Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiNovember 20, 2018

Florida Republicans are as well-positioned as could be imagined after a “blue wave” year, controlling both Senate seats and almost everything that matters in Tallahassee after a series of tight campaigns. Republicans ran up margins in rural and exurban areas, and in part that was necessary because of Republican candidates underperforming in Jacksonville (Duval County), […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 24, 2018

Politics in Jacksonville has become big business in recent years, and the 2018-19 election cycle offers ample evidence. Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry should have $2 million on hand by the end of the month. Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams already has passed the $400,000 cash on hand mark. Neither Curry nor Williams, both Republicans, have serious competition for […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 23, 2018

Florida Politics has obtained proof that Karyn Morton, chair of the Republican Party of Duval County, attempted to sway the election for Jacksonville City Council Vice President between Danny Becton and Scott Wilson. Both Becton and Wilson, who won the race, are Republicans. However, Morton (who denied having done such when we asked her about […]

A.G. GancarskiApril 2, 2018

Karyn Morton, chair of the Duval County Republicans, called Monday for the resignation or removal of the chair and committeeman of the Duval County Democrats. Committeeman John Parker used the phrase “colored people” at a dinner in January, leading to a complaint from party member James Morton in March. Soon afterward, calls for Parker to resign came from Lydia […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 15, 2018

At the request of Mayor Lenny Curry, the Jacksonville City Council met Wednesday to discuss a “valuation study” commissioned by local utility JEA, as what many observers see as a prerequisite toward “next steps” toward selling the utility. Council President Anna Brosche was adamantly opposed to the meeting, and expressed such Monday, which led Curry, for the […]

A.G. GancarskiOctober 17, 2017

Non-disclosure agreements may be in the offing for politically-active Duval County Republicans. And Florida Politics may be to blame. In August, we ran an article: “Undercapitalized Duval GOP sets course for 2018 election.” That article mulled the question of how a once-powerful local party, one that had just over $5,000 cash on hand at the […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 24, 2017

The Jacksonville City Council Officer Elections have wrapped, and now comes the inevitable post-game analysis…. ____ PROLOGUE A year ago, the Jacksonville City Council – like Jacksonville itself – was in a different place. Pension reform was a concept, ethereal on some distant horizon. And you couldn’t go a week without a thinkpiece on the […]

A.G. GancarskiDecember 9, 2016

A talking point among some members of the Republican Party of Duval County: an “audit” dated March 31, 2016. The word “audit” is in quotes, given that the sole document circulating among at least some party insiders is a one-paragraph memo saying that the party couldn’t get its “audit” of 2015 completed three months into […]

A.G. GancarskiDecember 5, 2016

The Republican Party of Duval County elected Karyn Morton as its party chair on Monday, by an 82 to 52 margin over Cindy Graves. Graves, who replaced Lake Ray when he declared for Congress in the spring of 2016, led the local party through a triumphant march to the election of Donald Trump. For her efforts, though, she was […]

A.G. GancarskiNovember 30, 2016

A post-election infographic from the Republican Party of Duval County raises more questions than it resolves about what happened on Election Day. The most provocative assertion: supporters of Hillary Clinton and, in the two elections before that, Barack Obama, were guilty of “novelty voting.” Clinton and Obama, centrist and corporatist Democrats by many reckonings, were apparently […]

Tag: Duval GOP

Going rogue: Duval GOP chair shreds Ron DeSantis, Rick Scott for bad campaign messaging

Undercapitalized Duval Republicans limp into 2018 home stretch

Duval GOP chair tried, failed to sabotage Council VP race

Duval Republican chair calls for Duval Democrats’ chair, committeeman to resign

Duval GOP chair backs Lenny Curry, turns on Anna Brosche

Non-disclosure agreements for Duval Republicans in the offing?

Winners and losers emerging from the 2017 Jax Council leadership elections

2015 financial audit for Duval GOP raises questions for insiders

Duval GOP elects Karyn Morton to chair

Duval GOP: ‘Obama and Hillary’ supporters were ‘novelty voting’