Jay McGovern
Jay McGovern (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Florida's 5th Congressional District. He lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.
McGovern completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Jay McGovern was born in Sanford, Florida. McGovern's career experience includes working as an engineer. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1979 to 2013. McGovern earned a bachelor's degree from the United States Naval Academy in 1983 and a graduate degree from Naval Postgraduate School in 1991. McGovern has been affiliated with NSPE.[1]
Elections
2024
See also: Florida's 5th Congressional District election, 2024
Florida's 5th Congressional District election, 2024 (August 20 Republican primary)
Florida's 5th Congressional District election, 2024 (August 20 Democratic primary)
General election
General election for U.S. House Florida District 5
Incumbent John Rutherford defeated Jay McGovern and Gary Koniz in the general election for U.S. House Florida District 5 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | ![]() | John Rutherford (R) | 63.1 | 267,471 |
![]() | Jay McGovern (D) ![]() | 36.9 | 156,570 | |
![]() | Gary Koniz (No Party Affiliation) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 23 |
Total votes: 424,064 | ||||
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Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Jay McGovern advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Florida District 5.
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Florida District 5
Incumbent John Rutherford defeated Mara Macie in the Republican primary for U.S. House Florida District 5 on August 20, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | ![]() | John Rutherford | 67.1 | 48,628 |
![]() | Mara Macie ![]() | 32.9 | 23,792 |
Total votes: 72,420 | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Jim May (R)
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for McGovern in this election.
2020
See also: Florida House of Representatives elections, 2020
General election
General election for Florida House of Representatives District 15
Incumbent Wyman Duggan defeated Tammyette Thomas in the general election for Florida House of Representatives District 15 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | ![]() | Wyman Duggan (R) | 53.8 | 45,360 |
Tammyette Thomas (D) ![]() | 46.2 | 39,000 |
Total votes: 84,360 | ||||
![]() | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Florida House of Representatives District 15
Tammyette Thomas defeated Jay McGovern in the Democratic primary for Florida House of Representatives District 15 on August 18, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | Tammyette Thomas ![]() | 59.8 | 8,014 | |
![]() | Jay McGovern ![]() | 40.2 | 5,383 |
Total votes: 13,397 | ||||
![]() | ||||
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Wyman Duggan advanced from the Republican primary for Florida House of Representatives District 15.
2016
Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Republican. Incumbent Ron DeSantis (R) sought re-election in 2016. He defeated William McCullough (D) in the general election on November 8, 2016. DeSantis defeated G.G. Galloway and Fred Costello in the Republican primary, while McCullough defeated Jay McGovern, George Pappas, and Dwayne Taylor to win the Democratic nomination. The primary elections took place on August 30, 2016.[2][3]
Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | ![]() |
58.6% | 213,519 | |
Democratic | William McCullough | 41.4% | 151,051 | |
Total Votes | 364,570 | |||
Source: Florida Division of Elections |
Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() |
61% | 41,311 | ||
Fred Costello | 24.7% | 16,690 | ||
G.G. Galloway | 14.3% | 9,683 | ||
Total Votes | 67,684 | |||
Source: Florida Division of Elections |
Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() |
36.6% | 16,043 | ||
Dwayne Taylor | 28.8% | 12,625 | ||
Jay McGovern | 19.1% | 8,388 | ||
George Pappas | 15.4% | 6,762 | ||
Total Votes | 43,818 | |||
Source: Florida Division of Elections |
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Jay McGovern completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by McGovern's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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|He believes we need to put our Country ahead of our political party. He is also committed to a positive campaign -- no negative ads or name calling.
Jay is committed to Florida, its natural beauty and its citizens. He believes in science. He believes women should have the same freedom and bodily autonomy men enjoy. He’d like to reform our immigration system, specifically, increase legal immigration with an easier path to citizenship. Jay will continue efforts to lower consumers costs of living, including capping out-of-pocket medical expenses and prescription drug costs. He believes Medicare should include eyes, ears and teeth and everyone should have a safe and financially secure retirement. As a veteran Nation security is important to Jay. He recognizes that you cannot have a strong Nation with sick uneducated children. He will endeavor to improve public education and children’s healthcare.- We are stronger together! Politicians try to divide us but we have more in common with our Democrat and Republicans neighbors than they would have us believe. We share values and a love for our families, friends and Country.
- If I am privileged to serve as your representative, everything I do will be tied to actions that strengthen our Nation and improve the lives of our fellow countrymen. Because we aren’t going back!
