Voters haven’t heard much from the three Democrats running for U.S. House of Representatives in Florida’s 6th District. That shouldn’t be surprising.
The primary isn’t until Aug. 18. And none of the Democratic candidates have raised more than $3,000 through Dec. 31, 2025, the latest filing deadline. But they have been attempting to make noise in recent days by taking incumbent Randy Fine to task for recent comments on immigration, hammering away at “affordability” concerns, and joining local protests.
Eric Yonce posted videos expressing outrage over the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions in Minneapolis, concerns about the pace of growth in Florida and its impact on the environment, and Fine’s support of the Trump Administration’s efforts to acquire or annex Greenland.
Rob Cooper II decries an economy where people “are doing everything right,” but yet are one crisis away from losing everything, saying he wants to offer voters a choice that is different from politicians arguing and fighting for power.
And Ronnie Murchinson-Rivera appeared at a student-led protest in Port Orange last week, holding a DEFUND ICE sign.
So who are these guys?
Rob Cooper II: Former Marine
Robert Cooper II is a 45-year-old former Marine and Iraq war veteran who now lives in Ocala and runs a nonprofit recovery community organization with his wife. Cooper says he didn’t grow up around politics, but is running because he has a distinct idea about the kind of representation he wants to see.
“I’m running because I believe leadership should look like service, not status,” he said in a video posted on his Facebook page.
The South Carolina native said after he left the Marines, he struggled to find purpose.
“My battle with addiction nearly cost me everything,” he posted on his website, where he confessed to serving time in the Hernando County Jail.
Court records show he was adjudicated guilty on a burglary charge.
“I’m running because I live what too many families in Florida’s 6th District are living right now. I know what it feels like to work hard and still fall behind. I know what it’s like to struggle, to rebuild, to start over when the odds are stacked against you,” Cooper said.
“I’ve been counted out before, but I’m still here,” Cooper said in another video. “I fight for everyday people because I lived everyday struggles. I’ve been broke before, choosing which bill to pay first. That’s why affordability is my priority.”
Ronnie Murchinson-Rivera: Former deputy
Murchinson-Rivera, a former Sumter County sheriff’s deputy who also has served as a police officer, emergency dispatcher, and security officer, said he is running for Congress for the same reasons the Atlantic High students protested both on and off campus last week.
“If our young people are upset, we adults have to be upset. What’s happening in this world is not normal. They are taking our country. They are violating people’s constitutional rights. They are killing people.”
He said he has five children and wants to leave them something better.
“As a former law enforcement officer, what is happening with ICE is not normal. We are here to protect the community and serve, and what is happening is not that, and people are fed up, people are tired,” he said.
“That’s why I’m stepping up to run for U.S. Congress as somebody who can represent us, stand up for us, not just bow down to this regime’s every demand.”
Murchinson-Rivera took issue with Fine’s recent announcement that the six sheriffs whose counties comprise Florida’s 6th District had all endorsed him.
“If a sheriff chooses to support a candidate who has repeatedly spread lies, hate, and division, that is a decision made by that individual alone,” he wrote in a Facebook post. “It does not reflect the character or values of the rank and file officers or deputies who continue to serve with professionalism and integrity.”
Eric Yonce: Former retail manager
Yonce, a 43-year-old Ormond Beach resident, said he’s been drawn to elected office after seeing his father, a lifelong Ocala police officer, serve his community.
He has worked in a number of fields, including running a small business, trying his hand at real estate and working in big-box retail management for years.
He admitted he debated running for a city, county or state office, but settled on Congress after witnessing the April 2025 special election between two candidates, Fine and Democrat Josh Weil, who did not live in the district.
“I have a lot more connections to this place than either one of those guys,” Yonce said.
One of his greatest concerns is the impact development is having on communities throughout the 6th District, and how he believes many local elected officials are not listening to their constituents.
“The more I’ve looked into this, the more understanding I have of what a representative can do, and how they should be standing up for their communities and really being that cheerleader,” Yonce said. “We haven’t had that in a long time.”
Those who have represented the area have been more concerned with the “partisan divide” than focusing on “infrastructure projects” that can improve the quality of life, he said.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Who are Democrats challenging Randy Fine in Florida’s 6th?
Reporting by Mark Harper, Daytona Beach News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
