Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiSeptember 25, 2018

Freshmen Jacksonville-area Republican state Reps. Cord Byrd and Clay Yarborough continued to maintain strong cash leads over their Democratic challengers through the first half of September. Byrd, whose majority-Republican House District 11 includes coastal Duval and all of Nassau County, brought in $3,500 of new money between Sept. 1 and 14, pushing his campaign account near $42,000 […]

A.G. GancarskiSeptember 5, 2018

If you are in Duval County and have a Republican state Representative — like House District 11’s Cord Byrd or HD 16’s Jason Fischer — you face a novel situation: a chance to vote for a Democrat in the general election. Democratic candidates have uphill battles in both districts. In HD 11, where Byrd faced a primary challenge, the […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 28, 2018

In the hottest primary race of all of the Jacksonville area state House battles, lawyer/lobbyist Wyman Duggan won Tuesday over yacht broker Mark Zeigler and Joseph Hogan (son of Elections Supervisor Mike Hogan), in the GOP primary to succeed Rep. Jay Fant in House District 15. Duggan, supported by the Jacksonville establishment (including multiple ads featuring […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 1, 2018

Sen.-Bean-Rep.-Byrd-Presenting-375000-Check-to-Neptune-Beach.jpg

State Sen. Aaron Bean and state Rep. Cord Byrd both face primary challenges, a measure of the pitched nature of Nassau County politics. However, it appears they will have unmatchable resources in those ballot-box battles. Bean, after raising $6,950 over the two weeks ending July 20, has roughly $98,000 in his campaign account. His committee account has another […]

Drew WilsonJuly 19, 2018

The Florida Chamber of Commerce released a “second round” of endorsements for state legislative races Thursday, adding four incumbents and 16 candidates to the 60 endorsements announced in May. “To help ensure Florida remains competitive, we need candidates that are focused on supporting jobs and the Floridians they employ,” said Marian Johnson, the Florida Chamber’s […]

A.G. GancarskiJuly 17, 2018

The latest campaign finance numbers in Northeast Florida races for state offices reinforced familiar narratives. Here’s the state of the races as of the July 13 filings. _____ In Senate District 4, incumbent Republican Aaron Bean continues to dominate the competition. He has $77,000 in his political committee (with a $20,000 two week period ahead of […]

Drew WilsonJuly 10, 2018

The political arm of the Florida Realtors rolled out endorsements Monday for nearly every state legislative election slated for the 2018 ballot. “As Realtors, we pride ourselves on our long-standing efforts to defend private property rights, promote community prosperity and preserve a professional climate that ensures the economic growth of Florida,” said Ann DeFries, chair […]

Drew WilsonJune 18, 2018

New candidates filed Monday for three Republican-held seats in the state Legislature. In Senate District 2, Fort Walton Beach Democrat Mary Jeanne “Gigi” Gibson is challenging Panama City Republican Sen. George Gainer. Gibson is currently Gainer’s only real challenger — Pensacola Republican Jantzen Craine has had his name down to run for the seat since 2015, but has not […]

Phil AmmannJune 5, 2018

With a tip of the hat to LobbyTools, here are the latest movements – both on and off – of the legislative merry-go-round. Off: George Fossett is no longer legislative assistant for Miami Gardens Democratic Sen. Oscar Braynon. On: Lurimar Cruz-Cortes is a new legislative assistant for Kissimmee Democratic Sen. Victor Torres. Off: Lara Medley is […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 14, 2018

Jacksonville’s local Fraternal Order of Police went bipartisan with its latest swath of endorsements for the state House, including choosing a Democrat over a field of Republicans running to replace Jay Fant. In House District 15, the FOP endorsed Tracye Polson over Republicans Wyman Duggan, Joseph Hogan, and Mark Zeigler. The language of the endorsement lauded Polson’s “dedication to her […]

Tag: Cord Byrd

Cord Byrd, Clay Yarborough maintain fundraising leads in re-election bids

Ken Organes, Nathcelly Rohrbaugh optimistic about flipping state House seats blue

Wyman Duggan, Kim Daniels, Aaron Bean, Cord Byrd win Jacksonville primaries

Aaron Bean, Cord Byrd build cash leads over primary challengers

Florida Chamber endorses 20 more state legislative candidates

Familiar stories continue in Northeast Florida campaign finance reports

Florida Realtors make endorsements in 87 legislative races

North Florida lawmakers draw re-election challengers as qualifying begins

Latest on the legislative staffing merry-go-round

Jacksonville police union goes bipartisan with latest State House endorsements