Rep. Mia Jones, D-Jacksonville, is one of the leading Democrats on the First Coast but, for the first time since 2008, she will face a Republican challenger in the next general election.
While Jones lost out to Rep. Darryl Rouson, D-St. Petersburg, to be the House Democratic leader after the 2014 elections, she remains one of her partys more prominent politicians on the First Coast. Jones is the House Democratic leader pro tempore and has a seat on the Appropriations Committee. Before being elected to the Florida House in 2008, Jones sat on the Jacksonville City Council.
While she has not yet begun her main efforts to win another term in 2014, Jones said she will continue to remain active in the community and will focus on health care, education and the economy in the coming months.
I will be staying on track with moving forward with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, Jones told Sunshine State News on Monday. As the ranking Democrat on the Health and Human Services Committee, Jones continues to play a prominent role in Tallahassee on that issue.
Jones also told Sunshine State News that she will also concentrate on education in the coming months. Im looking forward to being able to solidify public education programs that will ensure all of our children are receiving a quality education, she said.
Facing term limits in 2016, Jones filed to run for a fourth term on Feb. 12. Between then and when session started in early March, Jones raised $9,250, loaned the campaign $100 and spent $36.20 on her 2014 campaign. Legislators are prohibited from raising money during session. Financial reports for the second quarter will be released next month.
Republican activist Jon Mazzaferro, a commercial pilot, businessman and Army veteran, is looking to give voters on the First Coast a conservative alternative to Jones. On Thursday, Mazzaferro, a first-time candidate, filed his paperwork to run against Jones in 2014.
Speaking with Sunshine State News on Monday, Mazzaferro said if he does well against Jones, there could be greater implications, including when Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown, a Democrat, runs for a second term in 2013.
Mazzaferro even suggested that if he does well and a Republican has a strong showing against Rep. Reggie Fullwood, D-Jacksonville, there could be momentum for the GOP against U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown, D-Fla. So far, Fullwood has yet to draw a Republican opponent in 2014.
If we can win this district and HD 13, it could open up Corrine Browns seat, Mazzaferro said.
Only 32, Mazzaferro, who is married with two kids, has a tough task on his hands. Jones ran against Libertarian hopeful Jonathan Loesche in 2012 and won in a landslide, taking 79 percent of the vote. The last time Jones had a Republican opponent was in 2008 -- though the district has since been changed by redistricting. In 2008, Jones took 74 percent of the vote when she beat Republican Sarah Lovett to win the open House seat.
The Duval County district which Jones currently represents went heavily for Democrat Alex Sink back in 2010 when she took 64 percent there. Democrats make up 62 percent of the district while only 20 percent are Republicans.
Its an uphill battle," Mazzaferro conceded on Monday but he added he has a plan to make the race competitive. Attacking Jones as ineffective in Tallahassee, Mazzaferro said he plans to reach out to voters in the district with door-to-door campaigning and vowed to raise more money than Lovett did in 2008.
Mazzaferro said he plans to reach out to African-American voters in the district, who generally strongly support Democrats, by focusing on what they have in common with conservatives, especially on social issues.
My mission is to advance conservatism, Mazzaferro told Sunshine State News before slamming the Democrats. Theyve been taken over by the white liberals who are anti-God, anti-traditional marriage and anti-business.
Mazzaferro insisted a religious conservative like himself can help win African-American voters back to the Republicans. We have the same core values, he said. Thats one of my messages.
Noting that he has been knocking on doors since he was 10, when he offered to mow neighbors lawns, Mazzaferro said he intends to canvas the neighborhoods across the district. How can you ask someone to vote for you when they havent met you? he asked.
Democrats believe Jones experience and record in Tallahassee will help her keep her seat in 2014 despite Mazzaferros challenge. In an email to Sunshine State News on Monday, Duval County Democratic Party Chair Neil Henrichsen praised Jones and empathized her connections to the community.
Citizens in Mia Jones district have come to rely upon a representative who intimately knows about and considers their concerns in the Florida House of Representatives, Henrichsen told Sunshine State News on Monday. Jacksonville is lucky to have a representative in Mia Jones who is a leader on the issue of health care, served on the City Council and is acutely aware of the needs of the community. That is reflected in her legislative work for the area.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or at 904-521-3722.
