U.S. House · Florida's 5th District
William Upham
CandidateIND
- Race
- U.S. House · Florida's 5th District
- Result
- John Rutherford, projected winner
- Opponents
- John Rutherford (R); Rachel Grage (D)
- Research
- Minimal record
Party linenone
No recorded floor votes — not a current legislator in our records.
Said vs. did0 statements · 0 votes
William Upham, a write-in candidate with no party affiliation, lost the November 3, 2026 election for Florida's 5th Congressional District to John Rutherford. Jacksonville Today reports he is a former Marine and former state prosecutor who was arrested in July 2026 and charged with threatening the president; the charge is an allegation, and the report said he faces up to five years in federal prison if convicted.[1][2][3]
On the ballotU.S. House · 5
2026-11-03
| John Rutherford R | incumbent |
| Rachel Grage D | challenger |
| William Upham IND | challenger |
Qualified as a write-in, no-party-affiliation candidate.
Biography
William Upham, a write-in candidate with no party affiliation, lost the November 3, 2026 election for Florida's 5th Congressional District to John Rutherford. Jacksonville Today reports he is a former Marine and former state prosecutor who was arrested in July 2026 and charged with threatening the president; the charge is an allegation, and the report said he faces up to five years in federal prison if convicted.[1][2][3]
Little public record found for this candidate.
Jacksonville Today describes Upham as a former state prosecutor and a discharged U.S. Marine; the Marine Corps said he was medically discharged on May 30, 2025. In a July 2026 video he said he decided to run to "fix our broken political system."[3]
On July 16, 2026, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced that Upham had been arrested and charged with threatening to kill President Trump, based on statements in two Facebook videos, according to the complaint. He appeared in federal court in Jacksonville and was detained; if convicted, he faces up to five years in prison. The charge is unproven, and the report does not include a response from him.[3] He lost to John Rutherford, according to unofficial results reported by NBC News.[1]
Campaign moneyNo FEC filing summary matched — state candidates file with their state, not the FEC.
Profile: /people/william-upham
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Sources cited in this profile
- 1.U.S. House · Florida's 5th District results 2026 · NBC News News report
- 2.Florida's 5th Congressional District election, 2026 · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference
- 3.Jacksonville write-in candidate accused of threatening to kill Trump · Jacksonville Today · 2026-07-16 News report