JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The race for Jacksonville sheriff is entering its final stretch with just 29 days left before the November special election.
As it stands, one candidate has a significant cash advantage over the other.
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TK Waters, the Republican candidate, has nearly four times the cash on hand as his Democratic challenger Lakesha Burton.
Waters and Burton both raised roughly one and half million in their bid to be Jacksonville’s next sheriff.
But in the final days of the race, Waters still has $990,000 on hand compared to Burton, who has just $270,000 remaining in the bank.
University of North Florida political science professor Sean Freeder said that advantage can go a long way in a lower-profile race.
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“If you were talking about a race that was much larger and people knew a lot more about, say a gubernatorial race or a presidential race, you know, this kind of differential might not make that much of a difference,” said Freeder.
Dean Black, chair of the Duval GOP said Waters’ cash on hand is a signal of the support the candidate enjoys.
“People are going to vote by volunteering for his campaign, by voting for him for sheriff and they also vote by contributing,” said Black.
We asked Burton whether she’s concerned at all about Water’s cash advantage.
“I’ve always been accustomed to making the best of what I have. So, I’m very grateful to have what I have. So, you know, we’re going to use it to the best of our ability to get my message out. But, you know, we’re counting on voters to come out,” said Burton.
But Freeder said the closer to an election a voter hears a message, the better chance it has to resonate.
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“Having a cash advantage and running ads closer to the election rather than having it earlier, you know the closer to the election matters much more,” said Freeder.
But Freeder said at the same time, the content of the message also matters, and a recent ad run by Waters is drawing some significant pushback.
Members of Jacksonville’s faith community held a news conference Monday, pleading for an end to negative campaign ads in local races, specifically, the race for sheriff.
“Enough of the dirty gutter politics,” said Dr. John Newman, Senior Pastor at Mt. Calvary Church in Jacksonville.
They said their call goes out to both sides of the isle, but they felt Water’s new ad was so egregious they had to speak out.
“If Lakesha Burton won’t follow the law, how can we trust her to protect us?” said the narrator in Water’s new ad.
The ad highlights Burton’s arrest and guilty plea for petty theft and misdemeanor battery when she was a young adult, a complaint filed with the Florida Commission on Ethics accusing her of potential campaign finance violations and being delinquent on her taxes.
Burton owned up to her arrest at the age of 19.
“And that hasn’t been a secret. The agency knew that when Sheriff Nat Glover hired me. Rutherford knew that, Sheriff Rutherford knew it when he appointed me to be the first female executive director to run a police athletic league and Mike Williams knew that when he appointed me to his staff as an assistant chief,” said Burton.
On the alleged campaign finance and tax issues, Burton said the claims have been twisted to the point of being untrue.
“And every time the citizens hear that type of disgusting accusations, they should be offended cause we should be talking about how we’re going to keep you safe,” said Burton.
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An ethics complaint was filed against Burton back in August, accusing her of mishandling money from her political PAC, but Freeder argued an accusation doesn’t mean much on its own.
“And in the ad it kind of puts in big letters at the top ‘caught’. There hasn’t been a catch yet because, you know, this is an investigation that, you know, there’s been no conclusion reached,” said Freeder.
But Black argued the claims in the ad all have some basis in fact, and voters have a right to know.
“And there is nothing wrong with the people wanting to know if a candidate for sheriff respects the law and there are serious questions about whether she does, not just from the past, but in the present,” said Black.
The one person not weighing in on the ad is TK Waters himself.
We reached out to his campaign and requested an interview on this topic Monday, but never heard back.
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