- We aspire to put our Country ahead of our political party... this year we can do that with our vote. We are all tired of negativity and gloom. I am committed to a positive campaign -- no negative ads or name calling.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Campaign website
McGovern's campaign website stated the following:
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I’m a practical American who understands that right sized Government has a role in our lives. I want to represent you and enact practical solutions to keep America working and set us up for future success. You work hard, pay your taxes, and deserve quality representation and positive results. I’m one of the majority of Americans who identify as somewhere in the middle of the political spectrum. I am socially liberal and fiscally practical. Gerrymandering doesn’t give those of us in the middle much of a voice – unless we turn out and vote! I'm a Democratic running in a Republican leaning district because we can all see that partisan gridlock is getting us nowhere. We have learned, we cannot change the way the politicians act, we can only change our behavior. Specifically, how we vote. We cannot keep sending the same people to Washington and expect better results – we will merely get more of the same finger pointing excuses for not getting things done. We need new representation to shift from the failed 19th Century “trickle-down” dogma – the belief that if we take care of big business, business will take care of us. We need 21st Century solutions that invest in people, human rights, small businesses, and innovation while being fiscally responsible. BORDER SECURITY & IMMIGRATION Why is it so hard for workers to legally come to the United States? Congress hasn’t enacted any meaningful immigration reform since Ronald Regan was President over 40 years ago. The world sure has changed since then. But old school Republican politicians don’t really want to fix immigration. They just want to fear monger around the issue, and recently proved this with votes against even considering a historic bipartisan immigration bill. IT'S COMMON SENSE: A workable solution for illegal immigration would be to require a fee for work visas and expand the visa program. This would dramatically reduce illegal immigration and reduce taxpayer expense. PERSONAL SAFTEY More and more Americans feel unsafe as they go about their daily lives. Statistically, America is safe, but there are places where life shattering violence is too common. We must refocus policing to a “guardian” mentality, moving away from an “enforcement” mentality. OUR FIRST RESPONDERS RISK THEIR LIVES EVERY DAY: In many cases, they respond to calls that are more dangerous because Congress has failed to adequately address gun violence, mental health, and society’s well being. We do not need to limit gun ownership to enhance gun safety. We can treat addiction like an illness not a crime. We can reduce crime by providing a positive vision and a path for people to become upwardly mobile again. RESPECT FOR EACH OTHER The overturning of Roe v. Wade was an attack on Women’s rights, and not something that will prevent abortions. In fact we have seen that it threatens IVF, and endangers the lives of abused girls and mothers in medical distress. The idea that the Government should dictate what a woman does with her body is the antithesis of Liberty. Most Americans feel abortions should be safe, legal, and very rare. Now we have learned they need to be safe, legal, rare and free of Government overreach. Republican politicians perpetuate a ruse that this is a States rights issue. IT'S NOT. it is a private issue not a government issue. We don't want politicians and lawyers in the business of family planning. LIBERTY IS PARAMOUNT: To my friends and neighbors who have a deeply held belief that abortion is wrong; I am not asking for you to compromise your beliefs. I am asking that you not allow government to infringe on the liberty and privacy or our fellow Americans. BACK TO A BALANCED BUDGET To get back to sane governance, you need a representative in Congress who will do the hard work to stop the politics of continuing resolutions and threats to shutdown Government. Those tactics need to be replaced with rigorous debate through the bi-annual budget process. JUST 24 YEARS AGO, THE BUDGET WAS BALANCED: We didn’t have to cut social security or compromise our National Security to do it. But it did call for compromise and tough decisions. As an engineer, I will take a practical approach and examine the budget and our spending. First, we need to understand what has changed in the last 24 years that have prevented Congress from balancing the budget. The threats to our National Security have evolved. Russia, China, Iran, and Terrorism remain real threats to Americans and our National Interests. The Global market has also evolved with new threats to intellectual property and cyber security. We have seen huge growth in the federal bureaucracy. The Department of Homeland Security was created, and border spending is at record highs. Congress passed two major tax cuts intended to pay for themselves with economic growth that have only that have added to the National debt. Congress needs to stop the politics of continuing resolutions and threats to shutdown government. Those political tactics need to be replaced with rigorous policy debate throughout the bi-annual budget process.[4] |
” |
—Jay McGovern's campaign website (2024)[5] |
2020
Jay McGovern completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by McGovern's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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|I served 30-years in the Navy, as a helicopter pilot and Commanding Officer. I have also worked in both public and private sectors as an engineer with large and small businesses, worked independently as well as on large teams having had the responsibility of leading as many as 1,000 employees.
In the midst of the pandemic, we have seen the best in each other and yet the worst from our leadership. We know the pandemic has changed our world, the future is uncertain. It's time to be bold in order to build the future we want.- As a veteran, I understands to build a strong nation, you need healthy educated children. We need world-class public education.
- We can grow businesses AND a workforce who have wages that make housing affordable, rather than having to create "affordable housing".
- We need to be better stewards of our environment. Build a generation of Floridians who explore rather than exploit nature.
Economic opportunity, We don't have to choose between attracting businesses and protecting workers or consumers, we can do both. I will take my business acumen to Tallahassee to create policy and law that encourages business growth while respecting our environment and the needs of our workforce and consumers. It's time to put people before corporations.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
2016
The following issues were listed on McGovern's campaign website. For a full list of campaign themes, click here.
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—Jay McGovern's campaign website, http://www.jaymcgovern.com/#issues |
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
See also
2024 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on September 12, 2024
- ↑ Florida Department of State, "Candidate Listing for 2016 General Election," accessed June 25, 2016
- ↑ Politico, " Florida House Races Results," August 30, 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Jay McGovern's campaign website, "Our focus," accessed September 24, 2024