Former Florida Senate Minority Leader Al Lawson is back for a third try at Congress. The question is, who will he face in the Democratic primary?
In the aftermath of the Florida Supreme Court decision on congressional redistricting earlier this month, Lawson announced his intention to file in which heads west from Jacksonville, taking in all of Baker, Gadsden, Hamilton and Madison counties, most of Jefferson and Leon counties and almost half of Duval County. Lawson plans to file next month.
“North Florida needs a strong, progressive voice in Washington to protect those issues important to our families,” Lawson said on Tuesday. “I fought for our communities while serving in our state Capitol, and I will continue to fight for North Florida’s working families in Congress.”
The seat is currently held by U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown, D-Fla., who could run here even as she plans to take the decision to federal court. But buzz has been growing that Brown could aim for a Central Florida seat currently held by U.S. Rep. Dan Webster, R-Fla., which is now looking like a good pickup opportunity for the Democrats.
After almost three decades in the Legislature, Lawson almost defeated then U.S. Rep. Allen Boyd, D-Fla., in the Democratic primary in 2010. Two years later, Lawson won a competitive Democratic primary but came up short against then U.S. Rep. Steve Southerland, R-Fla. Lawson made noise about running in 2014 but stayed out of the fray as Democrat Gwen Graham went on to beat Southerland.
Lawson should expect a Democratic primary. Brown could run up here and so could Graham whose redrawn district offers the GOP a good chance to flip a seat. State Sen. Tony Hill, D-Jacksonville, said in recent days that he will run for this seat if Brown decides to focus on Central Florida. Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum is also looking at running for the seat.
Two candidates who tried to beat Brown last time out--businesswoman Thuy Lowe and former gubernatorial aide Glo Smith--are running on the Republican side. Michael Ploeckelmann is running with no party affiliation.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
