Lloyd Dunkelberger
U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown’s indictment on 24 charges of fraud and violations related to a fraudulent charity may provide a political opening for former state Sen. Al Lawson of Tallahassee.
Attending a grand opening of his campaign headquarters — a few blocks from Florida A&M University where Lawson played basketball and now has the school’s basketball arena named after him — Lawson said he was stunned by the scope of charges against Brown, a Democrat who has held a Jacksonville-based congressional seat for nearly a quarter-century.
“I was shocked by the magnitude of the charges,” Lawson said. “It is something that you don’t want to see happen with any politician because we’re held to a certain standard. We have to be held to those standards in the public eye.”
Heading toward an Aug. 30 primary showdown, which will almost certainly determine who represents the newly drawn Florida’s 5th Congressional District, Lawson said he does not “plan to use” Brown’s indictment against her and will try to keep his campaign “on a positive note.”
But Lawson said he will not shy away from talking about it and expects the topic to constantly emerge as he heads to Jacksonville this week for a series of campaign events.
“In the Duval area, we see that as an opportunity for a lot of change,” Lawson said. “They’re looking for a different kind of leadership. I think we represent a leadership that is totally inclusive of everyone. I think that is the kind of leadership they need in Duval.”
Yet despite Brown’s difficulties, she remains a formidable opponent, one who has represented a portion of Duval County in Congress since 1993.
She faces a newly drawn district that leaves her with her Jacksonville base but Brown now must campaign toward Tallahassee, an area she has not represented — but where Lawson has campaigned for decades, since his first election to the state House in 1982.
The race is highly competitive, according to a pre-indictment poll by the University of North Florida, showing Brown held a 30-27 percent lead over Lawson, with 40 percent undecided. LaShonda Holloway, the third Democrat in the race, had 4 percent.
But the bulk of the population, 58 percent of voters, are in Duval, with the same UNF poll showing Brown holds a 52-8 percent lead over Lawson among those voters. But outside her stronghold, Brown is trailing Lawson 40-14.
Lawson acknowledged the challenge but said part of his strategy is based on historical data showing a higher turnout in the district toward Tallahassee, with lower numbers in Jacksonville.
Brown holds a money advantage, having raised more than $350,000, with about $71,000 unspent. Lawson said his fundraising total will top $200,000 in new reports filed in the coming week and he expects to have more cash on hand than his opponent.
Lawson is using other connections to raise his profile in the district, including his contacts as a life insurance agent and as a former state House member and state senator.
Lawson is even putting his basketball connections to work. His biggest supporter, literally, in Jacksonville is Artis Gilmore, the legendary 7-foot-2 Jacksonville University center whose professional career led him to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
