{{Short description|American politician (born 1970)}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Joel Rudman | image = Joel Rudman.jpg | caption = Official portrait, 2022 | state_house = Florida | district = 3rd | term_start = November 8, 2022 | term_end = January 1, 2025 | predecessor = Jayer Williamson | successor = Nathan Boyles | office1 = | term_start1 = | term_end1 = | predecessor1 = | successor1 = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1970|3|05}} | birth_place = Brookhaven, Mississippi, United States | death_date = | death_place = | party = Republican | spouse = Sophie Rudman | children = 2 | education = University of Southern Mississippi (BA)<br />University of Mississippi (MD) }} '''Joel Rudman''' (born 5 March 1970) is an American politician and physician who served as a state representative for the 3rd district in the Florida House of Representatives from 2022 through 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Joel Rudman - 2022 - 2024 |url=https://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Representatives/details.aspx?MemberId=4861&LegislativeTermId=90 |access-date=2022-11-10 |website=www.myfloridahouse.gov |language=en-US}}</ref> Rudman resides in Navarre, his legislative district's largest community, and is a member of the Republican Party.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Joel Rudman - Candidate Tracking system |url=https://dos.elections.myflorida.com/candidates/CanDetail.asp?account=80086 |access-date=2022-11-11 |website=Florida Division of Elections}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Miller |first=Alex |title='I didn't go into politics; politics went into medicine': Navarre doctor enters House race |url=https://www.pnj.com/story/news/local/santa-rosa/2022/03/15/navarre-doctor-joel-rudman-enters-race-florida-house-district-3/6989223001/ |access-date=2022-11-11 |website=Pensacola News Journal |language=en-US}}</ref>
== Career == In addition to being a state representative, Rudman is also a Board Certified family physician. He operates a local medical clinic called Holley Navarre Medical Clinic. He also worked for 13 years as a NASCAR staff physician at Daytona International Speedway.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Miller |first=Alex |title='I didn't go into politics; politics went into medicine': Navarre doctor enters House race |url=https://www.pnj.com/story/news/local/santa-rosa/2022/03/15/navarre-doctor-joel-rudman-enters-race-florida-house-district-3/6989223001/ |access-date=2023-01-05 |website=Pensacola News Journal |language=en-US}}</ref>
=== Florida House of Representatives === Rudman was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2022. He ran for office after being accused by the American Board of Family Medicine of “denigrating (their) vaccine efforts”.
==== Committees ==== Source:<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dr. Joel Rudman - 2022 - 2024 ( Speaker Renner ) |url=https://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Representatives/details.aspx?MemberId=4861&LegislativeTermId=90 |access-date=2023-01-05 |website=www.myfloridahouse.gov |language=en-US}}</ref>
* Commerce Committee ** Insurance & Banking Subcommittee * Healthcare Regulation Subcommittee * Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee * Postsecondary Education & Workforce Subcommittee
== Political positions ==
=== Healthcare and COVID-19 === Rudman has been transparent about being vaccinated against COVID while arguing against vaccine mandates and against masking mandates.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=2021-04-15 |title=Vax versus Masks |url=https://ssrnews.com/vax-versus-masks/ |access-date=2023-12-31 |website=South Santa Rosa News |language=en-US}}</ref> Rudman has also criticized the closing of businesses and lockdowns related to the COVID-19 pandemic. His campaign website attests that closing of religious spaces for public health purposes is an infraction against the "freedom to worship as you choose."<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Vote Doc Rudman {{!}} Doc Rudman for State Representative {{!}} Florida |url=https://www.votedocrudman.com/ |access-date=2022-11-11 |website=Vote Doc Rudman |language=en}}</ref>
In a series of Tweets, Rudman has described COVID-19 as a biological weapon.<ref>{{cite tweet |last=Rudman |first=Joel |author-link=Joel Rudman |user=doc_rudman |number=1608448195088244739 |date=December 29, 2022 |title=It's bad enough COVID was a biological weapon. The radicals use COVID policies as a political weapon. |language=en |access-date=January 16, 2023}}</ref>
