Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiApril 2, 2015

The worlds of law enforcement and of party politics are both predicated on loyalty. On a muggy Thursday night at his campaign headquarters in Jacksonville’s San Marco neighborhood, Mike Williams scored endorsements from two fellow Republicans he defeated — Jay Farhat and Lonnie McDonald — to make it into the runoff. The story, though, was the Republican […]

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 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 […]

A.G. GancarskiMarch 19, 2015

The Jacksonville sheriff’s race has seen robust fundraising for many candidates, with three Republicans raising at least $250K before the runoff. Conventional wisdom is that two of those Republicans, Mike Williams and Jimmy Holderfield, are jousting for one runoff slot. Ironically, given their fundraising prowess, the race may pivot on an “overzealous” Holderfield supporter being arrested for […]

A.G. GancarskiMarch 19, 2015

The Jacksonville sheriff’s race has seen robust fundraising for many candidates, with three Republicans raising at least $250K before the runoff. Conventional wisdom is that two of those Republicans, Mike Williams and Jimmy Holderfield, are jousting for one runoff slot. Ironically, given their fundraising prowess, the race may pivot on an “overzealous” Holderfield supporter being arrested for […]

A.G. GancarskiMarch 4, 2015

The MyVillage Project Sheriff’s Forum at the IBEW Union Hall on Jacksonville’s Eastside last night, moderated by Dawn Lopez, was the second attempt in a week for the field of Sheriff’s candidates to introduce themselves and field concerns from the local African-American community. The first was at the Supervisor of Elections sponsored St. Paul’s AME Church […]

A.G. GancarskiMarch 4, 2015

The MyVillage Project Sheriff’s Forum at the IBEW Union Hall on Jacksonville’s Eastside last night, moderated by Dawn Lopez, was the second attempt in a week for the field of Sheriff’s candidates to introduce themselves and field concerns from the local African-American community. The first was at the Supervisor of Elections sponsored St. Paul’s AME Church […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 26, 2015

There are a lot of candidate forums in Jacksonville. But for sheer magnitude and importance, it’s hard to top the St. Paul AME Church forum. This is especially true for city wide candidates who hope to reach out to African American voters. Tonight, people tell me, was the liveliest yet. Hundreds of likely voters jammed […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 18, 2015

A few weeks back, Melissa Ross took a look at the big money flowing into the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Race, as seven candidates vie to replace Sheriff John Rutherford. Because of the fundraising prowess of most of the candidates — 6 of the 7 have raised at least $112k — it’s a reasonable bet that the March […]

Tag: Lonnie McDonald

Mike Williams gets former foes’ endorsements, but Jimmy Holderfield still a big story

Lonnie McDonald endorses Mike Williams for Jax sheriff

Tony Cummings blasts JSO at Jax Tiger Bay sheriff forum

Jacksonville sheriff debate offers few surprises

Stolen signs loom as Jax Sheriff’s debate approaches

Stolen signs loom as Jax Sheriff's debate approaches

Fireworks at Jacksonville Sheriff’s forum on Eastside

Fireworks at Jacksonville Sheriff's forum on Eastside

Alvin Brown and Bill Bishop no show St. Paul AME forum

Jacksonville Sheriff race is still in flux