Rachel Grage
Rachel Grage (Democratic Party) is running for election to the U.S. House to represent Florida's 5th Congressional District. She declared candidacy for the Democratic primary scheduled on August 18, 2026.[source]
Grage completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Rachel Grage was born in Oswego, New York. She earned both a bachelor's degree and a graduate degree from Tulane University. Grage has been affiliated with Catholic Charities, Equality Florida, and the Democratic Women’s Club of Florida.[1]
Elections
2026
See also: Florida's 5th Congressional District election, 2026
Florida's 5th Congressional District election, 2026 (August 18 Democratic primary)
Florida's 5th Congressional District election, 2026 (August 18 Republican primary)
General election
The primary will occur on August 18, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Florida District 5
Rachel Grage, Alexander Hazen, Mark Heggestad, and Eli Johnson are running in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Florida District 5 on August 18, 2026.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Wyatt Clark (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Florida District 5
Incumbent John Rutherford, Mark Kaye, and Donald Muirheid are running in the Republican primary for U.S. House Florida District 5 on August 18, 2026.
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| 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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Endorsements
Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.
2024
See also: Florida House of Representatives elections, 2024
General election
General election for Florida House of Representatives District 16
Incumbent Kiyan Michael defeated Rachel Grage in the general election for Florida House of Representatives District 16 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Kiyan Michael (R) | 60.7 | 56,171 |
 | Rachel Grage (D) | 39.3 | 36,340 | |
| Total votes: 92,511 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Rachel Grage advanced from the Democratic primary for Florida House of Representatives District 16.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Kiyan Michael advanced from the Republican primary for Florida House of Representatives District 16.
Campaign finance
Endorsements
To view Grage's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here. Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Grage in this election.
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Rachel Grage completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Grage's responses.
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- The rising cost of everyday living for working families I am focused on reducing the day-to-day living expenses that families face, such as the cost of health care premiums and out-of-pocket expenses, the affordability of insurance, the availability of housing, and other elements that have a direct impact on the financial stability of American households. This is the place where I will be making a difference. I am committed to making it easier for families to plan, reduce uncertainty, and keep the services they need and want within reach. Our government should be loosening the squeeze, not tightening it.
- Government Accountability Public servants are responsible for being accountable to the people they serve Accountability is a basic tenet of public service. Elected leaders must be reachable, open about their actions and accountable for their votes. We need regular and meaningful engagement with the community, clear lines of oversight of government activities, and a Congress that is doing its job and acting within its constitutional authority. Representation should require that our elected officials listen, respond, and are accountable to the public they serve.
- Strengthening Democratic Institutions and Protecting Rights Mission Statement I support reinforcing our democratic institutions by ensuring that our constitutional processes, checks and balances, and the rule of law are strong We must protect individual rights, the separation of powers, and the limits of government as outlined in our Constitution. Additionally, democratic institutions should operate in a lawful manner, with transparency and oversight. A healthy and vibrant democracy relies on public trust and a well-functioning government, fair representation, and leaders that are respectful of civil liberties as well as the Constitution.
I am passionate about health care costs and access, including defending Medicare and Social Security and preventing Americans from being priced out of basic care. I also prioritize housing and insurance affordability, which are huge problems in Florida where costs are increasing and climate change impacts are leaving families and seniors vulnerable and in real instability.
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.
2024
Video for Ballotpedia
| Video submitted to Ballotpedia Released June 30 2024 |
Rachel Grage completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Grage's responses.
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At Tulane, I met my spouse, whose military career took us to Hawaii and Kentucky. We were blessed with two children, and after returning to upstate New York, we welcomed twin girls. We spent two decades building a home in our community, where I served as president of our 3500-home community association. We later relocated to Florida, where I became active in local democratic clubs and served as a legislative liaison.
I’m running for District 16 because I'm tired of culture war politics and I think it's time we get back to real issues that matter to most people. I believe in diverse representation and the power of democracy. I’m also deeply involved in volunteer work with Catholic Charities and Equality Florida. I’m passionate about the arts, having performed in numerous plays and musicals in Jacksonville and previously serving on theater boards in New York.
My husband is a radiologist at Mayo Clinic. And family drives my dedication to public service.- Skyrocketing insurance premium and housing costs are a key problem for my district.
We must: - pass legislation for fair insurance practices, increase oversight, and encourage market competition - invest in disaster resilience, support state assistance for low-income residents, and demand clearer rate information - strengthen state reinsurance to stabilize the market and lower premiums - enhance fraud prevention efforts to minimize fraudulent claims, which contribute to higher premiums
- encourage partnerships with federal programs like FEMA to increase resources for disaster recovery, lowering financial pressure on insurers. - Provide more funding for education. Inadequate funding is leading to the closing of some of our beloved local public schools. Florida ranks near the bottom nationally in terms of public education funding, and several steps can be taken to address this, including: - increasing state budget allocation: Florida can raise its education budget by reallocating funds from other areas and increasing the percentage of state revenues dedicated to public schools. - leveraging federal grants: Florida can actively pursue more federal education grants and programs to supplement state funding, especially for low-income or high-need schools. - incentivizing public-private partnerships: Encourage partnerships between local businesses and public schools.
- Economic growth and the need for robust economic and job creation initiatives. I support policies to stimulate economic growth and attract investment through tools like Economic Development Ad Valorem Tax Exemptions. Prioritizing workforce development, apprenticeships, and job training will equip Floridians with skills for high-demand industries. I'll address income inequality and advocate for fair wages, benefits, and strong workplace protections.
Public education is also a top priority for me. As a state, we rank near the bottom nationally in education funding, and our teachers and students deserve far better. I’m committed to increasing funding for our schools, raising teacher pay, and ensuring that every child in Florida has access to a world-class education.
Integrity means staying true to your values and making decisions that genuinely serve the people, not special interests.
Accessibility ensures that I remain available to listen to my constituents, understand their concerns, and keep the lines of communication open.
This means advocating for policies that improve education, lower the cost of housing and insurance, protect healthcare access, and support small businesses. It’s also essential to be transparent and accessible, making sure constituents’ voices are heard and respected. Ultimately, the job is about serving the people and working to build a stronger, more equitable community.
• Sierra Club
• Everytown for Gun Safety
• NOW (National Organization for Women)
• Florida AFL-CIO
• Democratic Women’s Club of Florida
• Duval Democratic Asian Pacific Caucus
• Democratic Environmental Caucus of Florida
• Democratic Hispanic Caucus of Florida
• FL House Rep. Angie Nixon
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 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
2026 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on September 8, 2024
