Democratic Challenger José Javier Rodríguez Accuses James Uthmeier Of Political Theater

A Democrat seeking to oust Attorney General James Uthmeier says Uthmeier has turned the statewide office into political theater instead of fighting for everyday Floridians.

“My opponent is the most corrupt Attorney General we’ve ever had … and he’s the least independent we’ve had,” José Javier Rodríguez said in downtown Orlando at the Tiger Bay Club of Central Florida. “The job is not to be the Governor’s personal lawyer. The job is to be an independent advocate for the people of the state.”

Also in attendance at the Tiger Bay panel was Democrat David Jolly, who is running for Governor as a Democrat.

If elected as Attorney General in November, Rodríguez said his priorities include lowering residents’ electric utility rates, bringing insurance relief, protecting that minimum wage and going after bad corporate landlords.

“It is routine for state Attorney Generals in red states and in blue to stand up for their people when they’re getting screwed. Not in Florida,” Rodríguez said. “On the campaign trail, you’ve got to open your imagination as to what we could have in the Attorney General’s Office because we have not had a real Attorney General in so long.”

Rodríguez also called for restoring the balance of control back to local governments instead of allowing for state preemption.

“I think that I will earn the nickname ‘Home Rule José’ because I believe so strongly in our state constitution. Our statutes point us in the direction of home rule, and every year the Legislature goes crazy with preemption,” Rodríguez said.

Rodríguez was also critical of the state opening Alligator Alcatraz, the detention immigration center in the Everglades.

Rodríguez called Uthmeier a bully for overstepping his power to threaten and exert political pressure, though Rodríguez did not mention Orange County by name. Uthmeier had threatened to remove Orange County elected leaders from office if they did not approve an immigration deal with the federal government last year.

“What the Attorney General has been doing is reckless. It is an abuse of power on multiple levels,” Rodríguez said. “He is threatening local officials with powers he does not have. Courts will tell him this. He doesn’t seem to read or understand them.”

Uthmeier was DeSantis’ Chief of Staff until the Governor appointed him to be the Attorney General in 2025.

Meanwhile, Rodríguez, who lives in Miami, is a 20-year trial lawyer and previously served as an Assistant Secretary of Labor under President Joe Biden.

“I want to challenge him to a debate. I will debate you — Tiger Bay here in Orlando, Tiger Bay in Tampa, anywhere you want. Name the time and place,” Rodríguez said Friday in comments directed at Uthmeier.

Rodríguez made headlines in 2020 when he was running for re-election in the Senate and lost by 32 votes in a Republican orchestrated ghost candidate scandal.

“The voters were the victims, but I was the target,” Rodríguez said Friday.

–Gabrielle Russon, Florida Politics