Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry is term limited in his current post, but he has already begun teasing his future political plans.
“I’m looking forward to the upcoming political season. 2022 & 2023 are coming at us fast,” Curry tweeted. “I’m as rested, rejuvenated & ready to roll as ever. & I’ve been in the middle of some tough campaigns. Elections matter. I am older, wiser, more experienced and have more energy & stamina now than any campaign I’ve been in or a part of. Got into this with purpose many years ago and will see it through.”
I’m looking forward to the upcoming political season. 2022 & 2023 are coming at us fast. I’m as rested, rejuvenated & ready to roll as ever. & I’ve been in the middle of some tough campaigns. Elections matter.
— Lenny Curry (@lennycurry) October 22, 2021
In recent months, Curry has jockeyed himself into political forays with more notable political figures. He recently co-hosted an event with Kent Stermon for Georgia senate candidate Herschel Walker (R). Stermon is the COO for Total Military Management and a close friend to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R).
DeSantis also launched the first monoclonal antibody treatment site in Curry’s Jacksonville, where Curry noted the early positive effects for patients and the decrease in hospitalizations.
“We can see a correlation in the decline in hospitalizations, from the time these treatments became widely available to the public,” Curry said. “It’s saving lives, it’s what we’ve always said, it’s about protecting our health systems, it’s working, it’s doing just that.”
The municipal elections in Jacksonville in 2023 will also be a place where Curry maintains some sort of image. Curry will likely back the campaign of Jax Chamber CEO Daniel Davis to succeed him in the mayor’s office.
Rumors are also floating around about the political future of Congressman John Rutherford (R-FL-4) as he is coming up on completing his fourth term in Congress, and Curry would likely be a suitable candidate for Republicans to run in the event Rutherford retires.
However, Curry has not exclusively positioned himself within Florida Republican politics as he welcomed Vice President Kamala Harris (D) alongside Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried (D) to highlight COVID relief.
“Before (Harris) left,” Curry said, “one of her associates asked me to wait outside. She wanted to say goodbye. (The Vice President) came out and chatted for about five minutes. And she said ‘I want you to know that the President knows you were here today and he appreciates us standing together for this important cause.’”
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Grant Holcomb is a reporter at the Florida Capital Star and the Star News Network. Follow Grant on Twitter and direct message tips.
Photo “Lenny Curry” by Lenny Curry for Mayor. Background Photo “Florida Capitol” by Michael Rivera. CC BY-SA 3.0.
