Ben Crump backs L.J. Holloway in CD 4 scrum

Civil rights lawyer Ben Crump is doubling down on a previous endorsement of Florida’s 4th Congressional District candidate L.J. Holloway, calling her a “FIGHTER with the experience” needed to serve in Congress.

Holloway, who holds a J.D. from the University of Florida Levin College of Law, illustrates the power of persistence in politics. After a number of unsuccessful bids for the nomination, she was the Democratic Party’s nominee in the last two cycles.

She’s experienced as well, having worked for the Environmental Protection Agency and as a congressional staffer for former U.S. Rep. Carrie Meek, and has made the case that her résumé separates her from her Primary opponents.

Polling of the Primary race is almost nonexistent, but surveys show her well-positioned ahead of the Aug. 18 Primary, where she will face former Jacksonville Ethics Commission Chair Michael Kirwan and Democratic Socialist Brit Robinson.

A recent Tyson Group poll of the race shows her ahead of Kirwan by 31 points, with Robinson even further back. Her lead is bolstered by superior name recognition in the district.

An internal poll taken in June by Robinson’s campaign finds her in first place with 25% support, 12 points ahead of Kirwan and 14 ahead of Robinson.

Holloway’s strength in that poll appears to be rooted in residual name recognition and in the demographics of the district. She performs best among Black voters — 40% back her, while 52% remain undecided. Black voters make up 63% of the district’s Democratic electorate.

Kirwan’s campaign says their internal polling shows different results, but they are not sharing those numbers.

If Holloway prevails, it suggests that the nomination may be hard to attain for any White Democrat, particularly given Kirwan has dominated fundraising. He has raised nearly $720,000 this cycle, compared to roughly $25,000 for Robinson and $20,000 for Holloway.

Kirwan has scored endorsements from many elected officials and unions, and the August ballot will be a test of what they mean.

Holloway has run for Congress repeatedly since her first campaign in 2016. While the east-west district that ran along Interstate 10 toward Tallahassee proved daunting, she finally broke through in a newly reconfigured district including parts of Clay and Duval and all of Nassau in 2022.

Holloway defeated former state Sen. Tony Hill by a narrow margin in the Primary before going on to lose the General Election by 21 points to incumbent Republican Aaron Bean.

She lost to Bean again in 2024 by less than 15 points.

The district was not changed in congressional redistricting this year, and the chances Holloway or any Democrat have in the General Election likely will be contingent on voters abandoning the GOP due to mid-term fatigue.

Bean has already raised more than $2 million for his re-election.