Kim Kendall seems like she’s running for head bridge burner, not HD 18

Tallahassee and Jacksonville area advocacy groups, business leaders, and lobby firms might want to think twice before answering Kim Kendall’s call.

That’s because her pleas for support and accompanying promises to deliver are only valid until they’re not.

To understand, let’s take a look first at a negative mail piece her campaign for House District 18 dropped recently attacking her GOP Primary opponent Nick Primrose. The mailer targeted Primrose for being endorsed by Americans for Prosperity (AFP), laughably insinuating that their endorsement means Primrose is anti-Donald Trump.

The flyer — sent by The Conservative Leadership Fund, a political committee closely aligned with Kendall’s campaign consultant, Brett Doster — and digital ads, include a photo of a smiling Hillary Clinton under the words “they hate Donald Trump,” giving the visual impression that Primrose is somehow tied to or in support of the former Democratic nominee for President who lost to Trump in 2016 (he’s not).

In her defense, the mailer does spell out that “Primrose’s backer said choosing between Clinton or Trump was like choosing between ‘cancer or a heart attack.’” I’m not sure which they think Clinton is, but it’s safe to say no one wants either.

But anyone who has ever created a mailer (and even plenty of people who haven’t) knows the visual images carry far more weight than the words, because not everyone bothers to read those.

What the fine print tells us, is that the mailer is referencing Primrose’s state AFP chapter endorsement, and conflating that with the national AFP’s endorsement for Nikki Haley in the GOP Presidential Primary. While AFP did lend its support to Haley as part of its quest to identify a Trump alternative, the group’s stated purpose was identifying a candidate who could defeat President Joe Biden and begin a new chapter of GOP leadership.

There was nothing directly negative said about Trump, just that it was time to move on. At the time, there was a not insignificant coalition of Republicans who felt similarly, all (or at least the vast majority) of whom have since rallied behind the former President.

But never mind that. As anyone knows, what a national group does may not necessarily reflect the sentiments of local chapters under its umbrella.

So while that’s bad enough, it’s not even the worst part.

Before Kendall’s affiliated political committee sent the mailer putting AFP and Primrose on blast as Trump haters, she was actively courting them.

In an email Florida Politics obtained dated May 7 — before AFP endorsed Primrose but long after the national chapter endorsed Haley — Kendall wrote that she is “not a Tallahassee connection candidate” and that she doesn’t “care about Tallahassee special interests.” OK, drain the swamp. Got it.

But then she goes on to say what she does care about is “meeting with lobbyists that align with my platform and values in hopes for support.” She then specifically lists Americans for Prosperity.

AFP State Director Skylar Zander told Florida Politics the group reaches out to every candidate and it was clear Kendall was seeking its endorsement, listing the ways in which her platform aligned with theirs.

“We haven’t even done any negative pieces on her, that’s the funny thing,” he said, adding that the group has only supported Primrose through positive messaging. 

So to recap: Kendall admitted she was courting AFP for their support, and wrote that they “align with” her “platform and values.” But then when she didn’t get her way decided they were Trump-hating RINOs.

And this isn’t the first time. Sources have told Florida Politics that Kendall borderline harassed the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce, lobbying hard and calling constantly in a quest for the group’s endorsement. Ultimately, they too endorsed Primrose. So what did she do? She attacked them.

In a newsletter to supporters dated May 20 she lamented (whined, some might even call it) that she “received some much expected news that the Jacksonville downtown insiders club is announcing their support for my opponent Nick Primrose,” adding that “from day 1 we have been running against the establishment in Tallahassee and Jacksonville” and arguing they don’t matter because “they don’t and cannot vote in St. Johns County.”

So before May 20 she was super stoked to nab a coveted endorsement from the Jax Chamber, but then she decided they are worthless and nothing but a part of the “corporate cocktail circuit.” Got it.

Even more egregious are the sources close to the race who have told Florida Politics that Kendall is an obsessive candidate. Like the Jax Chamber, she calls Tallahassee- and Jacksonville-based groups repeatedly, even after being told no.

It’s no surprise she struggles to gain support from those whose names lend credibility and, often, resources to a candidate. She’s a perennial candidate who has run for office numerous times before without landing a win. Perhaps she is desperate, worrying this may be her last shot before being truly written off the St. Johns political circuit.

But desperate or not, even a political novice (which she is not) should understand that trashing groups is poor form and not a winning strategy. There’s a phrase for it: burning bridges.

And sadly, from the looks of it, Kendall is not done torching bridges.