Neil J. Gillespie, a no-party-affiliation candidate from Ocala, is running for U.S. Senate in Florida's Nov. 3 general election. The race is for the rest of an unexpired term.

Gillespie, 70, says he is running in part because of what he describes as lawfare and a lack of due process in state and federal courts, according to his campaign blog. He faces Republican Ashley Moody and Democrat Angie Nixon on the ballot, according to BallotReady election data.

Candidate information

Party: No Party Affiliation

Age: 70

Residence: Ocala, Florida. His campaign office is at 2801 SW College Road, Suite 3, Ocala.

Education: Bachelor's degree in marketing from the University of Pennsylvania (1990). Bachelor's degree in psychology from The Evergreen State College (1995). Gillespie says he graduated from Bishop Egan Catholic High School in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania, in 1974, according to his Local Candidates profile.

Filing and qualification: Gillespie filed for the U.S. Senate race on March 16, 2026, and qualified on April 24, 2026, by paying the qualifying fee, according to the Florida Division of Elections. His FEC Candidate ID is S6FL00863.

Campaign finance: Gillespie stated in a July 15, 2026, FEC filing that he is on Social Security retirement income.

Experience and public service

Gillespie describes himself as the owner and operator of Joe's Erie Ave. Auto Sales, according to his Local Candidates profile. BallotReady data lists him as owner of Justice Network since 2009.

He ran for mayor of Ocala in the Sept. 16, 2025, Florida general election, according to Local Candidates. He also declared candidacy for president of the United States for the 2028 general election but suspended that campaign on May 4, 2026, while running for U.S. Senate, according to his campaign blog.

On the issues

Political independence: Gillespie describes himself as a "working class capitalist" and an independent voice beyond partisan politics, according to his campaign blog. He invokes President George Washington's warning against political parties and urges Americans to place national interests over political affiliations.

Judicial system and due process: Gillespie says he is running for public office in part because of what he calls lawfare and a lack of due process in state and federal courts, according to his campaign blog.

Florida wiretapping law: Gillespie argues that Florida's two-party consent wiretapping law is unconstitutional under the Supremacy Clause because federal law permits one-party consent, according to his July 15, 2026, FEC filing. He says the law has been used as lawfare against him and that this is one reason he is running for U.S. Senate.