Rudman sponsored the Protections of Medical Conscience Act (SB 1580/HB 1403), which was passed in the Florida Senate and House of Representatives in early 2023, later signed by Governor Ron DeSantis.<ref name="yahoo">{{Cite web|url=https://news.yahoo.com/desantis-signs-controversial-medical-conscience-183311750.html|title=DeSantis signs controversial medical conscience bill, touts Florida as 'Prescribe Freedom' state|website=Yahoo News}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://floridapolitics.com/archives/608912-legislature-passes-physician-freedom-bill-backed-by-gov-desantis/|title=Legislature passes physician ‘freedom’ bill backed by Gov. DeSantis|first=Christine Jordan|last=Sexton|date=May 2, 2023}}</ref> The legislation, which allows healthcare providers and insurers the right to opt out of procedures that go against their conscience, has been criticized by local Democrats as being discriminatory towards LGBT people. Rudman has said, "There's nothing in this bill that legalizes discrimination", and explained that the bill is his "entire reason for being here in the Florida Legislature."<ref name="yahoo"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.queerty.com/florida-approves-bill-that-allows-doctors-the-right-to-refuse-to-treat-lgbtq-people-20230503|title=Florida approves bill that allows doctors the right to refuse to treat LGBTQ+ people|first=David|last=Hudson|website=Queerty|date=May 3, 2023|access-date=May 3, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2023/05/01/florida-doctor-medical-conscience-lawsuit-protection/|title=Florida bill protecting ‘conscience’ allows doctors to deny treatment|website=Tampa Bay Times}}</ref>
In 2023, Representative Rudman publicly supported the idea of Medicaid expansion in Florida.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Girard |first=Owen |date=2023-12-06 |title=Rep. Rudman argues why Republicans should expand Medicaid as Passidomo, others disagree |url=https://flvoicenews.com/rep-rudman-argues-why-republicans-should-expand-medicaid-as-passidomo-others-disagree/ |access-date=2024-02-23 |website=Florida’s Voice |language=en-US}}</ref>
=== Gun rights === Rudman supports "unfettered Second Amendment rights" on his campaign website.<ref name=":1" /> In 2023, he sponsored a bill repealing the statute that allowed unlimited time for background checks in Florida; the bill failed to pass.<ref>{{Cite web |title=CS/HB 17 (2024) - Expiration of the Mandatory Waiting Period for Firearm Purchases {{!}} Florida House of Representatives |url=https://myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Bills/billsdetail.aspx?BillId=78604&SessionId=103 |access-date=2024-02-23 |website=myfloridahouse.gov |language=en-US}}</ref>
=== Navarre incorporation === Rudman is supportive of incorporating the unincorporated community of Navarre in Santa Rosa County.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-04-27 |title=Candidates Spout Off on The Proposed Incorporation of Navarre |url=https://ssrnews.com/candidates-on-the-proposed-incorporation-of-navarre/ |access-date=2022-11-11 |website=South Santa Rosa News |language=en-US}}</ref>
=== Public safety === Rudman believes that swifter use of the death penalty and funding of asylums would improve public safety.<ref>{{cite tweet |last=Rudman |first=Joel |author-link=Joel Rudman |user=doc_rudman |number=1581267065997955072 |date=October 15, 2022 |title=Three things that would make my family and yours safer: 1.Allow citizens 18 years and up to fully exercise their Second Amendment rights to defend themselves. 2.Prioritize inpatient mental health and fund our asylums. 3.Swift and proper use of the death penalty. |language=en |access-date=January 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221230182442/https://twitter.com/doc_rudman/status/1581267065997955072 |archive-date=December 30, 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref>
== Electoral history == On August 23, 2022, Rudman won the Republican primary election against Mariya Calkins with 64% of the vote.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-08-09 |title=Republicans Calkins and Rudman square off for Florida House District 3 |url=https://www.wuwf.org/local-news/2022-08-08/republicans-calkins-and-rudman-square-off-for-florida-house-district-3 |access-date=2022-11-11 |website=WUWF |language=en}}</ref> Rudman faced a write-in candidate in the 2022 general election and won.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2022 Summary Results - Election Night Reporting |url=https://enr.electionsfl.org/SAN/Summary/3307/ |access-date=2022-11-11 |website=Santa Rosa County Supervisor of Elections}}</ref>
Rudman resigned from the Florida House in November, 2024 to run for Congress in Florida's 1st Congressional District. He received less than 10% of the vote in the Republican primary.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Joel Rudman |url=https://ballotpedia.org/Joel_Rudman |access-date=2025-07-08 |website=Ballotpedia |language=en}}</ref>
== References == {{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rudman, Joel}} Category:Republican Party members of the Florida House of Representatives Category:1970 births Category:Living people Category:21st-century members of the Florida Legislature Category:Candidates in the 2025 United States elections Category:People from Brookhaven, Mississippi Category:University of Southern Mississippi alumni Category:University of Mississippi Medical Center alumni