Rachel Rodriguez runs for Florida lieutenant governor

Rachel Rodriguez, an immigration attorney, is running for Florida lieutenant governor as the running mate of independent gubernatorial candidate Frank Russo. The two appear on the Nov. 3 general election ballot as the Russo-Rodriguez ticket with no party affiliation.

Rodriguez previously ran for governor as a Republican but lost the Aug. 18 primary. She joined Russo's ticket on Aug. 27, according to Florida Division of Elections records. In a press release announcing the pairing, Rodriguez said: "When I said our work was not done, I meant it. I did not enter public service to climb a political ladder."

Other candidates for lieutenant governor include Bryan Avila (Republican), Gwen Graham (Democratic), Benjiman Rojas, Joe Van Vactor, Juan Santana and Ruben A. Coto (all no party preference) and Nicole Skelly (Libertarian), according to BallotReady election data.

Candidate information

Office sought: Florida lieutenant governor
Party: No party affiliation (Russo-Rodriguez 2026 ticket)
Campaign address: 515 North Flagler Drive, Suite 350, West Palm Beach, FL 33401
Education: High school diploma, Tucker High School (1996); bachelor's degree in Spanish and communications, Wheaton College (2000); juris doctor, Rutgers University (2004)
Family: Married, mother of three

Rodriguez describes herself as a Cuban-American whose mother fled Cuba, according to her campaign website. Her father grew up on a small family dairy farm, Rodriguez said in the press release announcing the ticket.

Experience and public service

Rodriguez said she has worked as a litigator and immigration attorney for 20 years, assisting immigrants in finding legal protection and building lives in the United States, according to an Orlando Sentinel voters guide. She founded Vires Law Group PLLC in 2022. She started Paragon Law Group PLLC in 2025, according to BallotReady. She previously served as a partner at Farkas + Toikka LLP from 2014 to 2022. Rodriguez also said she has served as a board member at a private school, according to her campaign website.

On the issues

Rodriguez has outlined positions on several policy areas. All statements below are the candidate's own.

Parental rights and education: Rodriguez said she would protect parents' right to direct their children's education, expand school choice for families regardless of income and defend parental authority over medical decisions. She called childhood moral character development "at a crisis point" and said academic excellence follows when children learn self-control, delayed gratification, respect and courage.

Immigration: Rodriguez said she would protect Floridians from threats to security while never forgetting "the inherent moral value of human beings." She said she could challenge federal immigration law in court if it is unconstitutional and threatens Florida citizens.

Environment and development: Rodriguez said the biggest environmental issue is updating disaster prevention infrastructure, protecting the aquifer system and protecting coastlines. She supports holding developers to standards of self-sustaining construction.

Housing and taxes: Rodriguez said she would work to make homeowner insurance affordable, reform HOA regulation and reduce property insurance costs. She supports moving from production-side to consumption-side taxation and said she backs a constitutional amendment to slash property taxes.

Health freedom: Rodriguez said she would penalize vaccine mandates, protect informed consent and hold hospital administrators accountable. She said health decisions belong to patients and their doctors.