John Delaney has opened the door to a political comeback even as Jacksonville politics continue to remain in flux.
Delaney announced on Monday that he is going to step down as president of the University of North Florida (UNF) in the middle of next year after 15 years of leading that school to unprecedented growth. Talking to Florida Politics, Delaney opened the door to a political comeback.
While he has been on the Jacksonville political stage for decades, Delaney is only 60. Delaney first emerged in Jacksonville politics as one of Ed Austin’s top aides. When Austin led the State Attorney’s office, Delaney was his chief assistant. After defeating Tommy Hazouri to become mayor in 1991, Austin took Delaney with him as general counsel and, eventually, chief of staff. When Austin bowed out after only term, Delaney ran for mayor in 1995 and became the first Republican to hold that office in more than a century, beating former Mayor Jake Godbold.
Besides helping turn Duval County from blue to red, Delaney generally proved successful in mayor as Jacksonville, along with much of the nation, enjoyed economic prosperity. During his tenure as mayor, Delaney pushed the “Better Jacksonville Plan,” pushing a half cent sales tax increase for economic development, including funding road and building improvements, and preservation efforts.
Since facing term limits and starting at UNF in 2003, Delaney’s name has garnered some buzz as a potential candidate for higher office. He was in the running to be appointed to the U.S. Senate when then U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla., resigned his seat back in 2009. Delaney also received some notice as a possible congressional candidate last year when U.S. Rep. Ander Crenshaw, R-Fla., announced he was retiring, but he stayed out of the fray and John Rutherford was elected.
Delaney has resurfaced at a strange time in Jacksonville politics. Many longtime First Coast Republican leaders--Crenshaw, John Peyton, John Thrasher, Steve Wise, Jim King--are off the scene. While he is still in his first term as mayor, Lenny Curry is already getting some attention as a possible replacement for outgoing state CFO Jeff Atwater. Rutherford looks pretty secure in Congress but he did collapse in the Capitol last month. If Delaney seeks statewide office, he won’t be getting much in the way of competition from First Coast Republicans though Curry could be in the CFO mix and Ron DeSantis, who could run for state attorney general, does have ties to Jacksonville.
While it’s tough to imagine, while Jacksonville is a strong Republican area, not that long ago it was solidly Democratic. Delaney played a major role in changing the city’s politics. It’s not a coincidence that Republicans have won three of the four mayoral elections held since Delaney left office. With UNF’s continued growth in Jacksonville, Delaney might have an easier time of regaining his base than most politicians after being on the sidelines for 15 years. If Delaney seeks an electoral comeback, there would be major impact in Jacksonville politics.
