Tracie Davis’ Primary opponent says he can win. What’s his reasoning?

TALLAHASSEE, FLA. 1/5/23-Sen. Tracie Davis, D-Jacksonville, during the Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services, Thursday at the Capitol in Tallahassee. COLIN HACKLEY PHOTO

The financial gap between incumbent Democratic Sen. Tracie Davis and Primary challenger Francky Jeanty is massive in SD 5.

Jeanty had less than $900 cash on hand as of early August. A political newcomer, the Haitian American is a graduate of Edward Waters University (EWU), a published author of a motivational book, a self-described “educational consultant,” a former student recruiter for Keiser College, a former admissions counselor for EWU, and a former manager at a car rental dealership.

Davis, who has been active in politics since 2015 and in Tallahassee since 2017, had nearly $59,000 as of Aug. 2. She also had roughly $197,000 in her political committee, Together We Stand.

It’s massive disparity. But Jeanty thinks he’s found the secret sauce to overcoming structural deficiencies in yet another Duval Democratic Primary closed by a write-in candidate.

“I feel like I’m winning,” he claimed. “What I have found in the community is that when I travel to the Northside, the Eastside, the Westside, the Southside, pretty much everywhere in Jacksonville and most everybody talking about the same thing, they just want change.”

Davis may have gotten roughly 70% of the vote in 2022’s Primary against former City Councilman Reggie Gaffney Sr., but Jeanty thinks that’s meaningless and not relevant to the current race, because people were “not really focused on the Primary.”

Gaffney, unlike Jeanty, advertised heavily in that race, it should be noted.

Jeanty also contends that his strategy is basically campaigning where Davis isn’t. He says he’s not mailing reminders to groups like senior citizens to vote because Davis is already doing that, so he doesn’t “focus on that.” That said, he says some older voters he’s seen at events and in public have told him they’d vote for him anyway.

Davis did not want to say much about her latest challenger, but she is dismissing his chances.

“I’m not sure what he will win, but it will not be this race,” the Senator vowed.