A.G. Gancarski
Endorsements continue to fly in the nascent Primary for Jacksonville’s House District 12.
On Monday, two state lawmakers became the latest to officially back Jessica Baker, an assistant state attorney in Florida’s 7th Judicial Circuit running for the seat that will be open in 2022.
Reps. Wyman Duggan of HD 15 and Jason Fischer of HD 16 offered strong statements of support for Baker, a first-time candidate who is quickly amassing a stack of prominent endorsements.
“Jessica Baker is a constitutional conservative and strong leader who will serve with honor. Her fresh perspective and passion to serve will be a welcome addition to our legislative delegation,” Duggan said. “As a prosecutor, she defends the rule of law. As a conservative leader, she led the charge to maintain term limits in Jacksonville. I’m proud to endorse her and look forward to serving with her.”
“Jessica Baker is the conservative choice for state Representative and I am proud to endorse her campaign,” Fischer added. “As a prosecutor, charter revision commissioner and military wife, service is at the forefront of her life. She will be a great representative for our community and bring a much needed new perspective in serving our state.”
Added Baker of the new endorsements: “Representatives Duggan and Fischer have fought hard for Northeast Florida’s shared conservative values in Tallahassee, and I am honored to have their support. As a prosecutor, I understand the sacrifices our men and women in uniform make each and everyday and, like Wyman and Jason, am committed to ensuring they have the resources and support they need to keep our families and our communities safe.”
Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry, Duval County Sheriff Mike Williams and U.S. Reps. John Rutherford and Michael Waltz all have also endorsed Baker. With the exception of Williams, the endorsers have worked with political consultant Tim Baker, the candidate’s husband.
Baker’s list of endorsements suggests she will have campaign resources at her disposal, which she will need in a competitive race against Rep. Lake Ray.
Ray is a veteran politician who represented HD 12 from 2008 to 2016. He launched his campaign in March, and has roughly $150,000 on hand between his campaign account and that of his state-level political committee, A Stronger Florida for Us.
The current Representative from HD 12, political ally Clay Yarborough, backs Ray, who was essentially his political mentor. Sen. Aaron Bean and Reps. Chuck Brannan, Cord Byrd, and Chris Latvala also back Ray, who has rolled out well over a dozen endorsements already.
HD 12 is a Republican-leaning district under its current configuration, with more than 48,000 Republicans outnumbering the more than 38,000 Democrats. There are also more than 28,000 who belong to neither party.
There are months to go before the election, with the Primary scheduled for Aug. 23. Assuming a Democrat or NPA candidate files to oppose the winner GOP Primary winner, the General Election will be Nov. 8.
While redistricting is underway and could change the map, the district as currently drawn has been a safe GOP hold.
Yarborough won reelection twice, each time getting roughly 60% of the vote against lightly-funded Democratic opposition. Ray likewise faced no serious competition during his campaigns.
