Upset Brief · FL-05 · Rachel Grage (D) vs. John H. Rutherford (R), incumbent
A long shot on the math: it takes a 25.3-point national wave.
<1%
odds today
<1%
odds with the plan
79,510
net votes to find
37
days left; voting starts October 24
Where
- 01+62Precinct 408 (St. Johns County)Starting line Rutherford +34. 1.9% split their ticket.
- 02+59Precinct 402 (St. Johns County)Starting line Rutherford +38. 2.1% split their ticket.
- 03+56Precinct 406 (St. Johns County)Starting line Rutherford +35. 2.1% split their ticket.
- 04+49Precinct 404 (St. Johns County)Starting line Rutherford +44. 4.2% split their ticket.
- 05+47Precinct 403 (St. Johns County)Starting line Rutherford +45. 2.1% split their ticket.
- 06+42Precinct 401 (St. Johns County)Starting line Rutherford +38. 1.9% split their ticket.
The top 12 precincts carry 19% of the plan.
How
- P+2,549Persuade2,549 voters who split their ticket in recent elections and lean Rutherford today.
- M+31MobilizeAt least 674 people who voted in 2024 but not in 2022, in precincts where Grage's side wins at least 55 percent.
- C+396ConsolidateVoters who went third party in recent races, in the precincts that lean Grage's way.
Plus a national shift of 25.3 points of margin (76,534 votes) that no campaign controls.
What has to be true
- Grage wins 50 percent of the ticket splitters now leaning Rutherford.
- The national environment moves about 25.3 points toward Grage's side between now and November 3.
- No 2026 public poll exists for this race, so the starting line is a weighted blend of official recent results; the first real poll will move it.
The numbers behind it
- 01Crossover regression128 precincts, R² 0.986, 20 crossover precincts identified
- 02Monte Carlo20,000 seeded simulated elections with a 7-point baseline error. 90% range of the final margin with the plan: -111,862 to -41,188 votes.
- 03Money, FEC candidate totals through July 29Grage $90,533 cash on hand; Rutherford $268,730.
- 04Call program for this list4,763 households, 14,289 dials, about 749 live conversations: an estimated $2,717 at published rates.
Independent analysis by The Political Group from official Florida Division of Elections precinct returns (2022 and 2024), FEC filings and published polls, as of September 26, 2026. Not affiliated with any candidate or party.