A.G. Gancarski
With just hours to go in the Jacksonville sheriff’s race, both Ken Jefferson and Mike Williams have been pulling out all the stops. On Monday, Florida Politics heard from someone familiar with Jefferson camp’s thinking that there has been a barrage of robocalls on behalf of Williams. On Tuesday, Jefferson took to Facebook to make his complaints about robocalls and other negative messaging to the public.
“I am saddened to hear my opponent has doubled down on his negative attack ads on television and repeated robocalls, rather than deal with the serious issues that face our community! You may remember I asked my opponent to commit to stick with the issues and present his plan for the future, which he has not. I published my plan over 10 months ago and I am ready to go to work to stop the violence that plagues our city,” Jefferson wrote Tuesday morning.
In contrast to the mayor’s race, which seems to have simmered down toward civility now that Election Day is upon us, the race for Jacksonville sheriff is staying intense to the end.
An anti-Jefferson ad airing in the Jacksonville market on Monday evening used a “Judge Judy”-style voiceover to cast aspersions on Jefferson for failure to pay child support years ago. That suggests Team Williams is worried that the qualification-driven argument for the Republican won’t carry the day in and of itself.
This race will pivot on the question of whether or not the Republicans are ultimately successful in undermining Jefferson’s character and qualifications to be sheriff.
