Robin Lumb wants to be Duval County supervisor of elections.
He wants a local united Republican Party even more.
To that end, Lumb said he would step aside should Mike Hogan want the position instead of challenging fellow Republican Lenny Curry in the race against Mayor Alvin Brown.
Lumb, a first-term City Council member, announced his bid for the constitutional position in June. Yet, with rumors swirling that Hogan might jump into the mayor’s race, Lumb said he initiated conversations with Republican party leaders about stepping aside so Hogan would have a clearer shot at a position he has shown interest for in the past.
“I would have no problem withdrawing from the supervisor of elections race if that’s something that Mike Hogan wanted to do,” Lumb said. “If that’s something he wanted to pursue, he would have 100 percent of my support.”
Lumb said he hasn’t talked to Hogan about the offer, but Rick Hartley has. The Republican Party of Duval County chairman said he has spoken with Lumb and Hogan and all three are in agreement if Hogan decides that’s what he wants to do.
The talks, Hartley said, have been ongoing over the summer and he says Lumb is a “perfect candidate” for the position should Hogan decide against a run.
Hogan hasn’t announced his intention for any office, yet. He serves as chair of the Public Employees Relations Commission and said in a message Monday that the quasi-judicial job “prohibits me from discussing political matters … unless and until I become a candidate.”
A Facebook page titled "We Want Mike Hogan for Jacksonville Mayor" was started Sept. 19.
The mayor’s race is headlined by Brown, an incumbent Democrat, and Republican challengers Curry and Bill Bishop. To date, Curry has raised more than $1 million and Lumb said he has his support. Hogan ran for mayor in 2011, losing to Brown in a runoff.
Lumb said Hogan is experienced, capable and a man of integrity, but he “would hate to see a head-to-head confrontation” on the Republican side for mayor.
Instead, he said a Brown vs. Curry in a one-on-one race would result in a “better opportunity for a conversation why he (Curry) would be the best choice for mayor.”
“I think a united front has been the goal for a long time,” Lumb said. “I think if Hogan ran for supervisor of elections, with Curry for mayor … that’s about as united front as you’re going to see.”
If Hogan were to seek the elections office, Lumb said he doesn’t know what his next step would be but that attempting to reclaim his council At-Large Group 5 seat is a possibility. That race has four candidates: Sebastian Alexander, Sam Newby, Ju’Coby Pittman and Michelle Tappouni.
Lumb has raised $36,850 in his bid for supervisor of elections and said he has been doing research on state statutes and other areas in preparation. He plans on being a poll worker Nov. 4, a position he also held during the Aug. 26 primary to gain experience.
He said while he thought it better for decisions on candidacies to be made as soon as possible, he wouldn’t push anyone into a decision. He said there still is strong possibility Hogan doesn’t want to run for anything.
Brian Hughes, Curry’s spokesman, said there have been no conversations with Lumb on the matter and the campaign wasn’t aware of his offer. Whatever Lumb and Hogan decide would be up to them, he said.
From a logistical standpoint, he said Curry going head-to-head against Brown would make for a better campaign but that “no matter who is in the race, we are prepared to win.”
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