Jordan Hensley, a Democrat from Port Richey, is running for Florida State Senate District 21 in the Nov. 3, 2026, special election to fill the rest of an unexpired term. He faces Republican Christopher M. Nocco.

Hensley, a bartender at the Fenway Hotel in Dunedin, is a first-time candidate. Asked why he is running, Hensley said in our questionnaire: "When the current senator announced he was retiring early, my opponent announced that same day he was running for his seat. … When I realized that no one else had registered to run against the sheriff, I decided that this race was exactly the right one for me."

Candidate information

Party: Democratic

Family: "My wife Hannah and I live in Port Richey with our dog Chewie. I have two sisters who live in the Cincinnati area with their husbands and our eight nieces and nephews. My father lives in Kentucky, and my mother passed away a few years ago in New Port Richey. My in-laws live in Largo, and my sister-in-law lives with her husband in Seattle."

Education: "I have a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, with a minor in communications/media. I graduated from Mount Union College (now University of Mount Union) in my hometown of Alliance, Ohio, in 2008."

Previous elected or appointed office: "None. I'm a first timer in the political landscape."

Experience and public service

Asked about his occupation and work history, Hensley said in our questionnaire: "Currently I am a bartender at the historic Fenway Hotel in Dunedin. Before this, I was a bartender/ manager for Barfly Saltwater Grille in Safety Harbor. And prior to that I did the same at Smokey Bones in Clearwater. I've been in the service industry for almost 15 years, since before I moved to Florida in 2013."

He added: "After graduating college in 2008 I worked at a local radio station in the northeast Ohio area, and then a local hospital, before moving to Columbus to help with a friend's brewery. That's where I started working in the restaurant business and it's what I've been doing ever since."

Asked what accomplishments show he can handle the job, Hensley said: "I think everyone has probably experienced the organized chaos that is a busy restaurant on a weekend night. … My abilities to multitask, prioritize, see a job through from beginning to end, know when to ask for help, and make sure that guests are satisfied at the end of their experience will all help me …"

On the issues

Asked how his service-industry background shapes his view of what District 21 families need, Hensley said: "For over a decade I have talked to people in the district about what's going on in their lives. I have friends who have had to move out of their homes due to flooding, people who spent a year fighting against their insurance companies for repairs, guests who are in town to help move their families away, coworkers who can't afford to go to the doctor's office."

Hensley said: "I don't claim to know what everyone needs, nobody can be an expert in everything. But I will claim that I can relate to what a lot of my friends and neighbors are going through …"

Asked about his path to winning in a historically Republican district, Hensley said: "… My hope is that the voters will understand that this isn't a campaign of republican vs. democrat. This is about the working class against the upper class."

According to his campaign website, Hensley lists public schools, property insurance reform, affordable housing, Medicaid expansion, living wages, Gulf Coast environmental protection and teacher pay among his key issues. He also signed the U.S. Term Limits pledge, committing to support a constitutional amendment imposing term limits on members of Congress, according to U.S. Term Limits.