Jacob Ogles
Volusia County Councilman Jake Johansson will run for Senate in 2026 instead of seeking re-election.
The Port Orange Republican will run in Senate District 8 to succeed retiring Sen. Tommy Wright.
“I spent decades in the Navy to make America great and I want to continue my work as our next State Senator, because Florida is on the frontlines of so many important battles,” Johansson said in a prepared statement.
“Our state needs tried and true conservative leadership to continue making Florida a model for the rest of America. I will be a passionate, principled fighter for critical public safety needs, educational and workforce opportunities, tax reform and personal freedoms.”
Right now, Johansson faces former Rep. Elizabeth Fetterhoff, a DeLand Republican who lost a tight incumbent-on-incumbent race in 2022 against Rep. Webster Barnaby.
Johansson previously worked in the White House as an aide to former Vice President Dick Cheney and at periods carried one of the nuclear footballs during former President George W. Bush’s presidency. In total, he served 35 years in the U.S. Navy.
While the election remains almost two years away, Johansson said he felt it was important to pull a campaign together now. He stressed he will continue in his current role as County Commissioner but will not seek another term.
A former Port Orange City Manager, Johansson won election to an at-large seat on the Volusia County Council in 2022.
Wright, a Port Orange Republican, won his seat in 2018 as a replacement candidate for the late Sen. Dorothy Hukill. Wright cannot seek another term in the Senate because of term limits.
The seat leans heavily Republican. Wright last stood election there in 2022, where he won 62% of the vote over Democrat Andrea Williams. Ahead of this year’s General Election, about 42.6% of registered voters in the district were Republican, while some 27.8% were registered as Democrats.
