Tampa Bay 28 invited more than 200 candidates running in the August 18, 2026, primary election across our five-county area to submit the following: a candidate photo, a 100-word biography, and responses to three questions:
- Why are you running for office?
- In your own words, what differentiates you from your opponents?
- Explain what you see as the most important issue facing our community and how are you uniquely qualified to address that issue?
The following candidates responded to our questionnaire.
Jonathan Harris
Background(provided by candidate):
I'm running to represent Florida's 16th Congressional District, which now includes Manatee, DeSoto, and Hardee counties, along with parts of St. Petersburg, Sarasota, and Polk County. I've served 20 years in the Army and Army Reserves, and I'm still serving today. I work as an Information Security Analyst supporting Special Operations Command, giving me hands-on experience with emerging technologies like AI and how government actually works. I'm raising two daughters under age 10, so I know the pressures families here face. I've never run for office before. This campaign isn't a stepping stone, it's a continuation of the same service I've given this nation for two decades.
Why are you running for office?
I'm running because families across FL-16, from St. Petersburg through Manatee, DeSoto, and Hardee, into Sarasota and Polk County, are struggling with rising insurance costs, the cost of living, and gaps in healthcare access that Washington has ignored for too long. As a father of two young daughters, I feel these pressures at home, not just in policy briefings. My 20 years of military service, including my current time in the Army Reserves, taught me that leadership means showing up and doing the work. I'm not chasing a title. I'm continuing a career of service, just in a different form.
In your own words, what differentiates you from your opponents?
While my opponents have run for office before, I haven't, and that's intentional. I'm not using this campaign as a launching pad for something bigger; it's the next chapter of a career built entirely around service. That perspective shapes how I'd legislate: pragmatically, and focused on outcomes rather than political positioning.
My current work in information security gives me a level of fluency on AI and emerging technology that most candidates simply don't have, which matters as Congress grapples with how to regulate these systems responsibly. My ongoing time in the Army Reserves and experience working within federal agencies means I understand how government actually functions, not just how it's talked about on the campaign trail. And because I won't take money from utility companies profiting off coal and methane gas, I can approach energy and resilience policy with independence my opponents lack.
Being a parent to two young daughters keeps me grounded in what actually matters to families here: affordability, safety, and a future worth handing off to the next generation.
Explain what you see as the most important issue facing our community and how are you uniquely qualified to address that issue?
The most urgent issue facing FL-16 is affordability, spanning insurance, housing, healthcare, and daily costs, all made worse by climate disasters and unchecked development. Coastal communities face rising insurance premiums and worsening storms, while inland areas in DeSoto, Hardee, and Polk County are contending with water management and infrastructure strain. These challenges look different depending on where you live in this district, but they all come down to the same thing: people are being asked to pay more for less security.
I've spent my career solving complex problems within large, high-stakes systems, and I bring that same discipline to how I'd approach affordability in Congress: identify what's actually driving costs, and fix the root problem instead of offering short-term fixes. As a parent, I feel these pressures every time I look at a grocery receipt or an insurance renewal notice. And because I refuse campaign money from utility companies profiting off coal and methane gas, I can push for honest, independent reform on energy costs and resilience, without a conflict of interest pulling me in a different direction. Every community in this district, coastal or inland, deserves a representative who's fighting for lower costs, not protecting the industries driving them up.
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