Jacob Ogles
There’s already speculation Sen. Shevrin Jones may run for an open seat in Congress. It’s clear someone had the thought in mind at least since early March.
The internet domain ShevinJonesForCongress.com was registered on March 4, according to a WhoIs search. But it doesn’t appear that the South Florida Democrat is behind the move. Jones told Florida Politics he didn’t buy the domain, and there’s reason to believe him.
Online records only list the registrar as GoDaddy Online Services Cayman Islands, which is the corporate name of domain-buying company Uniregistry since GoDaddy acquired the business last year, according to Domain Investing.
Sometimes political domains get snatched up ahead of political campaigns by allies of candidates to reserve the valuable internet real estate, whether for an imminent run or one in the future.
But in this case, whoever has parked this domain has a page offering its immediate sale to anyone who can pony up $17,000. The initial cost to register an unused domain with GoDaddy is $12 for a year.
While this domain seems to have a customer base of one person, there’s reason to believe the market is hot. A special election must be called in Florida’s 20th Congressional District soon to replace Rep. Alcee Hastings. The Fort Lauderdale Democrat died last Tuesday after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. Hastings held the seat since 1992.
There’s already candidates who have filed to run or made intentions clear, but there remains speculation whether Jones, who in 2020 won election to the Florida Senate, will jump in the race. Jones continues to push off questions but has not ruled out a run.
“I know there are a lot of people eager to jump into a campaign, but I am taking time to honor Congressman Hastings’ decades of laudable service and grieve the loss of a close mentor,” Jones said.
“I’m flattered to have a number of people reach out to me about this seat, and while I have not ruled it out, I’m laser focused on working for the people of [Senate District] 35 and fighting for their priorities in the Senate.”
If he does run, using that domain might require a sizable investment.
Jones said he did not register the domain and does not know who did. Whoever made the buy did so weeks before Hastings death, though it was well-known the Congressman’s health was failing.
