Former Brevard School Board Member Jennifer Jenkins Enters Congressional Race Against Rep. Randy Fine

Jenkins Switches From U.S. Senate Bid to Challenge Fine in Florida’s 6th Congressional District

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA — A contentious political feud that began in Brevard school board politics has escalated to a national stage, as former Brevard Public Schools Board member Jennifer Jenkins announced her candidacy to challenge Republican U.S. Rep. Randy Fine in Florida’s 6th Congressional District.

Jenkins, a Democrat who had been running for her party’s nomination for U.S. Senate, abruptly shifted her campaign last week to seek the House seat held by Fine.

“There’s a fine line between chaos and leadership, and Randy Fine crossed it a long time ago,” she said, declaring that voters on both sides of the aisle “need real representation, and it’s not Fine.”

Fine won 57 percent of the vote in the 2025 special election to represent Florida’s 6th District and was elected in April 2025 after former Rep. Mike Waltz resigned to serve in the presidential administration.

The congressman’s background includes service in both chambers of the Florida Legislature, representing Brevard County, before his election to Congress. He previously served in the state House from 2016 to 2024 and served a short term in the state Senate before his resignation to assume his congressional seat.

Jenkins served on the Brevard Public Schools board, where she often clashed with conservative activists and GOP leaders over public health measures, including mask mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fine, then a state legislator emerged as her most visible critic, and the campaign has already drawn sharp rebukes from both sides.

Republican Party of Florida officials and Fine allies described Jenkins’ switch from the Senate race as opportunistic. Party leaders accused her of “folding” in the Senate primary and “shopping for relevance” rather than offering substantive leadership.

Florida’s 6th Congressional District spans from just south of St. Augustine in St. Johns County to parts of Lake, Volusia, Marion, and Putnam counties. Fine’s special election win and previous GOP margins in the area underscore the challenge Jenkins faces in November’s general election.

Jenkins now joins a crowded Democratic primary field, positioning her campaign as a referendum on Fine’s conduct and style of leadership rather than purely on partisan issues.

If both she and Fine secure their party nominations in the June primaries, they are set for a head-to-head contest in what Democrats see as a potential upset opportunity in a district with tighter-than-expected margins.

Similar Stories