A.G. GancarskiWalking into Memorial Park in the Riverside neighborhood of Jacksonville, Florida, I encountered Jimmy Holderfield, who was walking into the park at the same time on Thursday afternoon, half an hour before Ken Jefferson‘s “major announcement.” I asked him about his expected endorsement of Ken Jefferson (a story we broke this morning), an endorsement which crosses party lines and injects the Jacksonville Sheriff’s race with even more drama than it already had.
“Some people said I should have stayed neutral. Others said I should toe the party line. Got to do what’s right for the citizens of Jacksonville,” Holderfield said.
The reason for endorsing Jefferson, he added, is “simple. His message and mine are similar: connect, protect, and serve. It’s a natural fit,” he added. “We have the same aspirations for Jacksonville.”
I asked him about the dirt that flew late in the campaign, including leaked recordings that purported to implicate him in a role helping those arrested in the Allied Veterans sting. Holderfield, who described them as “hurtful” in the days after his March 24 loss, acknowledged that the dirt had an impact.
“Recordings and boosting up one rogue volunteer impacted my decision,” he said, contending the negative campaigning was designed to “discredit me and damage my stellar character. I want to make sure that Jacksonville becomes a safer city.”
Clearly, Holderfield believes that Jefferson, rather than fellow Republican Mike Williams, is the vessel for that voyage.
We talked some more with other reporters around. Holderfield contended that to “try to say that I was involved in Allied Veterans in any way, shape, or form” was wrong. He was even more offended by implications that his wife was involved, which Holderfield described as “the lowest of all lows” that he’s experienced in his 35 year career, in which he served under four sheriffs, two of whom (Nat Glover and John Rutherford) appointed him to administrative positions.
Holderfield has people looking into who put out the recordings. “I have some folks checking it out,” he said.
When asked about the pledge Republican candidates sign to not endorse across party lines, Holderfield was dismissive. “I may have signed that; I can’t recall,” he said.
Time will tell if Holderfield was right in breaking the pledge. Holderfield didn’t see the pledge as significant compared to other issues.
“Look around out here,” Holderfield said, gesturing to the dozens of police officers at the event awaited Jefferson. “We’ve lost connection with the agency and the community.”
Holderfield vowed to fundraise for and stump with Jefferson, reminding reporters that he “outraised many other candidates” and that he had “250-300 ground troops” ready to work for Jefferson.
Compared to all THAT, the endorsement ceremony was practically pro forma.
Holderfield, speaking before Jefferson, stated that “campaign was all about bringing change and working together” and that he pursued the office to fulfill a “lifelong dream; that did not happen this go around.”
The race going forward, he said, was “about what’s best for the community” and how to “unify a splintered department with low morale.” His “disheartening” loss, he told the assembled, left him with three options: to sidestep an endorsement; to take the path of “least resistance” and stay within party lines; or to “dare to reach across those party lines.”
“The right path isn’t always the easiest,” he added, positing that Jefferson could “unify the department” and “solidify community trust.”
“We can do better together,” he said, using Jefferson’s campaign slogan to introduce the man himself.
“Today is a special day in the campaign,” said Jefferson, in his typical understated way. “The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office needs a professional police officer, not a politician” to “restore trust” and “improve morale.”
“Honored and humbled,” Jefferson is “proud to welcome Holderfield and his campaign team” and “stand shoulder to shoulder in unity.”
“The race is about the future of Jacksonville, the future of the JSO,” Jefferson added, saying that voters who are happy that Jacksonville is the “murder capital” of Florida should “vote for the establishment candidate.”
“I’m your sheriff and I’m ready to go to work,” he added. “Fired up, ready to go,” he said, quoting the famous Obama line from 2008.
Surveying the officers in attendance, he asked them to be patient. “You’re several weeks from the change you deserve,” Jefferson said, vowing to “take back the city” and “restore honor and dignity to the street.”
Speaking to Jefferson afterwards about the endorsement, he said he didn’t expect it when he reached out to Holderfield.
“I wasn’t expecting an endorsement,” he said, adding that “his platform matches up with mine. We had a chance to talk. I’m happy to have his support.”
On a day when Mike Williams got the endorsement of another defeated candidate, Jay Farhat, the question is obviously one of how much these endorsements mean.
Clearly, Holderfield’s move reflects a schism within the department on some issues. As well, his organization will be a big help, as will his presence on the stump.
But will Jacksonville Republicans cross party lines to vote for Jefferson based on the Holderfield nod? That’s the open question right now.
