U.S. House, Florida 4th Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in Florida's 4th Congressional District?
Aaron Bean has the strongest record in Florida's 4th Congressional District. Aaron Bean scores 67 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Aaron Bean's highest marks are relevant experience and roots in the constituency. LaShonda "L.J." Holloway (6 of 15 criteria), Todd Schaefer (5 of 15 criteria) and Mike Sell (6 of 15 criteria) have too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Republican · incumbent
Strongest record
Aaron Bean
67 / 100
Public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 80
- Performance
- 69
Democratic
LaShonda "L.J." Holloway
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 6 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 60
- Performance
- NR
No Party Affiliation
Todd Schaefer
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 5 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 50
- Performance
- NR
Florida Forward Party
Mike Sell
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 6 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 55
- Performance
- NR
The good, the bad and the unresolved
The record
The notable facts of each candidate's public life, each tied to a source and confirmed to be this person. Unresolved matters are labeled with where they stand and do not move a score.
Aaron Bean
- Credit2024-06-17
His Missing Children's Assistance Reauthorization Act (H.R. 5224) was enacted through S. 2051, signed June 17, 2024; the bill had 10 Democratic and 8 Republican cosponsors.
Source: GovTrack, H.R. 5224
- Credit2023
Chaired the House Education and Workforce Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education in the 118th Congress.
LaShonda "L.J." Holloway
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Todd Schaefer
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Mike Sell
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Aaron Bean. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through July 29, 2026. No FEC administrative fine or House Ethics matter found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, coverage dates, FEC administrative fines search, committee C00816983
LaShonda "L.J." Holloway. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through July 29, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, coverage dates, FEC administrative fines search, committee C00805184
Todd Schaefer. No public record found.
Mike Sell. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through Sept. 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, coverage dates, FEC administrative fines search, committee C00952655
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Aaron Bean. No public record found.
LaShonda "L.J." Holloway. No public record found.
Todd Schaefer. No public record found.
Mike Sell. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Aaron Bean. Held in-person town halls in Nassau County and Clay County in August 2023. No 2026 general election debate record found.
Sources: Office site, press release, Aug. 1, 2023, Office site, press release, Aug. 18, 2023
LaShonda "L.J." Holloway. No public record found.
Todd Schaefer. No public record found.
Mike Sell. No public record found.
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Aaron Bean. Has held elected office since serving as a Fernandina Beach city commissioner and mayor, then 18 years in the Legislature and Congress since 2023, with no censure, reprimand or formal conduct finding found.
LaShonda "L.J." Holloway. No public record found.
Todd Schaefer. No public record found.
Mike Sell. No public record found.
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Aaron Bean. Has held sworn state office since 2000 and federal office since January 2023, after the January 2021 electoral count. No official finding of misuse of office found.
Source: GovTrack, Aaron Bean
LaShonda "L.J." Holloway. No public record found.
Todd Schaefer. Served in the U.S. Navy from 1998 to 2018. No official finding of misuse of office found.
Source: Ballotpedia, Todd Schaefer
Mike Sell. No public record found.
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Aaron Bean. Eight years in the Florida House and ten in the Florida Senate, in Congress since 2023, and earlier mayor of Fernandina Beach.
Sources: News4JAX voters guide, July 31, 2026, GovTrack, Aaron Bean
LaShonda "L.J." Holloway. A lawyer and mediator who says she worked at the EPA, for Rep. Carrie Meek and as a director in the Washington, D.C. mayor's office. Has not held elected office.
Todd Schaefer. Retired from the Navy after 20 years of service; reports no political experience.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Todd Schaefer, News4JAX voters guide, July 31, 2026
Mike Sell. Has worked about two decades in operational excellence, mostly in health care, and helped lead a local Indivisible chapter. Has not held elected office.
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Aaron Bean. Chaired an Education and Workforce subcommittee in the 118th Congress and now serves on Ways and Means; names specific bills such as the HSAs For All Act. A 4 needs a current chair or ranking post (E27).
Sources: Congress.gov, House hearing transcript, 118th Congress, GovTrack, committee membership, News4JAX voters guide, July 31, 2026
LaShonda "L.J." Holloway. Publishes general platform statements on education costs, health care access and communities. Left the News4JAX question on top issues unanswered.
Sources: Campaign site, home page, News4JAX voters guide, July 31, 2026
Todd Schaefer. Names a bill he would propose, the American Prosperity Card Act, and positions on housing and health care in the News4JAX guide, mostly in general terms.
Mike Sell. Lists positions on cost of living and health care in the News4JAX guide, including funding community health centers and Medicare drug price negotiation, mostly in general terms.
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Aaron Bean. Answered the News4JAX 2026 questionnaire in full, offers an e-newsletter and publishes issue pages. Has not completed Ballotpedia surveys.
