Overview

• Trump announced his backing on Truth Social, hailing Uthmeier as an “America First Warrior” and crediting him with the Everglades detention site dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz.”
• The move likely ends talk of a primary bid by House Speaker Daniel Perez, who signaled the attorney general post was not a race he intended to pursue.
• Uthmeier, appointed in February after Ashley Moody moved to the U.S. Senate, previously served as Ron DeSantis’ chief of staff and briefly as his 2023 presidential campaign manager.
• State prosecutors in Tallahassee have convened a grand jury tied to about $10 million from a Medicaid settlement routed through the Hope Florida charity to a political committee linked to Uthmeier, which he has defended against accusations and denies wrongdoing.
• Uthmeier enters the 2026 race with significant fundraising and is expected to face Democrat José Javier Rodríguez, while Trump’s post also cited Uthmeier’s support for a Miami site for a future presidential library.