While the Jacksonville mayor's race grabbed most of the media attention Friday withCity Councilwoman Anna Brosche's entry, the other races are also coming clearly into focus.
Friday marked the end of the qualifying period for Jacksonville's elections.
The Duval County Supervisor of Elections office was rapidly updatingits site with the list of candidates who have qualified to run on the ballot on March 19. Seats up for grabs include sheriff, property appraiser and all 19 City Council seats.
Some of the key matchups include:
Tony Cummings, a Democrat running against incumbent Republican Sheriff Mike Williams. Cummings joined JSO in 1995, working in both the patrol and detective divisions.
Related: Brosche Files To Run Against Curry As Supporters Line Up Behind The Candidates
At Large-Group 2 incumbent Democratic City CouncilmanJohn Crescimbeni has qualified to run against incumbent Republican Tax Collector Jim Overton.
Former Councilman Bill Bishop, a Republican, is running against incumbent Democrat Joyce Morgan in District 1. He unsuccessfully ran for mayor in 2015.
And it’s a crowded field in the race for District 8, which is the seat that had been held by suspended Democratic City Councilwoman Katrina Brown. Despite facing 38 federal fraud charges, Brown has filed and has been qualified to run for reelection. Her appointed replacement, Republican Terrance Freeman, opted not to run for election in the district, instead running for the At Large seat in Group 1. Despite questions over Freeman’s residency, he’s listed as qualified to run.
“Because there’s no primary. People can win on the first ballot. It’s not closed and anybody can vote for anybody, regardless of their party affiliation,” Duval County Supervisor of Elections Mike Hogan said Friday. Hogan, a Republican, is running unopposed for reelection.
A candidate needs to get 50 percent of the vote, plus one, to win outright. Otherwise, the top two vote getters will square off in a May 14 runoff. The deadline to register to vote in the March unitary election if February 19.
Next week, WJCT News will be launching a City Elections Voters Guide that will include a list of every candidate who has qualified to run for office along with all story coverage, their campaign finance reports and the resources voters will need in advance of the election.
Bill Bortzfield can be reached at bbortzfield@wjct.org, 904-358-6349 or on Twitter at @BortzInJax.
Contact reporter Cyd Hoskinson at choskinson@wjct.org, 904-358-6351 and on Twitter @cydwjctnews.
