NORTHEAST TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL) — Republican Austin Rogers and Democrat Amanda Marie Green will face off in November's general election for Florida's 2nd Congressional District — a race that could influence partisan control of the U.S. House.
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Dr. Neal Dunn announced his retirement from Congress earlier this year, after serving as the District 2 representative for nearly a decade.
Rogers and Green each won their respective party primaries earlier this month to advance to the general election.
Both candidates say they are focused on the issues facing North Florida residents.
Rogers says the economy, affordability, and artificial intelligence are central to his campaign.
"Some of the issues that I talk about on the campaign trail every day is jobs, the economy, affordability — that is a priority on day one. That is something that we have to address. We have to make life more affordable again for citizens in both the district [and] in the United States more broadly,” Rogers said. “Artificial intelligence is another important issue. A lot of people feel a sense of fear about it. Some people feel a sense of promise and hope about it. There's a needle to thread there where we are ensuring that America is on the cutting edge of this seismic technology but also ensuring that we're protecting American workers, we're protecting our kids' online safety.”
Green says rural development and the cost of living are at the core of her platform.
"Folks are concerned about the fact that Congress is...corruption is distracting them from addressing the real problems that Florida families and our working families are facing like the rising costs of living. Gas is through the roof. Whether talking about groceries, healthcare, housing, we have a cost of living crisis that is not being addressed. And so a core part of our platform is that I've committed to sitting on the Agriculture Committee, which, in addition to supporting our farmers and our nutritional assistance programs, also offers oversight and oversees the rural development projects that invest in things like broadband expansion, rural healthcare, and rural education," Green said.
The seat carries national significance. Republicans currently hold the House majority 218-212, meaning this race could affect which party controls the chamber.
Both candidates say they are now focused on building support ahead of November.
"Next steps is frankly that we passed this first hurdle, and now we've gotten even bigger one in front of us and so it's building the coalition that we need to win the general. We've been focused on that that strong coalition from the jump," Green said.
"We're going to keep doing what we have been doing which is just meeting as many voters as we can, ensuring that we're hearing from all the relevant stakeholders and to ensure that we are well situated on day one to represent this district well," Rogers said.
Early voting begins Oct. 19 and runs through Nov. 1. Election Day is Nov. 3.
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