'Blue wave' stops at Jacksonville area congressional seats

U.S. Rep. Aaron Bean withstood a surge of support in Duval County for challenger LasShonda "L.J." Holloway in their third showdown for the congressional seat that Bean won in 2022.

Holloway racked up a huge margin in the western half of Duval County but Bean was able to make up that ground by winning the Nassau and Clay county portions of the district.

U.S. Rep. John Rutherford won with a bigger margin in his contest with challenger Rachel Grage. Rutherford, R-Jacksonville, defeated Grage for the 5th District seat that covers much of the eastern half of Duval County and all of St. Johns County.

Bean, F-Fernandina Beach, defeated Holloway in 2022 to go to Congress and won again in 2024 for his re-election. He won 60.5% of the vote against Holloway in 2022 and 57.3% in 2024 .

The outcome in their third contest was much closer. Bean won bout 50.3% to 48% for Holloway

While both congressional districts are drawn to favor Republicans, the balance is closer in the 4th District because it contains the part of Duval County that is the power base of the Democratic Party. Nassau and Clay Counties are overwhelmingly Republican.

Rutherford kept his unbeaten streak going in politics. He won three terms as Jacksonville sheriff and won his sixth term in Congress this election. He won in Duval County and ran up an even bigger margin in St. Johns County.

Bean, a former state senator, won his third two-year term in the House.

"I vow to continue fighting to address the issues that Northeast Floridians are dealing with every day — the rising cost of living, access to affordable and quality healthcare, and the safety of our communities," he said.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: 'Blue wave' stops at Jacksonville area congressional seats