A.G. Gancarski
As uncertainty continues over the next move of incumbent Rep. Angie Nixon in Florida’s House District 13, a new candidate is launching a campaign in the safely Democratic Jacksonville seat.
Earlier this month, Shemiah Rutledge of the northwest quadrant opened a campaign account, making her the first candidate to declare intentions ahead of next year’s elections.
The 36-year-old Rutledge, a six-year Navy veteran who just got her degree from Southern University Law Center, is preparing to take the Bar in February ahead of a career in criminal defense either in Florida or Minnesota, where she interned. So she’ll be off the campaign trail for a few months before that.
But when she’s on the trail, don’t expect her to say anything negative about the incumbent. That represents a departure from some of the bruising campaigns Nixon has faced since 2020.
During a conversation Friday, Rutledge praised Nixon as “a great leader” who has “done a fabulous job” and works to “bring the community together and fight for the community.”
“I’m not against Angie Nixon. She’s my current Rep., and if she does run and win, you know, good for her. I’ll just run at another time. I’m not going to sit here and knock her, nothing like that. It’s not that serious,” Rutledge said.
If elected, she hopes to score appropriations to deal with infrastructure, which is “rundown” through much of the district, and bring jobs to HD 13. Helping reformed felons and her fellow veterans is also a priority.
Additionally, Rutledge hopes to fight against discriminatory laws against “people of color or of certain socioeconomic backgrounds.”
While she ultimately may not run, she is deeply rooted in the community should she choose to do so.
“I’ve been here my whole life. I grew up here. And I’ve always wanted to do politics, but I waited on the opportune time, which is obviously after I went to law school. Law school gave me a foundation in the law and how the law works and how legislators work. And how legislators basically run the community via the law,” Rutledge explained.
“And because I have a better understanding of that now, I believe I can be an influence in that area through being this type of politician, to help the community through the laws and educate the people on the law.”
For her part, Nixon doesn’t know her potential opponent. And she doesn’t know what her next political move is, she said last month.
“I am going wherever the folks say they want me to go. I don’t know where that is yet,” the incumbent told Florida Politics in a text message.
Asked this week, she said she’s still “figuring it out.”
