John Rutherford

Republican Party

U.S. House RepresentativeIncumbent

Jacksonville, FL

Last updated August 7, 2026Is this you? Claim this profile

What is John Rutherford running for?

John Rutherford is not currently running for office on Civoren.

Most recent race: U.S. House District 5
Incumbent: Yes
Party: Republican Party
Location: Jacksonville, FL
Current role: U.S. House Representative

How much has John Rutherford raised?

John Rutherford's campaign has reported raising $726,727 and spending $635,666 to the Federal Election Commission.

Total raised: $726,727
Total spent: $635,666
Campaign committee: CITIZENS FOR JOHN RUTHERFORD

John Rutherford is an American politician and former law enforcement officer serving as the U.S. Representative for Florida's 5th congressional district since 2017. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as an officer with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office for over 40 years, including three terms as the elected Sheriff of Duval County from 2003 to 2015. He holds degrees in criminology from Florida State College at Jacksonville and Florida State University.

Where does John Rutherford stand on the issues?

John Rutherford has a recorded position on 10 issues. Each is Civoren's summary of the campaign's own public material, with the source linked.

Environment & Sustainability
Supports
Opposes offshore oil drilling off Florida's coast and supports protecting beaches, oceans, and waterways; also fought for hurricane recovery funding for Northeast Florida communities.
“Worked to protect our beaches, ocean, and waterways from offshore drilling”
johnrutherfordforcongress.comAs of August 2026
Gun Policy & Second Amendment
Supports
Rutherford presents himself as a staunch defender of Second Amendment rights. His campaign highlights an NRA endorsement and A rating, framing gun rights as part of his constitutional-conservative record.
“Proud to be NRA endorsed and A-rated! I've always stood strong for our Second Amendment rights.”
facebook.com
Healthcare Access & Affordability
Supports
Supports healthcare affordability: fought for lower treatment and premium costs, protecting pre-existing condition coverage, keeping dependents on parents' insurance until age 26, and lowering prescription drug costs, including for seniors.
“Protect pre-existing condition coverage”
johnrutherfordforcongress.comAs of August 2026
Immigration
Supports
Campaigns on securing the border and enforcing immigration laws: voted to fund the border wall, supports border patrol agents, and cosponsored legislation to close asylum loopholes (H.R. 586, Fix the Immigration Loopholes Act) and to fund the border wall with Treasury forfeiture money (H.R. 714, El Chapo Act).
“Voted to fund building President Trump's border wall, secure our borders and enforce our immigration laws”
johnrutherfordforcongress.comAs of August 2026
Jobs & Job Creation
Supports
Campaign platform priority 'Creating Jobs': supports tax cuts for families and small businesses and federal transportation/logistics funding returning to Northeast Florida to support jobs.
“Voted to support President Trump's tax cuts for families and small businesses, putting more money in your pocket and creating more jobs in our communities - Supported hundreds of millions of dollars of our tax money coming back to Northeast Florida to fund transportation and logistics projects that support tens of thousands of jobs”
johnrutherfordforcongress.comAs of August 2026
Law Enforcement & First Responders
Supports
Backs law enforcement as a core identity: sponsored the bipartisan Protect and Serve Act to increase penalties for ambush-style attacks on officers, reintroduced the Invest to Protect Act funding smaller police departments, advocated School Resource Officers, and introduced H.R. 2379 for bulletproof vests for state and local agencies.
“As a former Sheriff with over 40 years of law enforcement experience, nothing is more important to me than the safety and security of our community.”
rutherford.house.govAs of August 2026
Reproductive Rights & Abortion
Opposes
Rutherford has a consistent pro-life voting record. He voted for H.R. 36, the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, and in 2025 earned an A+ from Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America for consistently voting to protect unborn life.
“Today, I was proud to cast a vote in favor of life.”
rutherford.house.gov
School Safety
Supports
Signature issue: authored the STOP School Violence Act (signed into law in 2018) providing grants for mental health resources, school security infrastructure, and tip lines; introduced the PLAN for School Safety Act (H.R. 2577) and advocated School Resource Officers.
“Authored STOP School Violence Act and got it signed into law by President Trump to make our schools safer”
johnrutherfordforcongress.comAs of August 2026
Taxes
Supports
Supports cutting taxes to fight inflation and boost affordability: campaigns to block new taxes and slash existing taxes, remove government red tape, and voted to support Trump-era tax cuts for families and small businesses.
“Fighting inflation by blocking new taxes and slashing existing taxes”
johnrutherfordforcongress.comAs of August 2026
Veterans
Supports
Supports VA reform and accountability, increased troop pay and resources, expanded mental-health and PTSD funding for the veteran community, and grant programs to help veterans transition from active duty to civilian life (H.R. 1599, 2019) and obtain service animals (H.R. 3103, 2019).
“Voted to reform the VA and hold its employees accountable for the way they treat our heroes”
johnrutherfordforcongress.comAs of August 2026

Education

Education details are not available yet

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Endorsements for John Rutherford

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Support for John Rutherford · 9/15/2026

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