A.G. Gancarski
Jesse Leigh Wilson, a one-time Republican Jacksonville City Council candidate who was removed unceremoniously from the Duval County Republican Executive Committee meeting that saw the party officially endorse Lenny Curry instead of his candidate, Bill Bishop, has officially broken with the Duval GOP in a Metro Jacksonville article, a move that probably surprises few observers.
Citing his goal to be a public servant and his admiration for Democrats George Shelton and Nan Rich, Wilson said that “[t]he last year [has] taken me closer to that goal. From announcing my bid for a city council seat last February, to stepping away from that dream and supporting Bill Bishop in his run for mayor, to being ejected from the Duval REC meeting, I couldn’t have written it any better. Now comes the next chapter in that journey.”
That next chapter, apparently, is switching parties and endorsing Alvin Brown. “I urge all citizens to rally behind Mayor Brown and not let the intolerance of the Republican Party win. The progress we wish to see cannot afford four years of Lenny Curry,” Wilson wrote.
Wilson was spotted at Monday’s event when Republican City Councilmen Ray Holt and Stephen Joost endorsed Brown. Though Wilson identified as a Republican, it is by no means certain that the Duval GOP will miss him. It remains to be seen what role Wilson will have, if any, in the Brown campaign going forward.
