by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
State attorney candidate Angela Corey has assembled her team in her bid to succeed current State Attorney Harry Shorstein. The team consists of several well-known local political advisors as well as a group from Washington, D.C.
Corey, a Republican, has tabbed longtime political consultant Mike Tolbert to head the group that also includes campaign manager Cindy Graves, national pollster David Sackett of the Tarrance Group, national media consultant Erik Potholm of Stevens Reed Curcio & Potholm and Paul McCormick, owner of The McCormick Agency.
“Going into this campaign, I knew that it was important to surround myself with talented and experienced people at every level, from volunteer leaders to fundraisers,” said Corey, who was with the State Attorney’s Office in the 4th Judicial Circuit for several years, but now works as a prosecutor in the 7th Judicial Circuit.
Corey called Graves a “dynamo” and one of the most knowledgeable Republicans in the local political arena.
“She has been involved in 14 back-to-back winning elections,” said Corey. “And, those have been on the national, state and local level.”
Corey said Tolbert — who worked in the past on the campaigns of former mayors Jake Godbold and Ed Austin, current Mayor John Peyton and the late U.S. Rep. Tillie Fowler. Tolbert also served as a strategist during former Mayor John Delaney’s Better Jacksonville Campaign.
Corey said Tolbert is as well-known as anyone in the Northeast Florida area. She also said he has included Sackett and Potholm to bring a Washington, D.C. perspective to the campaign. Corey said, “being a neophyte to the political game” she felt it was necessary to bring someone with national experience. Overall, she says her team is very similar to the one that helped get Peyton elected in 2003.
“Their reputations are well-known and I was impressed with how they handled Mayor Peyton’s first election,” said Corey. “Mike Tolbert put together a team he trusts.”
Over the next eight months Corey said she’ll spend her free time raising money and meeting people in Duval, Clay and Nassau counties. Within the next couple of months Corey plans to pare down her work load and eventually work part-time until the election.