would have more power than all three branches of government combined.”

Rohe began his career in law enforcement, serving as a lieutenant and operations coordinator with the New York City Police Department. There he was second-in-command of one of the city’s busiest precincts and oversaw more than 500 officers and civilian personnel.

He moved into the private sector after leaving the NYPD, where he worked as a stock broker and financial consultant with Smith Barney before becoming a broker through his own company, Century 21 At Your Service Realty. He later worked as a mortgage originator with Island Mortgage Network and as an insurance subrogation specialist, investigating disputes between insurance companies and evaluating liability under laws in all 50 states.

Rohe has also held board-level roles in numerous Sarasota County community associations and political organizations.

His entry into the race adds another local Republican name to a contest that has already drawn significant interest since Buchanan, who is term-limited in his current House District 74 seat, announced his bid to succeed Gruters. The longtime Representative has already raised $1.5 million and garnered support from numerous prominent Republicans — including Gruters himself — making Rohe’s bid for the seat an uphill battle.