In a rematch of the 2022 general election, Republican congressman Aaron Bean will seek a second term, facing Democrat LaShonda “L.J.” Holloway. Neither candidate faces a primary opponent.
A write-in candidate also qualified to run for this seat in the general election.
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Following redistricting in 2022, the 4th Congressional District covers Duval County west and north of the St. Johns River and all of Nassau County.
News4Jax sent a questionnaire to each party candidate asking about their background and their views on several issues. Scroll down to read the responses of those seeking your vote -- in their own words.
Note: Responses are sorted alphabetically by party and are published exactly as submitted, with no editing by News4Jax staff.
| DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE |
LaShonda “L.J.” Holloway
Occupation: Florida Supreme Court Mediator; Healthcare Advocate; Federally Licensed in the Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System (NMLS).
Age: 54
Family: (no response)
Education: *University of Florida (Juris Doctorate)
*Harvard School of Public Health (case studies in Epidemiology and Biostatistics)
*Edward Waters College (Bachelor of Business Administration)
*Howard University (Business Management)
Political experience: Unconventional Candidate who has never held a political office , but worked in Washington on Capitol Hill for a now deceased Member of Congress; former EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) employee; negotiated the largest deal in History at U.S. Customs and served as Director of the Office of Documents and Administrative Issuances for the District of Columbia Government.
What do you see as the top three issues in this race, and how do you plan to address them?
Democracy is on the ballot in the form of Rights and Freedoms; Affordable Housing and a Fair Living Wage Working Families; Social Security and Healthcare.
How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?
Congress makes laws and as the only woman in the race and the only person with a law degree, I am adept at listening and negotiating. Moreover, I have the most Federal experience with depth and breadth inside the beltway to ensure taxpayers dollars are returned to the People of the Fourth Congressional District.
What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?
I would hope that the People of the Fourth Congressional District would say that their Representative put PEOPLE over partisan politics and as a result they have a BETTER day because of L.J. Holloway!
Campaign website: HollowayforCongress.com
Campaign social media: Facebook | X | Instagram | TikTok
Aaron Bean
Occupation: U.S. Representative, Florida Congressional District 4
Age: 57
Family: Wife, Abby, who is a fifth-generation Clay Countian, along with three now-grown sons, our first grandchild coming at Christmas, and dog, Daisy.
Education: Jacksonville University, B.S. Finance
Political experience: I was elected to Congress on November 8, 2022. Prior to serving in the 118th Congress, I spent 10 years in the Florida Senate after serving eight years in the Florida House of Representatives. Early on, I also served my hometown, while raising a family and running a small business, as a city commissioner and mayor of Fernandina Beach.
What do you see as the top three issues in this race, and how do you plan to address them?
Securing our borders, addressing our spiraling economy and crippling national debt, and supporting our military.
I will work to help secure the border, which is critical to our national security. While in Congress, I cosponsored a comprehensive border package that would have helped to secure the border, prevent human trafficking, and defeat the drug cartels. If reelected, I will continue to support policies that will put an end to the crisis at our southern border and prevent illegal immigrants from entering the country unlawfully.
I will work to address our spiraling economy and crippling national debt, so that we can get on a path to fiscal sustainability. Overspending by the federal government, over-taxation by the federal government, and inflation and supply-chain issues are causes of the economic strain Americans are feeling. We need to do everything we can to allow the free market to thrive and decrease the burdens of government regulation and limit government spending, including having Congress go back to budgeting. In fact, I recently introduced the CUTS Act, which already has 80 cosponsors, to claw back $110 billion in unspent COVID money and Green New Deal money. The reality is that the American people cannot afford to pay the cost of Washington’s spending, and I remain committed to taking action to bring fiscal sustainability to Washington and relief to Americans whose hard-earned dollars aren’t going as far as they use to because of inflation.
I have always supported our military, and this is something that I will continue to do if reelected. While in Congress, I voted in support of the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, which included a 19.5% pay increase for junior soldiers. If Congressional District 4 sends me back to Congress, I will continue to make sure that in Washington it will be heard loud and clear that Florida is grateful for our military, and that we will always stand with them.
How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?
I have a servant’s heart, and I want to protect conservative family values, life and the second amendment in Congress. I want to fight inflation, rising prices and excessive government spending, so we can reduce the national debt, restore fiscal sanity and a create brighter future for our children.
What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?
I hope that I’m remembered for being an active and engaged representative that listens to and fights for his constituency. I hope that our office will always be second to none in providing customer service to my constituents because serving you is what we do. I also hope that I’m remembered for putting promises into action, accomplishing exactly what I say I’m going to do, like sponsoring and leading on the Missing Children’s Assistance Reauthorization Act of 2023, which was signed into law, as well as advocating on important issues that affect the people of Congressional District 4, such as cutting spending, turning the tide on getting our national debt under control and helping to finally secure our border.
Campaign website: aaronbean.com
Campaign social media: Facebook | X | YouTube
Note: Todd Schaefer also qualified as a write-in candidate in this race.