Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiMay 8, 2015

Driving up to the Gateway Supervisor of Elections office across from the Friday lunchtime GOTV party held by the Duval Dems and Mayor Alvin Brown, I was greeted by smiling faces holding out sheets of paper. Well wishers? Autograph hounds? Nope. Just people handing out Quick Picks and fliers. I got two copies of Corrine’s Quick […]

Melissa RossMay 8, 2015

Jacksonville City Councilman and third-place mayoral finisher Bill Bishop again denied any quid pro quo was discussed with either Mayor Alvin Brown or Lenny Curry before awarding his endorsement to Brown last week. “I get a kick out of that,” said Bishop during an appearance on WJCT’s First Coast Connect. “What I first said is I […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 4, 2015

With Election Day on May 19, there are surprises to be found in the Jacksonville mayoral fundraising and spending reports for candidates and their PACs. Some surprises are there for the viewing The first big one: As of March 31, the most recent numbers available, Alvin Brown‘s Taking Jacksonville to the Next Level PC was close […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 3, 2015

After months of seeming ambivalence (or worse) toward the Lenny Curry campaign, Joseph Hogan, the son of 2011 mayoral candidate Mike Hogan, a Republican who is the Supervisor of Elections Elect after winning outright in March, is making it official. In a move worthy of Inigo Montoya, Hogan is endorsing Alvin Brown. This represents a […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 2, 2015

Some things are certain. Death and taxes. The sun coming up in the east and Chic-Fil-A being closed on Sunday. And that you can’t go more than a few days without hearing Jacksonville Sheriff candidates Ken Jefferson and Mike Williams debate. As opposed to the race at the top of the ticket, which will see […]

A.G. GancarskiApril 30, 2015

While we had a reasonably comprehensive look into the mechanics of Bill Bishop endorsing Alvin Brown on Thursday, new information has come to light, via Nate Monroe of the Florida Times-Union, that puts that endorsement in a different context: namely, competing claims from Bishop and Lenny Curry about the lead up to the endorsement. Curry said that Bishop, by endorsing Brown, reneged […]

A.G. GancarskiApril 30, 2015

Full disclosure: I have known Chris Hand for a quarter century We met during the local competition of the Citizen Bee, a history and social studies competition held by the Close Up Foundation. We advanced to State, then to Nationals. Then our paths diverged until a few years ago, when he became Alvin Brown‘s chief of staff […]

A.G. GancarskiApril 30, 2015

On March 31, Bill Bishop, who finished third in Jacksonville’s First Election, held a press conference on the steps of City Hall, where he said he was not endorsing Alvin Brown or Lenny Curry for Mayor. A couple of weeks later, an email went out from the Bill Bishop for Mayor campaign account. The campaign staffers endorsed Brown’s […]

Melissa RossApril 30, 2015

With just 20 days left until the city’s runoff election, Bill Bishop’s unexpected endorsement of Mayor Alvin Brown has landed as another late-in-the-game twist in the city’s tight mayor’s race. After tallying up 17% of the vote in the March First Election for mayor, Bishop vowed to run again in four years- but repeatedly said he was […]

A.G. GancarskiApril 29, 2015

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Over the course of this campaign, I’ve had my share of conversations with Lenny Curry. A recurrent motif, when it comes to him describing the campaign process, is that it’s gradual, rooted in the personal appeal, the one-on-one conversation, the handshake. That’s how Curry has lifted himself from no name recognition and polling worse than almost […]

Tag: bill bishop

Tom Joyner leads Duval Democrats’ early vote GOTV party

Bill Bishop: No quid pro quo on mayor’s race, no ads on arena

Jacksonville mayoral fundraising, spending reports show GOP trend

Why Joseph Hogan endorsed Alvin Brown

Inside baseball the game at Jax sheriff’s forum

Bill Bishop’s endorsement and the “lost decade” claim

Chris Hand, Alvin Brown’s chief of staff, “ready to move on”

Bill Bishop reverses course, endorses Alvin Brown for re-election

Bill Bishop endorsement: “I really do think it’s a game-changer”

Lenny Curry stumps to Southside businessmen

Florida politics had 11 questions before federal qualifying week. Here are the answers.