Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiAugust 28, 2018

Mercifully, primary Election Day is upon us in Northeast Florida, the culmination of months of spirited campaigning, big time spending, and the occasional calumny or two. And now that it’s finally Tuesday, we will see the resolution of a number of narratives that have percolated for these many months. Moving from the top of the […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 25, 2018

A triple shooting in Jacksonville at a football game between Lee and Raines High Schools left one dead, two wounded, and brought forth lamentations of the violence that seem all too familiar. With the amount of people there, we should have many witnesses. If you heard chatter, observed anything, please contact JSO at 904-630-0500 or […]

Staff ReportsAugust 24, 2018

“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” Those of a certain age will recall the Semisonic earworm “Closing Time.” It is also where we stand in primary season. We already know what races we are tracking election night. In some, there is enough confidence in the results to have a sense of what […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 20, 2018

Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry made another late-game endorsement in a statewide race Monday, backing Rep. Baxter Troutman for Agriculture Commissioner. This endorsement indicates the value of relationships. Curry’s chief of staff Brian Hughes had been running the Troutman campaign before Hughes took a city job. Now, the operation is run by another Jacksonville op, Carlo Fassi. The timing of the endorsement’s […]

Staff ReportsAugust 17, 2018

Wishful thinking predicates much of election season. Aspirational ads for Democrats; appeals targeting nonexistent issues (hello, “sanctuary cities”) for Republicans. Ultimately, these moves — whether pulled by a winning or losing campaign — are strategic. How a Republican is to eliminate sanctuary cities or how a Democrat is by force of will to create Medicare […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 16, 2018

Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry and Republican gubernatorial candidate Ron DeSantis visited an afterschool program in Jacksonville Thursday, and even before the formal endorsement, Curry made it clear he aligned with DeSantis. At one point during the tour, he used the phrase “brothers from a different mother.” Curry, during a subsequent media availability, removed all suspense and endorsed […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 16, 2018

A federal court in Jacksonville sided Wednesday with the city of Jacksonville over a challenge filed by former Police and Fire Pension Fund head John Keane because of cuts in his pension benefits. Keane saw his benefits boosted to $234,000 a year by the board instituting the Senior Staff Voluntary Retirement Fund. Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry said […]

Staff ReportsAugust 10, 2018

We’ve hit the stretch of the primary season; where the money is being spent, not raised. Where ads are cut, and voters engaged. And where candidates know if they are still in the game. No one comes out and says “well, it looks over.” But losing candidates seem different. We saw it with Adam Putnam, […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 9, 2018

State Rep. Baxter Troutman, in a competitive three-way race for Agriculture Commissioner, picked up a straw poll win at a meeting of the Jacksonville Young Republicans Monday — and scored five local endorsements while in town. Worth noting: all five endorsers were at the straw poll event, where Troutman and opponent Sen. Denise Grimsley both spoke. Troutman […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 9, 2018

Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams endorsed U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis for Governor late Wednesday, breaking with almost 50 elected sheriffs and police unions that have long since backed Adam Putnam. “I am pleased to endorse Ron DeSantis for Governor of Florida. I greatly respect his military service in the United States Navy in Iraq,” Williams asserted. “When I talk […]

Tag: Lenny Curry
Image via U.S. Sugar.

Northeast Florida primary narratives poised for resolution

Democratic gubernatorial candidates decry triple-shooting at Jacksonville high school

Jacksonville Bold for 8.24.18 — Closing time

Lenny Curry backs Baxter Troutman for Ag Commissioner

Jacksonville Bold for 8.17.18 — Sizzle, and steak

‘Brothers from a different mother’: Lenny Curry endorses Ron DeSantis

Fed court sides with Jacksonville in pension challenge

Jacksonville Bold for 8.10.18 — Contenders, pretenders

Five Jacksonville City Councilmen back Baxter Troutman for Ag Commissioner

Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams endorses Ron DeSantis