Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Melissa RossMarch 31, 2015

Taking a veiled swipe at the current JSO leadership, Ken Jefferson says that if he’s elected sheriff he won’t “govern from behind the desk.” “I want to re-introduce the Police Department back to the community,” said Jefferson, the Democratic candidate in the race to replace outgoing Sheriff John Rutherford. “What I’m finding out from […]

A.G. GancarskiMarch 30, 2015

In September, I wrote a column headlined Could Ferguson Happen in Jacksonville? The short answer was yes. I contended then that “Ferguson, as we know it, is a very specific place. But to me, it looks like many areas right here in the Bold New City of the South, areas transformed in the last couple of […]

A.G. GancarskiMarch 30, 2015

Though the Jacksonville mayoral race is getting the lion’s share of attention locally, a no less important race is going on to succeed outgoing Sheriff John Rutherford. The two remaining candidates, Democrat Ken Jefferson and Republican Mike Williams, have until May 19 to make their cases to Jacksonville voters. As we reported last week, the first poll of […]

A.G. GancarskiMarch 26, 2015

A new automated phone poll of 1,076 likely voters from St. Pete Polls is the first to address the 2015 Jacksonville runoff election for sheriff and mayor. The poll, with a 3 percent margin of error, shows a tight mayoral race with incumbent Democrat Alvin Brown very slightly ahead of Republican Lenny Curry. It also […]

A.G. GancarskiMarch 26, 2015

A new automated phone poll of 1,076 likely voters from St. Pete Polls is the first to address the 2015 Jacksonville runoff election for sheriff and mayor. The poll, with a 3 percent margin of error, shows a tight mayoral race with incumbent Democrat Alvin Brown slightly ahead of Republican Lenny Curry. It also shows […]

A.G. GancarskiMarch 25, 2015

We were the first to report that Republican Jimmy Holderfield, who lost narrowly in Jacksonville’s First Election Tuesday to Mike Williams and Ken Jefferson, is holding off on endorsing either of his opponents at the present time. That said, endorsements now are starting to fall into place. To no one’s surprise who saw their convivial interactions at forums, Lonnie McDonald has […]

A.G. GancarskiMarch 25, 2015

The hotly contested seven-way Jacksonville Sheriff’s Race is down to two candidates now: Democrat Ken Jefferson, who emerged with 37% of the vote, and Republican Mike Williams, the endorsed candidate of Sheriff John Rutherford, who finished in second place with 22% of the vote. The drama of the election was whether Williams or Jimmy Holderfield, the preferred candidate of […]

A.G. GancarskiMarch 25, 2015

The hotly contested seven-way Jacksonville Sheriff’s Race is down to two candidates now: Democrat Ken Jefferson, who emerged with 37% of the vote, and Republican Mike Williams, the endorsed candidate of Sheriff John Rutherford, who finished in second place with 22% of the vote. The drama of the election was whether Williams or Jimmy Holderfield, the preferred candidate of […]

A.G. GancarskiMarch 20, 2015

Since there was a Jacksonville Sheriff’s Candidate Debate on television Thursday night, I wondered whether attending this month’s Tiger Bay forum was necessary. What would happen that didn’t before the TV cameras? Quite a bit, almost all of it from Tony Cummings, a longshot candidate. Before that drama, here’s a bit of prologue to set the […]

A.G. GancarskiMarch 19, 2015

On Thursday evening, Jacksonville University’s Public Policy Institute held the only televised debate with the seven candidates for sheriff. The conventional wisdom is that one Democrat (likely Ken Jefferson, who was ahead in the University of North Florida poll a couple of weeks back) and one Republican (likely Mike Williams or Jimmy Holderfield) will advance to the runoff. The big drama […]

Tag: Ken Jefferson

Ken Jefferson: No more “drive-by cops” in Jax if elected

Cleveland Arms protest draws Ferguson comparisons

Mike Williams addresses sheriff poll, Cleveland Arms incident

Mayoral race tight in first poll analysis of Jacksonville runoff election

First poll of Jax runoff shows Alvin Brown, Ken Jefferson ahead in close races

Lonnie McDonald endorses Mike Williams for Jax sheriff

Jax Sheriff’s race down to two candidates; Jimmy Holderfield not endorsing

Jax Sheriff's race down to two candidates; Jimmy Holderfield not endorsing

Tony Cummings blasts JSO at Jax Tiger Bay sheriff forum

Jacksonville sheriff debate offers few surprises