Sources: News4JAX voters guide, July 31, 2026, Office site, home page, Ballotpedia, Aaron Bean
LaShonda "L.J." Holloway. Answered part of the News4JAX 2026 questionnaire and publishes a platform page. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: News4JAX voters guide, July 31, 2026, Ballotpedia, L.J. Holloway
Todd Schaefer. Completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025 and answered the News4JAX 2026 questionnaire.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Todd Schaefer, News4JAX voters guide, July 31, 2026
Mike Sell. Completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey, answered the News4JAX 2026 questionnaire and publishes a campaign site.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Mike Sell, News4JAX voters guide, July 31, 2026
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Aaron Bean. Served his hometown of Fernandina Beach as city commissioner and mayor and lists a Fernandina Beach address. About 68.6 percent of itemized individual contributions by state for 2025 to 2026 came from Florida (FEC).
Sources: News4JAX voters guide, July 31, 2026, Florida Division of Elections, candidate detail, FEC contribution totals by state
LaShonda "L.J." Holloway. Fourth of six generations of her family in Duval County, with a Jacksonville qualifying address. About 96.8 percent of itemized individual contributions by state came from Florida (FEC).
Sources: News4JAX voters guide, July 31, 2026, Florida Division of Elections, candidate detail, FEC contribution totals by state
Todd Schaefer. Lists a Fernandina Beach qualifying address; born in Indiana.
Mike Sell. Raised in a Navy family that moved often; his father retired from Naval Air Station Jacksonville. Lists a Jacksonville-area address. About 78.7 percent of itemized contributions came from Florida (FEC).
Sources: News4JAX voters guide, July 31, 2026, Florida Division of Elections, candidate detail, FEC contribution totals by state
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Aaron Bean. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through July 29, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, coverage dates, FEC administrative fines search, committee C00816983
LaShonda "L.J." Holloway. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through July 29, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, coverage dates, FEC administrative fines search, committee C00805184
Todd Schaefer. No public record found.
Mike Sell. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through Sept. 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, coverage dates, FEC administrative fines search, committee C00952655
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Aaron Bean. Legislative Effectiveness Score of 0.794 in the 118th Congress against a benchmark of 1.456, meets expectations. His Missing Children's Assistance Reauthorization Act was enacted in 2024 via S. 2051.
Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress, GovTrack, enacted legislation, GovTrack, H.R. 5224 (118th Congress)
LaShonda "L.J." Holloway. No public record found.
Todd Schaefer. No public record found.
Mike Sell. No public record found.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Aaron Bean. Missed 7 of 1,917 roll call votes, 0.4 percent, from January 2023 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
LaShonda "L.J." Holloway. No public record found.
Todd Schaefer. No public record found.
Mike Sell. No public record found.
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Aaron Bean. Lists district offices in Fleming Island, Jacksonville and Fernandina Beach and offers help with federal agencies. No published casework totals found.
Source: Office site, office locations
LaShonda "L.J." Holloway. No public record found.
Todd Schaefer. No public record found.
Mike Sell. No public record found.
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Aaron Bean. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of -0.60187 in the 118th Congress (2023), ranked 242 of 436. His enacted missing children bill had 10 Democratic and 8 Republican cosponsors.
Sources: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores, GovTrack, H.R. 5224 (118th Congress)
LaShonda "L.J." Holloway. No public record found.
Todd Schaefer. No public record found.
Mike Sell. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Aaron Bean. No public record found.
LaShonda "L.J." Holloway. No public record found.
Todd Schaefer. No public record found.
Mike Sell. No public record found.
How to read this
Each criterion is scored 0 to 4 against the written rubric in the Ballot Standard. NR means no record: there is no reliable public evidence either way, so the criterion is left out and never counts against the candidate. A total is published when at least 8 of 15 criteria have evidence.
A sitting officeholder has a longer public record than a first-time candidate, so the two totals rest on different amounts of evidence. Read the count of criteria beside each score. Low marks require an official finding or a primary record. Allegations and opinion are not used.
No policy position is scored. Evidence checked October 9, 2026. Campaigns and readers can send a correction with a public source to tpg@thepoliticalgroup.com.
Questions
Who should I vote for in Florida's 4th Congressional District?
Aaron Bean has the strongest record in Florida's 4th Congressional District. Aaron Bean scores 67 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Aaron Bean's highest marks are relevant experience and roots in the constituency. LaShonda "L.J." Holloway (6 of 15 criteria), Todd Schaefer (5 of 15 criteria) and Mike Sell (6 of 15 criteria) have too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Who is running in Florida's 4th Congressional District in 2026?
Aaron Bean (Republican, incumbent), LaShonda "L.J." Holloway (Democratic), Todd Schaefer (No Party Affiliation), Mike Sell (Florida Forward Party). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Aaron Bean a good candidate for Congress?
Aaron Bean scores 67 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 80 of 100, performance 69 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is LaShonda "L.J." Holloway a good candidate for Congress?
LaShonda "L.J." Holloway has public evidence on 6 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
Is Todd Schaefer a good candidate for Congress?
Todd Schaefer has public evidence on 5 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
Is Mike Sell a good candidate for Congress?
Mike Sell has public evidence on 6 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
How is the strongest record decided?
The candidate with the highest Ballot Standard score has the strongest record. Each of 15 criteria on character, qualifications and performance is scored 0 to 4 from public records and established reporting, the same way for every party. No policy position is scored, and unresolved accusations never move a score.
More on this race: every Florida race scored, the trailing candidate's path to victory, and the Florida 2026 election guide. Independent scorecard by The Political Group, not affiliated with any candidate or party.