U.S. House, Florida 5th Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in Florida's 5th Congressional District?
John H. Rutherford has the strongest record in Florida's 5th Congressional District. John H. Rutherford scores 56 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. John H. Rutherford's highest marks are relevant experience and coalition building. Rachel Grage (6 of 15 criteria) and William Lintag Upham (1 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.
Democratic
Rachel Grage
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 6 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 55
- Performance
- NR
Republican · incumbent
Strongest record
John H. Rutherford
56 / 100
Public evidence on 12 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 33
- Qualifications
- 70
- Performance
- 56
Write-in
William Lintag Upham
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 1 of 15 criteria
- Character
- NR
- Qualifications
- 50
- 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.
Rachel Grage
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
John H. Rutherford
- Mark against2022-08-24
The House Ethics Committee dismissed an OCE referral on late periodic stock transaction reports, finding no clear evidence the errors were knowing or willful; his counsel acknowledged the late filings.
Sources: House Committee on Ethics statement, Aug. 24, 2022, Rutherford counsel response, 2022, WJCT (Florida Times-Union), July 29, 2022, Washington Examiner, April 15, 2022
- On the record2025-03-03
Said he would not hold local town hall meetings despite a petition drive, and offered small meetings at his district office instead.
- On the record2021-01-07
Voted Yea on the objections to the certified electoral votes of Arizona and Pennsylvania, after signing the December 2020 House amicus brief in Texas v. Pennsylvania.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 10, House Clerk Roll Call 11, U.S. Supreme Court, amicus brief of 126 Representatives
- Credit2023
Ranked 35th of 436 House members on the Lugar Center Bipartisan Index for 2023.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
William Lintag Upham
- Unresolved2026-07-16
Charged by federal criminal complaint on July 16, 2026 with threatening the President over social media videos; indicted on one count July 22 and pleaded not guilty July 30, 2026.
Where it stands: Pending in U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida; detained pending trial; a competency hearing is set for Oct. 14, 2026. No verdict.
Sources: Jacksonville Today, July 16, 2026, Stars and Stripes, July 17, 2026, U.S. v. Upham, M.D. Fla. 3:26-cr-00156, docket (CourtListener)
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Rachel Grage. 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 C00923540
John H. Rutherford. The House Ethics Committee in 2022 dismissed an OCE referral over late periodic transaction reports, finding the errors not knowing or willful; his own counsel acknowledged late-filed reports (E16).
Sources: House Committee on Ethics statement, Aug. 24, 2022, Rutherford counsel response to the Committee, 2022, WJCT (Florida Times-Union), July 29, 2022
William Lintag Upham. No public record found.
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Rachel Grage. No public record found.
John H. Rutherford. No public record found.
William Lintag Upham. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Rachel Grage. No public record found.
John H. Rutherford. No public record found.
William Lintag Upham. No public record found.
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Rachel Grage. No public record found.
John H. Rutherford. Four decades in law enforcement including three terms as Duval County sheriff, and in Congress since 2017, where he sits on the Ethics Committee. No censure, reprimand or conduct finding found.
Source: Ballotpedia, John Rutherford
William Lintag Upham. 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.
Rachel Grage. No public record found.
John H. Rutherford. Voted Yea on the January 2021 objections to the certified electoral votes of Arizona and Pennsylvania, and signed the December 2020 House amicus brief in Texas v. Pennsylvania.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 10, Jan. 6, 2021, House Clerk Roll Call 11, Jan. 7, 2021, U.S. Supreme Court, amicus brief of 126 Representatives, Dec. 2020
William Lintag Upham. No public record found.
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Rachel Grage. A biomedical engineer with engineering degrees from Tulane who served as an elected homeowners association president and as a legislative advocate. Has not held public office.
John H. Rutherford. In Congress since 2017, now in his fifth term, after three elected terms as Duval County sheriff.
Sources: GovTrack, John Rutherford, News4JAX voters guide, July 29, 2026
William Lintag Upham. No public record found.
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Rachel Grage. Lists housing and insurance costs, school funding and teacher pay, and small business growth as priorities, in general terms.
John H. Rutherford. Serves on the Appropriations Committee (Homeland Security and Military Construction-VA subcommittees) and the Ethics Committee. Holds no chair post.
Sources: GovTrack, committee membership, Ballotpedia, John Rutherford
William Lintag Upham. No public record found.
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Rachel Grage. Completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey, answered the News4JAX 2026 questionnaire and took questions on WJCT's First Coast Connect.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Rachel Grage, News4JAX voters guide, July 29, 2026, WJCT First Coast Connect, July 22, 2026
John H. Rutherford. Answered the News4JAX 2026 questionnaire and offers an e-newsletter. Did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020, 2022 or 2024 surveys.
Sources: News4JAX voters guide, July 29, 2026, Office site, home page
William Lintag Upham. No public record found.
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Rachel Grage. Lists a Jacksonville Beach qualifying address and earlier ran for the Beaches-area state House seat; born in New York. About 95.3 percent of itemized individual contributions by state came from Florida (FEC).
Sources: Florida Division of Elections, candidate detail, WJCT First Coast Connect, July 22, 2026, FEC contribution totals by state
John H. Rutherford. Has served Jacksonville for more than 40 years as a police officer, sheriff and congressman. About 43.9 percent of itemized individual contributions by state for 2025 to 2026 came from Florida (FEC).
Sources: News4JAX voters guide, July 29, 2026, FEC contribution totals by state
William Lintag Upham. Lists a Jacksonville qualifying address with the Division of Elections.
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Rachel Grage. 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 C00923540
John H. Rutherford. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through July 29, 2026, with no administrative fine found. Led the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office for three terms.
Sources: FEC candidate page, coverage dates, FEC administrative fines search, committee C00615294, News4JAX voters guide, July 29, 2026
William Lintag Upham. No public record found.
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Rachel Grage. No public record found.
John H. Rutherford. Legislative Effectiveness Score of 0.200 in the 118th Congress against a benchmark of 1.202, below expectations. His three enacted bills date from the 115th and 116th Congresses, outside the E14 window.
Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress, GovTrack, enacted legislation
William Lintag Upham. No public record found.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Rachel Grage. No public record found.
John H. Rutherford. Missed 235 of 5,079 roll call votes, 4.6 percent, from January 2017 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
William Lintag Upham. No public record found.
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Rachel Grage. No public record found.
John H. Rutherford. Lists a Jacksonville district office and offers federal agency help. No published casework totals found.
Source: Office site, home page
William Lintag Upham. No public record found.
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Rachel Grage. No public record found.
John H. Rutherford. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of 0.85402 in the 118th Congress (2023), ranked 35 of 436, in the top quarter.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
William Lintag Upham. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Rachel Grage. No public record found.
John H. Rutherford. No public record found.
William Lintag Upham. 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 5th Congressional District?
John H. Rutherford has the strongest record in Florida's 5th Congressional District. John H. Rutherford scores 56 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. John H. Rutherford's highest marks are relevant experience and coalition building. Rachel Grage (6 of 15 criteria) and William Lintag Upham (1 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 5th Congressional District in 2026?
Rachel Grage (Democratic), John H. Rutherford (Republican, incumbent), William Lintag Upham (Write-in). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Rachel Grage a good candidate for Congress?
Rachel Grage 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 John H. Rutherford a good candidate for Congress?
John H. Rutherford scores 56 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 12 of 15 criteria: character 33 of 100, qualifications 70 of 100, performance 56 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is William Lintag Upham a good candidate for Congress?
William Lintag Upham has public evidence on 1 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.