Northeast Florida clerks of court races heat up
St. Johns Clerk of Court Brandon Patty

Brandon Patty
Endorsements, fundraising, and more.

Two Northeast Florida clerks of court races have started to heat up ahead of primaries later this summer.

In Duval County, City Council President Scott Wilson, running for the open seat, saw a group of Republican Jacksonville colleagues go the other way.

A press release from Data Targeting, the GOP campaign shop, noted that Aaron Bowman, Al Ferraro, Terrance Freeman, Rory Diamond, and Randy White all endorsed Jody Phillips over Wilson.

“We are proud to support Jody Phillips, a true conservative, for Duval County Clerk of Courts,” they said (apparently in unison.)

“As the current Chief Operating Officer for the Duval County Clerk, we know that Jody is the best person for the job.”

Watch the “true conservative” branding here: Expect an August mailpiece or three hammering Wilson for having taken one moderate position or another, or some other oppo-rich flourish hammering him.

Phillips, who holds the financial advantage in the race with $95,000 on hand, offered his own quote.

“It’s an honor to have the support of so many of our current and former City Council members. They are dedicated to improving Jacksonville and I look forward to working with each and every one of them as we continue to make Jacksonville a better place to work and live.”

The winner of the Phillips/Wilson primary will face Democrat Jimmy Midyette in November.

Phillips isn’t the only clerk hopeful making moves: incumbent St. Johns County Clerk of Courts Brandon Patty is also launching strong.

Patty, an insidery type Republican appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, issued a press release Friday trumpeting his first month’s fundraising of over $52,000. He has roughly $66,000 on hand, with an opponent (William Masson) with under $6,000

“Brittney and I have been blown away by the incredible outpouring of support from across our great community,” said Patty. “Our quality of life is dependent on good government, and St Johns County demands a clerk of the circuit court and comptroller that has the experience, competence, and vision required to lead an office with complex duties and responsibilities, a staff of more than 100 personnel, and a $7.5 million-dollar budget.”

A.G. Gancarski

A.G. Gancarski has written for FloridaPolitics.com since 2014. He is based in Northeast Florida. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter: @AGGancarski


One comment

  • Astute Observer

    June 6, 2020 at 9:38 pm

    If Jody is as conservative as he says he is, then why does he have the endorsement of RINOs Rory Diamond and Aaron Bowman? Rory and Aaron are leading the charge to reimpose the so-called “Human Rights Ordinance,” which gives preferential treatment to drag queens and other LGBT types at the expense of Christians. No conservative should ever want the “support” of either Rory or Aaron.

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