Jacob Ogles
Melbourne Republican Brian Hodgers will run to succeed state Rep. Debbie Mayfield in the Florida House.
“As a small business owner, I understand the importance of keeping government small, securing our border, lowering insurance costs, and protecting our waterways and quality of life,” Hodgers said.
The insurance agency owner becomes the first candidate to announce in House District 32, as a series of political dominoes reached from President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming White House administration to Florida’s Atlantic Coast.
Hodgers will file to run in HD 32 in 2026, but plans to run in a Special Election to replace Mayfield as soon as it gets scheduled. Mayfield has already voiced her intention to run in Senate District 19 in an expected Special Election there.
That Florida Senate seat will open following state Sen. Randy Fine’s resignation to run in a Special Election to replace U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz in Florida’s 6th Congressional District. Fine, who won election to the Senate seat in November, will vacate his seat on March 31. Waltz is expected to leave Congress to be Trump’s National Security Adviser.
Notably, Fine followed Mayfield into the seat after term limits prevented her from seeking an additional consecutive Senate term. Mayfield won the HD 32 House seat over former U.S. Rep. Dave Weldon, who isn’t expected to run because Trump tapped him as his incoming Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
At the moment, that makes Hodgers the only candidate running for Mayfield’s House seat.
“I’m incredibly grateful to have this opportunity to serve the Space Coast in the Florida House,” he said.
He promised to support Florida’s current conservative leadership.
“Thanks to Governor (Ron) DeSantis and our strong conservative leadership in the Florida Legislature, we are proudly known as the Free State of Florida, but I know there is room for us to continue growing and improving,” he said. “That’s why I’m running for this seat. If we work together, I know we can build on this good work and create an even stronger future for Brevard County and the rest of Florida.”
Hodgers’ LinkedIn page lists him as President of Complete Choice Insurance.
He said he would run on Trump’s agenda.
“President Trump and his efforts to get our country back on the right path,” he said. “Right now, the momentum behind the conservative movement is stronger than ever, and it is paramount that we capitalize on this opportunity to elect more pro-America leaders who will put the People first.”
