John Henry Rutherford (; born September 2, 1952) is an American politician and former law enforcement officer serving as the U.S. representative from Florida's 5th congressional district since 2017. A member of the Republican Party, his district encompasses southeast Jacksonville and all of St. Johns County.
Rutherford was an officer with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office for four decades, before being elected Duval County sheriff in 2003; he remained in that post until 2015. In 2016, he ran for the House of Representatives in what was at the time Florida's 4th congressional district. He won the election and was reelected in 2018, 2020, and 2022.
Early life and education
John Rutherford was born in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1952. His father was in the U.S. Navy and was serving in Korea at the time of his son's birth. In the 1950s, Rutherford's family moved to Jacksonville, Florida. He graduated from Nathan Bedford Forest High School in 1970. He surfed in his free time. In 1972, he earned his Associate of Science in criminology from Florida State College at Jacksonville, formerly Florida Junior College, followed by his Bachelor of Science in criminology from Florida State University in 1974. He was promoted to sergeant in 1980
The Florida Times-Union reported in 2015, "Supporters and even those who criticize him say Rutherford has been steadfast and unwavering in his faith and his convictions as a lawman, a trait some say has brought success while others say is to his detriment." Overall, the Jacksonville crime rate was about the same at the beginning and end of Rutherford's tenure. Originally he announced he would run for Florida's 6th congressional district in 2015. Because the 4th district is a Republican safe seat, Rutherford was heavily favored in each election.
In the August 2016 Republican primary, Rutherford faced State Representative Lake Ray, St. Johns County Commissioner Bill McClure and former St. Johns Water Management District executive director Hans Tanzler III. Rutherford won the nomination with 38.7% of the vote, to Ray's 20.1%, Tanzler's 19.0%, and McClure's 9.8%. In the general election, Rutherford defeated Democratic nominee David Bruderly,
2018
In 2018, Rutherford was challenged by Democratic nominee Ges Selmont, a Ponte Vedra Beach attorney. He was reelected, 65.2% to 32.4%.
thumb|right|Rutherford during the [[115th United States Congress (2017)]]
2020
In 2020, Rutherford won re-nomination in a low-key Republican primary, defeating retired Navy chief petty officer Erick Aguilar with 80.2% of the vote to Aguilar's 19.8%. In the general election, Rutherford defeated Democratic nominee Donna Deegan, a former local TV anchor and breast cancer awareness advocate,
2022
Rutherford won the Republican primary with 65.6% of the vote. He was uncontested in the general election.
2024
Rutherford ran for re-election in 2024.
Tenure
On January 11, 2017, Rutherford collapsed on the floor of the House, in what his staffers described as an "acute digestive flareup"; he was taken to the hospital, and released ten days later.
Committee assignments
For the 118th Congress:
- Committee on Appropriations
- Subcommittee on Homeland Security
- Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies
- Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
Caucus memberships
- Republican Main Street Partnership
- Republican Governance Group
- Congressional NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus
- Congressional Coalition on Adoption
- Rare Disease Caucus
Investigation
In February 2021, Rutherford joined the House Committee on Ethics. The Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) board filed a February 2022 report stating that there was "substantial reason to believe" The House Committee on Ethics released a report on May 31, 2022, indicating that it was investigating one of its members over repeated reporting violations of the STOCK Act, enacted in 2012 to prevent insider trading using non-public information by members of Congress and other government employees. Members of Congress are required to report any stock transaction over $1,000 within 45 days. Violations are subject to a $200 fine. Between January 2017 and December 2021, Rutherford had 157 late reports involving trades worth between $652,000 and $3.5 million.
Rutherford initially contended that the stock trades are made by the manager of his IRA, so he should have been exempt from the reporting requirements. One of his lawyers, Kate Belinski, sent the OCE a letter on March 18, 2022, insisting that the late reports were "an entirely inadvertent oversight" based on a "simple misunderstanding of the requirements". He voted against a majority of fellow Republicans approximately 3.9% of the time.
Gun policy
In 2017, Rutherford signed a letter to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives expressing his support for legislation to ban bump stocks.
From 2015 to 2016, Rutherford received $1,000 in campaign donations from the NRA Political Victory Fund.
In 2018, Rutherford sponsored a bill, the STOP (Students, Teachers, and Officers Preventing) School Violence Act, that authorized $50 million a year to create a federal grant program "to train students, teachers and law enforcement on how to spot and report signs of gun violence"; the House approved the bill, 407–10. The bill authorized funding for the development of "anonymous telephone and online systems where people could report threats of violence" and $25 million for schools to "improve and harden their security, such as installing new locks, lights, metal detectors and panic buttons." A separate spending bill would be required to provide money for the grant program;
Environment
In interviews in 2016 and 2019, he acknowledged the existence of climate change but questioned the scientific consensus that human activity has caused the increase in warming. He has criticized the Green New Deal proposal as a "socialist manifesto". In 2019, in a break with Trump's position, Rutherford voted in favor of legislation to ban offshore drilling along the Atlantic coast, Pacific coast, and eastern Gulf of Mexico coast.
Health care
Rutherford supported the unsuccessful 2017 effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
LGBT rights
Rutherford voted against the Equality Act in 2019 and 2021.
Policing and criminal justice
Being one of two former sheriffs in Congress, citing his Catholic faith. a measure he praised as good for the economy.
Foreign and military policy
Rutherford's district includes two major U.S. Navy bases (Naval Air Station Jacksonville and Naval Station Mayport), and he has pressed issues important to the bases. Like other members of Florida's delegation, he pressed for two squadrons of the F-35 Lightning II to be based with the 125th Fighter Wing of the Florida Air National Guard in Jacksonville. On January 7, 2021, after the Capitol was attacked by a pro-Trump mob in an attempted insurrection, Rutherford was one of 138 House Republicans who voted not to count the electoral votes from Arizona and Pennsylvania, despite a number of audits and recounts confirming the election outcome in those states.
In December 2020, Rutherford was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives to sign an amicus brief in support of Texas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at the U.S. Supreme Court that sought to overturn the election results. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case on the basis that Texas lacked standing under Article III of the Constitution to challenge the results of an election held by another state.
After Trump was impeached for his role in inciting a pro-Trump mob to storm the Capitol over false claims of election fraud, Rutherford condemned Representative Liz Cheney for voting to impeach Trump, accusing her of not being a "team player."
Immigration
In 2018, Rutherford defended the Trump administration policy of separating parents and children at the U.S.-Mexico border, and opposed legislation that would end the practice. After coming under pressure, Trump reversed his policy, a move Rutherford welcomed.
In 2017, Rutherford introduced legislation to create a path to citizenship for holders of E-2 Treaty Investor Visas, a special visa for business owners.
Social issues
Rutherford opposes abortion. In interviews in 2015, he contended that the U.S. had a "culture of death" he attributed to Roe v. Wade
Veterans
Rutherford voted against the Honoring our PACT Act of 2022 which expanded VA benefits to veterans exposed to toxic chemicals during their military service.
Other
Rutherford has supported the use of earmarks and has called for the elimination or restriction of the U.S. Senate rule that requires 60 Senate votes to invoke cloture (i.e., end debate on bills); he described both proposals as a way to facilitate compromise between the parties and reduce gridlock. Rutherford has said that he supports local referendums to resolve disputes over the fate of public Confederate monuments.
On August 30, 2016, he won the Republican primary for Florida's 4th Congressional District.
Personal life
Rutherford is married to his wife, Patricia, and has two children He and his wife are Roman Catholic.