No, a John Delaney run for State Senate isn’t happening in 2018
AG Gancarski interviews former Jacksonville Mayor John Delaney. (File photo)

John Delaney

Since University of North Florida President John Delaney left the Jacksonville Mayor’s Office, speculation has swirled seemingly every political season about his next move.

The speculation only increased when he announced his decision to retire from the UNF Presidency, but even before that, he was on the short list of potential replacements for former Rep. Ander Crenshaw in Washington D.C. in 2016.

Delaney ruled out the run in Congressional District 4.

That cleared the way for Rep. John Rutherford.

However, with retirement from the university approaching next year, speculation as to what’s next has recurred, as a recent Jacksonville Daily Record article notes.

Citing a surfeit of “real leadership and lawmakers in positions of power,” Delaney discussed a potential next move, and it was driven by a concern about Jacksonville’s diminished clout in Tallahassee since the Jim King/John Thrasher eras.

“We have Paul Renner in the House now, and that’s great, but I’m looking at possibly the Senate,” he said.

This led the Daily Record writer to note that, in 2018, Delaney could face either Aaron Bean or Audrey Gibson — both functionally unopposed incumbents.

Delaney, who lives at the beaches, is in Bean’s district. But he told us Thursday afternoon that he wasn’t running again Bean.

“Aaron is a buddy,” Delaney said, “so that won’t happen.”

Delaney clarified his comments, transcribed from a speech this week.

“I said that in politics never say never. I don’t plan on running for anything statewide. Or in Washington,” Delaney said.

“So that sort of narrows things.”

With Washington and statewide office off the table, “that left something fun like Neptune Beach or Senate. But I am not running against any incumbent.”

Bean would be termed out in 2022 — could State Senate be an option then?

“No real plans in any event but you are right — 2022. That is forever away,” Delaney noted.

 

A.G. Gancarski

A.G. Gancarski has written for FloridaPolitics.com since 2014. He is based in Northeast Florida. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter: @AGGancarski



#FlaPol

Florida Politics is a statewide, new media platform covering campaigns, elections, government, policy, and lobbying in Florida. This platform and all of its content are owned by Extensive Enterprises Media.

Publisher: Peter Schorsch @PeterSchorschFL

Contributors & reporters: Phil Ammann, Drew Dixon, Roseanne Dunkelberger, A.G. Gancarski, Anne Geggis, Ryan Nicol, Jacob Ogles, Cole Pepper, Gray Rohrer, Jesse Scheckner, Christine Sexton, Drew Wilson, and Mike Wright.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @PeterSchorschFL
Phone: (727) 642-3162
Address: 204 37th Avenue North #182
St. Petersburg, Florida 33704




Sign up for Sunburn


Categories