Submitted by Abel Harding on April 15, 2011 - 1:43am
Alvin Brown says there's no room for partisan politics in the Jacksonville mayoral race. Touting his opponent's description of him as a "conservative Democrat," he's working to garner support from the largely Republican business community.
In keeping with that approach, the former White House aide has been reassuring prospective supporters that he won't be promoting the candidacies of other Democrats - including President Barack Obama - should he win.
"This is not about Democrats or Republicans," the Jacksonville University MBA graduate said. "I'm going to be focused on putting Jacksonville back to work."
Brown says he's aware of the perception that a Democrat can't win Duval County but believes this race is different.
"There are more people out there who don't want the status quo," he said.
His campaign touted a poll it commissioned this week that shows him within striking distance of Mike Hogan, his Republican opponent.
The possibility of a close race wasn't something Hogan's campaign was willing to dispute.
"We are not taking anything for granted," said Maggie Bulin, Hogan's operations manager. "We are focused on getting Mike's message out to every resident of Duval County."
