A.G. Gancarski
At this writing Friday morning, it’s unclear if two Jacksonville Democrats running for state office will have competitive elections or not.
State Sen. Audrey Gibson was presented with a primary challenge from Jacksonville City Councilor Reggie Brown. That challenge, which people in Gibson’s orbit believed was a setup by Jacksonville Republicans irked by Gibson not supporting the 2016 pension reform referendum, became increasingly theoretical when Brown was indicted on fraud charges.
State Rep. Tracie Davis faced her own primary challenge, from Roshanda Jackson, a former aide to Duval Delegation colleague Rep. Kim Daniels.
However, as the qualifying deadline loomed, it didn’t appear she would make it to the ballot either.
Whether Gibson and Davis face ballot competition or not, they are still slated to kick off their campaign at a nexus of political power in Jacksonville: the Firefighter Union Hall on Stockton Street.
Their event kicks off at 4 p.m.
If Brown or Jackson do qualify, they face long odds beyond the institutional support the incumbents will enjoy.
On the House side, Davis has $47,000 on hand. And Sen. Gibson has $135,000 on hand.
