Democratic candidate Jose Javier Rodriguez released a campaign ad describing his upbringing and ability to fight against "crime and corruption," tying those words to Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, his Republican opponent, in his bid for the position.
The 30-second ad is titled "Give Em Hell."
"My father left communist Cuba. We know what it looks like when the powerful prey on their own people," Rodriguez says. "When I stood up to corporations for screwing us, they tried to give me hell. I gave it right back."
"I've spent my career fighting crime and corruption. My opponent, he uses the office of attorney general to enrich himself and his friends, costing us money, and we're sick of it," Rodriguez adds. "I'm Jose Javier Rodriguez. As attorney general, I'll keep fighting for you."
Notably, Rodriguez does not mention what "enriching" Attorney General Uthmeier has allegedly done in office. The 38-year-old was pressed for holding a $100,000 teaching gig at the University of Florida earlier this year.
Attorney General Uthmeier was also named in a grand jury report for allegedly misusing funds while chief of staff under Gov. Ron DeSantis in the Hope Florida probe. Uthmeier inferred to the report as a "witch hunt" with political motivations.
A Spanish language version of the ad can also be found here.
Rodriguez, who announced his attorney general bid in June 2025, served as Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employment in the Biden administration from 2024-2025. He also served two terms in the Florida House of Representatives from 2012 to 2016 and in the Florida Senate from 2016 to 2020.
A native of Miami, Rodriguez graduated from Miami Palmetto Senior High School and Brown University in 2000. He also earned a law degree from Brown in 2006.
Rodriguez has been endorsed by U.S. Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost (D-FL), former Florida U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, the Florida AFL-CIO’s Committee on Political Education, and more in the race.
The general election is Nov. 3.
