Jacksonville to Washington? Mayor Lenny Curry watches congressional redistricting for his political future

Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry's top political adviser left open the door for Curry making a run for Congress after the state Legislature votes next week on a redistricting map proposed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

DeSantis wants the Legislature to redraw the lines for the 5th Congressional district, which stretches from west Jacksonville to the Tallahassee area, so it becomes a Northeast Florida district encompassing the western half of Duval County plus Nassau and Clay counties.

"Mayor Curry is monitoring the redistricting process as it is unfolding in Tallahassee and considering how he can best continue his public service," campaign consultant Tim Baker said.

Florida Politics reported earlier this week that Curry is weighing a race for Congress.

“Lenny Curry is definitely interested in running for Congress,” a source described as "especially familiar" with Curry's thinking told Florida Politics.

DeSantis map: Florida lawmakers heeding Gov. DeSantis' demand for new congressional map, enraging opponents

More:Legislative leaders defer to DeSantis on congressional maps in coming redistricting session

Legal disputes:Jacksonville mayor Lenny Curry supports Gov. DeSantis's bid for redistricting opinion

The next Congress will convene in January 2023, six months before Curry's term is set to end as mayor. If there is a vacancy in the office of mayor, the City Council president would step in as acting mayor until an election fills the seat.

U.S. Rep. Al Lawson, D-Tallahassee, currently represents the 5th District, which was drawn to enhance the ability of Black voters to elect their preferred candidates. For the past three decades, the district in various configurations has sent Black representatives to Congress.

Lawson has called the DeSantis map an unconstitutional attempt to "erase minority access districts in Congress" in order to create more seats for the Republican Party in Florida.

Curry, who cannot run again for mayor because of term limits, won't be the only Republican who could take a look at jumping into the race if the Legislature signs off on DeSantis's map in a special session next week.

State Sen. Aaron Bean, R-Fernandina Beach, who can't run for re-election to his Senate seat because of term limits, had a "stay tuned" message about his future plans.

"I'm talking to friends and colleagues and doing a lot of listening," he said. "We're rebuilding our nation in the coming years and the call to public service remains very strong in my heart."

Jacksonville City Council member Rory Diamond, a Republican who represents the Beaches, said he's looking at the possibility of running in the redrawn district.

"You'd be crazy not to consider it," he said. "We need to send a true conservative to Washington from that seat."

Florida House Rep. Jason Fischer, R-Jacksonville, said that after the special session crystalizes what the congressional district's boundaries will be, he will take a look at running for Congress.

"I think we need to get on the other side of the special session before any decisions are made, but if there's an opportunity to represent my community in D.C., I'd certainly consider it," he said.

He noted he was born and raised on the Westside of Jacksonville. He said his mother lives in Callahan and he resided in Middleburg at one time.

"That's hometown turf for me," he said.

Curry, who has been mayor since 2015, has some Clay County connections. He is a graduate of Middleburg High School.

The primary will be on Aug. 23 and the general election will be in November, creating a fast turnaround for launching a campaign.

Candidates will face 'sprint election' to August primary

"There's no doubt it will be a sprint election and the ability to raise money in a hurry will be critical to whoever is successful," Diamond said.

Michael Munz, who has been involved in Jacksonville politics for decades, said how the district's lines end up being drawn is "the first critical step" for any potential candidate deciding to jump in to the race.

"They also have to look at what it's going to take to run a race in a new district that fast," Munz said. "How quickly can they raise the political support, how quickly can they raise the grass-roots support, and how quickly can they raise the financial support."

If Curry did run for Congress, he would be the first Jacksonville mayor since Hans Tanzler to seek another office during his time as mayor. Tanzler ran unsuccessfully for governor in 1978 and had to resign as mayor before his term concluded, paving the way for Jake Godbold, who was council president, to become acting mayor.

Godbold went on to win election twice as mayor.

City Council member Terrance Freeman, who is vice president of council, is on track to become council president in July, which would put him in line to become acting mayor if Curry runs for Congress.

Freeman could not run for mayor while serving as acting mayor in the same way Godbold did. The city changed its ordinance to prevent a repeat of how Godbold campaigned to be mayor while serving as acting mayor.

While Duval County would have the largest share of all voters in the district submitted by DeSantis, Clay County and Nassau County have been Republican strongholds for years and have elected state lawmakers who reached leadership positions.

In Clay County, Rob Bradley and Travis Cummings, both Fleming Island residents, served in leadership ranks of the state Senate and House when they were in the Legislature.

In Nassau County,  Bean is president pro tempore of the state Senate and has won elections repeatedly to a state Senate seat that covers all of Nassau County and a big portion of Duval County.

The Aug. 23 primary does not require the winning candidate to clear at least 50 percent of the vote to win the nomination. In a crowded field, the winning candidate could get the biggest plurality of the votes and move on to the November general election.

DeSantis's map also would make some changes to the 4th Congressional district served by U.S. Rep. John Rutherford, R-Jacksonville, but it still would be a GOP-favored district.

Rutherford, who filed for another two-year term, is "absolutely running for re-election," Baker said.