Lakesha Burton for Jacksonville sheriff

Lakesha Burton, a candidate for the 2023 race for Jacksonville sheriff and currently an assistant chief in the department, is assembling a remarkable coalition of supporters that includes a growing group of well-known Republican donors, turning her into the most formidable Democrat to run for the office in two decades.

Burton is the first Black woman to run for sheriff in Jacksonville and would be the first-ever elected in Florida. A 22-year veteran of the department and protégé of former Duval County Sheriff Nat Glover — who, in 1995, became the first Black man elected Jacksonville sheriff since Reconstruction — Burton has a singular life story about surviving sexual abuse by a stepfather and the depression that followed, and a nonpartisan sales pitch that is closing the deal in one-on-one meetings with Jacksonville’s right-of-center donor class.

Gary Chartrand, the retired executive chairman at Acosta and a major charter-school advocate, contributed $100,000 to a political committee supporting her campaign last month, and he is also on the host committee of a Wednesday-night Burton campaign fundraiser that includes other well-known civic and business leaders. Former Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver also cut her $100,000. Another notable donation: A $1,000 check from William Woody, one of Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry’s business partners.

“She is winning every visit,” former Jacksonville Mayor John Delaney, a Republican, told me. “She has a compelling life story, and energy and enthusiasm about her campaign.”

Conversations with other well-known Republican king (and queen) makers this past week have convinced me more surprising names will line up behind Burton in the coming months as she emerges as a consensus candidate.

“She has won over some major Republican donors who see her as uniting the community and working to reduce crime,” Delaney said.

Helping Burton’s case: She is the only filed candidate so far, and at least one other internal JSO candidate who was viewed as a potential political successor to current Sheriff Mike Williams, a Republican, has indicated to supporters in recent weeks he won’t run.

Burton has already garnered support from Republican donors known to be more moderate — like insurance executive David Miller, retired CSX CEO Mike Ward and former Baptist Health executive (and former mayoral candidate) Audrey Moran — as well as prominent Democrats, putting her in a formidable position.

But Burton is also poised to nab more establishment donors who give to Democrats in citywide races less often. There is likely to be considerable overlap between the financial backers of Burton and those of JAX Chamber president Daniel Davis, a Republican who has not yet filed but is widely anticipated to run for mayor in 2023 as the favored son of the political establishment. He has already tapped into that network to raise more than $2.2 million to a political committee he controls.

As of last month, she had already raised nearly $500,000 between her political committee and direct contributions to her campaign, an astonishing sum for a sheriff’s candidate this far removed from 2023.

JSO a critical office

Jacksonville does not have a city police department. The Jacksonville sheriff oversees a department of more than 3,500 employees, including more than 1,700 sworn officers — one of the biggest forces in the Southeast — that is responsible for policing the largest city by landmass in the contiguous United States.

Jacksonville is also a city that has struggled with a reputation as the murder capital of Florida, with the past few years under Williams’ tenure seeing some of the highest numbers of homicides in the city’s modern history.

Burton, whose message has echoed Glover’s past emphasis on community policing, is unlikely to head a campaign that directly criticizes JSO under Williams, but her emphasis on re-engaging neighborhoods is a not-so-subtle clue where she believes the current weaknesses are and what role she can play.

“I think the next person that leads this agency should be someone who is deeply connected in the community and really has the leadership ability to bridge the gap,” Burton recently told my colleague Dan Scanlan.

Tricky politics

Although Jacksonville has shifted increasingly toward Democrats in statewide and national races, Republicans still dominate local politics: Republicans have still managed to retain a super-majority on the City Council, the office of mayor and all the constitutional offices. And Davis, the JAX Chamber president, is poised to inherit that strong GOP legacy in his anticipated 2023 mayoral run even as the city’s demographics move increasingly away from the traditional center-right candidates who have found success in local offices.

Burton’s potential strength is not lost on smart Republicans, who recognize the city’s politics are changing in ways that will challenge their hold on local power.

And among the savviest players in both parties there has been discussion about the logic of making a strategic retreat: If Burton were to win a 50-plus-one majority in March 2023 — during the jungle primary in which all candidates of all parties run against one another — Burton would win the office outright, while all the other races, including mayor, advance to a run-off in May. That would mean one of the most dynamic, well-funded Democrats would be sidelined during the high-stakes run-offs, when money and energy are particularly paramount.

In other words, losing the sheriff’s race, which Republicans might do regardless, could gain them more seats up and down the ballot if Burton closes out her race in March. The office of sheriff is a critical part of city government, of course, but most strategists would trade it if they got to keep hold on the mayor’s office.

It’s a bit of political gamesmanship that could lose its merit given the amount of time for new developments between now and the city elections, but it’s a testament to Burton’s strength as a candidate that these discussions are happening at all.

Nate Monroe’s City column appears every Thursday and Sunday.

nmonroe@jacksonville.com

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