Dr. Joseph Thornton, ASP 2026 Candidate for Florida Senate District 6

Dr. Joseph Thornton is a longtime Florida resident, physician, educator, and advocate for justice. A partially retired psychiatrist, Dr. Thornton has spent his career serving those most often overlooked—veterans, individuals with mental illness, and incarcerated populations.

He brings decades of leadership experience, including roles as Associate Chief of Staff for Mental Health at the North Florida VA and Medical Executive Director at both Union Correctional Institution and the North Florida Evaluation and Treatment Center. In each position, Dr. Thornton has worked to protect the vulnerable, reduce violence, and promote dignity for all.

Locally, he founded the Alachua Area Medical Reserve Corps and has lived in the Gainesville/Alachua area for over 20 years. He is committed to practical, community-based solutions that improve lives across rural and urban areas alike.

Dr. Thornton stands firmly against the death penalty—an issue informed by years providing care on death row and consulting in capital cases.

A teacher of bioethics with a focus on Artificial Intelligence, he believes new technologies must serve justice and human dignity—not replace them.

Dr. Thornton is running for Senate District 06 as a member of the American Solidarity Party to bring the principles articulated in Magnifica Humanitas into practice.

•The message is the mission: Magnifica Humanitas.

•The campaign seeks to put the principles of Magnifica Humanitas into practice in ways that speak to all Americans — not only Catholics, and not only residents of Florida Senate District 06. I have drafted legislative proposals shaped by these principles, including efforts to:

•reduce executions,

•strengthen oversight and protections for immigration detainees, and

•begin statewide engagement on safeguarding human beings from harmful uses of artificial intelligence, as well as protecting citizens from abuses of AI‑generated wealth and power.