Crist’s Independent Bid Hurts GOP Judicial Candidates

BY BUDDY NEVINS 

I hope the handful of judges appointed by Governors Charlie Crist and Jeb Bush have a fallback plan for the rest of their lives.

They’ll need it.

Crist’s announcement that he is running for U. S. Senate as an independent has suddenly dimmed their chances to be elected in August.  

Judges run in the August primary. Since judicial races are non-partisan, all voters can participate.   

When there was a bitter GOP primary planned between Crist and Marco Rubio, the Democratic vote in the primary would have been watered down by the large group of Republicans voting.

Now the newly-independent Crist avoids the primary and runs in November. Without a hot race to draw Republicans to the polls,  the August primary will be dominated by Democrats in this overwhelmingly Democratic county.

Although candidates are forbidden in judicial races to advertise their party affiliation, the word will get out.  Using “independent committees and surrogates, the challengers will make sure voters know that they are Democrats and the incumbents are Republicans. 

The party ID will help the challengers.  Voters will know so little about judicial candidates that they will naturally vote for those they can identify with.

They’ll vote for a candidate who is a Democrat like them.  Or they’ll vote for a candidate with a name that sounds like one of their own group.

So having a Jewish-sounding name won’t hurt.

Although Jewish voters are less of a factor in Broward than in the past, they still are a sizable bloc in the August primary.  This is especially true when you have less Republicans voting.

Republicans may be able to save some judges by raising large sums of money and using it to point out that some challengers are eminently unqualified.

But it’s going to be tougher for incumbents.  It’s going to be expensive.

And it is going to be more interesting.



9 Responses to “Crist’s Independent Bid Hurts GOP Judicial Candidates”

  1. Scrappy Do says:

    Districting for judges in Broward. Its the only way for fair diversity on the bench.

  2. Do Scrappy says:

    Scrappy Do…I agree…you are the bomb…really a cure to this nonsense of losers being elected to the bench. KK and crew…be careful what you wish for.

  3. jim tylock says:

    the only fair method for judicial races is if their are only 2 candidates they go in november, the primaries are used only for three or more and unles one gets 50 percent a run off in the general. this prevents a small group of partisan voters from controlling the judiciary . look at whats occuring this year and you see why its imperative to change the system.

  4. hmmmm says:

    Buddy:

    Take a look at the Financial Disclosures that have been filed.
    We have candidates with NEGATIVE net worhts, and candidates who are earning less than 40K a year.

    This is about some lawyers who can’t get work, hoping to be hired based on a name, reglion, or gender.

  5. Republicans Must Go says:

    All the Fascist judges appointed by the Republicans are going. Maybe we’ll get a court that is not part of the prosecutor’s office.

  6. Broward Lawyer says:

    Buddy,

    You are right. I’ll give you an example. Judge Rebollo, a good friend, great judge and a good fellow Democrat, is being challenged by some guy name Bob Nicholas who made no money in his law practice. He listed his house as worth $500,000 but the property appraiser values the house at $376,000. Can he get in trouble for lying on his Financial Affidavit?

  7. TAXMAN says:

    Property appraiser value and worth are two different number CHECK YOU HOMESTEAD God help some people on this blog

  8. dippy do says:

    really? in 2009 his home may have been valued at $526,220 but things have gone down the tubes havent they TAXMAN (or is this BOBBY)
    Just Value Assessed /
    $376,880
    can’t fool us TAXMAN
    and PS, I doubt GOD will be reaching out to helping you BOB, (oops, TAXMAN)

  9. Broward Lawyer says:

    So if Bob Nichol’s house is Just Valued Assesed at $376,880 and Nicholas under oath says it is worth $500,000. Isn’t Nichols lying under oath. What do I have to do to file a complaint against Nicholas?
    Judge Rebollo is a dear friend. He has done a great job as a circuit judge for 2 1/2 years. I’m filing a JQC complaint against Nichols.