A.G. Gancarski
The day started with John Rutherford as the runaway frontrunner in a poll of CD 4 likely Republican voters, and ended with the former Jacksonville Sheriff as a filed candidate.
Citizens for John Rutherford will be the official campaign committee for the Republican frontrunner, who earlier on Wednesday scored the endorsement of his protege, Sheriff Mike Williams, and the Sheriffs of St. Johns and Nassau County respectively.
Beyond the endorsements of the most important lawmen in the district, Rutherford enjoys the support of the Lenny Curry political machine (complete, so we hear from sources, with Tim Baker as GC) and donor network, considerable assets as he moves forward.
Even though an email is circulating among Jacksonville Republicans suggesting that Rutherford’s backing is “repayment of a political debt, not necessarily a thoughtful endorsement of the candidate best positioned to boost our city’s clout in Washington,” the reality is this.
Rutherford has over a 4 to 1 spread in favorable versus unfavorable numbers. He has 49 percent support in our poll. And that’s before his organization, as well-funded as it will need to be, gets to work,
If someone intends to stop Rutherford, he or she had better get to work, find a few million dollars, and find a political team better than that who put the current mayor into office.
They will need luck.
