Sheriff seen as king of Brevard political endorsements
Sheriff Wayne Ivey isn't campaigning for re-election this year. But you might not know it by looking at the campaign ads and mailings voters are seeing.
Ivey is in many of the ads, typically in photographs next to the candidates who bought the ads. This year, Ivey has endorsed about a dozen Republican and nonpartisan candidates for office, and his endorsement is widely sought. He says about 25 candidates for office this year asked for his endorsement.
"A lot of the candidates have come and met with me," said Ivey, a Republican who was unopposed for re-election this year, and who will start his second four-year term in January. "I look for who is going to be able to do the best job."
Ivey said, as part of his vetting of the elected officials and other candidates for office who want his endorsement, he consults with his Brevard County Sheriff's Office command team to get their feedback on the candidates.
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"I want to make sure the right person is in office," Ivey said, adding that he wants elected officials who can work cooperatively with public safety agencies and "protect the Constitution."
Candidates for office also have sought the backing of other elected officials and various business and political organizations. But an endorsement from Ivey is clearly among the most sought-after ones this election cycle.
Brevard County Democratic Executive Committee Chairperson Mary Greene said certain endorsements "most definitely" can swing close local elections, and Greene puts Ivey in that category.
"I believe the sheriff's department has a lot of weight behind its endorsement," Greene said.
Greene said some other endorsements that can swing large numbers of voters include ones from real estate organizations and teachers' unions, based on the large size of their memberships.
But, Greene added, voters should do their own research on candidates before casting their votes.
"It's unfortunate if endorsements are all people based their votes on," Greene said.
Susan MacManus, a political science professor at the University of South Florida in Tampa, said Ivey himself also could benefit by giving his endorsements to political candidates, should Ivey decide to seek another elective office in the future.
If the candidates Ivey endorses win election, MacManus said, "they have a connection" and a perceived affinity on the issues.
So Ivey would be positioned to get those elected officials' endorsement in a future election.
'Resource for voters'
Among the other organizations endorsing local political candidates is the Business Voice of Florida's Space Coast Political Committee, which has endorsed 11 candidates this year.
Business Voice Executive Director Kathryn Rudloff said the organization's 35-member board of directors from throughout the county chose which candidates to endorse. The endorsements were based largely on which candidates were most prepared for the office, had the best understanding of the job they were seeking and had the best understanding of budget issues.
"We want to be a resource for voters to turn to," Rudloff said. "Elections can be confusing. Campaigns can be negative."
Business Voice's endorsements included 10 Republicans, one nonpartisan candidate and no Democrats. But Rudloff said that doesn't mean Democratic candidates will not be endorsed by the organization in the future. She said Business Voice interviewed both Republican and Democratic candidates, and there are Republicans, Democrats and independents on its board of directors.
Sheriff's endorsement 'helpful'
Brevard County Commission Chairman Jim Barfield is one of the candidates who received Ivey's endorsement in 2014. That year, Barfield, a Republican, won a four-person GOP primary and a three-person general election in his first run for elected office, in an election in which there was no incumbent.
Barfield says Ivey's endorsement is an important one because, symbolically, Ivey "represents all the public safety for the county."
"I think it's helpful" to be endorsed by the sheriff, Barfield said, although it can be "a double-edged sword" if a voter doesn't like Ivey.
Barfield was one of about eight local candidates Ivey endorsed in 2014, and Ivey says all but one of them won their election.
Voters responding to a Facebook inquiry from FLORIDA TODAY had mixed views on how important Ivey's political endorsements are to them.
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Jasn Pouncey of Titusville said he takes "the sheriff's endorsements into consideration, especially when it involves supporting our law enforcement departments, and the safety and well-being of our community."
"But, ultimately, it's my views on the pros and cons of each candidate that brings me to a decision," Pouncey said.
"I love the sheriff," Titusville resident Chris Charron said. "But, no, his endorsement of another candidate means very little to me. I will learn what the candidates stand for on my own and do my homework and vote accordingly."
In her Facebook post, Melissa Olesko said: "I love our sheriff, but pride myself on forming my own opinion. I find the candidate pictures with 'so-and-so has endorsed me' tacky. To be honest, my neighbors' endorsement hold more weight in the decision-making. I know for a fact that they have zero personal gain. Just my opinion!"
Others said they would be wary of supporting candidates that Ivey endorses because they consider endorsements part of the "good-ole-boy system" or disagree with Ivey's political views.
Law enforcement support
Ivey downplays his own power in helping swing elections, or the perception of his celebrity status in the community, as a result of his high-profile views on gun-related issues and his work on behalf of various nonprofit organizations.
But Ivey does believe that, as a representative of law enforcement, his endorsement of candidates can give voters a sense of where candidates stand, particularly on law enforcement-related issues.
Ivey said he hopes voters "do research on their own" of candidates seeking elective office, while adding that endorsements by elected officials and organizations can "as a whole, give people a sense of confidence" in a candidate.
"If you look at Brevard County, we're very fortunate that we have citizens who love their law enforcement, people who trust their law enforcement officers," Ivey said. "We have a great reputation in our community. That comes down to our agency, our team, has done a great job. It's a true testament to the work we do in our community" to have so many political candidates seeking the sheriff's endorsement.
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Brevard County Republican Party Chairman Barbara Davis said, under GOP rules, she and other the members of the local Republican Executive Committee cannot openly endorse one GOP candidate over another in Tuesday's primary.
"We stay neutral in the primary," Davis said.
Some — but not all — local Republican clubs also follow those guidelines.
But Davis said those rules don't apply to individual Republican elected officials.
Davis said she would prefer that Republican politicians and groups that typically endorse Republican candidates wait until the primary is over to publicize their endorsements. But she added that it's up to them.
Davis said it's hard to measure how big an impact an endorsement from the sheriff would have on a close local election, but added: "I would say some people would rely on his endorsement" in helping figure out who they will vote for.
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"I think that, if voters know and like a certain elected official," they might be more inclined to vote for a candidate that elected official endorses, Davis said.
Ivey said he sees no problem with endorsing candidate prior to the primary election. In a Republican-leaning county like Brevard, Ivey contends that "a huge majority of these elections are decided in the primary."
The Democratic Party has similar rules, in that Greene and members of her Executive Committee cannot publicly endorse candidates in contested Democratic primaries before that primary. Many of its local political clubs also abide by these guidelines.
But, because there is only one Democratic primary this year for local office, these rules don't come into play as much as in the Republican Party, where there are a number of primaries.
Greene said she has concerns about a sheriff, police chief or other law enforcement official endorsing a candidate for a judicial seat, saying it could present "a conflict of interest."
But Ivey — who endorsed two judicial candidates this year — said he sees no issue with endorsing judicial candidates who, if elected, would hear cases involving arrests made by Ivey's deputies.
"They're going to wear the robes, and will be fair in their administration of justice," Ivey said. "I want a judge on the bench who holds criminals accountable. But I don't expect them to do us any favors."
Ivey said when competing candidates for an office seek Ivey's endorsement, he has to make a decision on which candidate to back, but added that he hopes there are "no hard feelings."
FLORIDA TODAY staff writer Jessica Saggio contributed to this report.
Contact Berman at 321-242-3649 or dberman@floridatoday.com.
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