A recurrent Democratic candidate for Congress is looking at running again, and a big reason why is her opposition to someone who just filed this week.
LJ Holloway[1] says she’s “strongly considering” becoming the fourth candidate in a crowded Primary race in Florida’s 4th Congressional District, which includes Clay County, Nassau County and part of Duval.
A big reason for her political comeback would be aversion to Michael Kirwan[2], a retired Jacksonville lawyer who was a partner at Foley and Lardner and who once chaired the Jacksonville Ethics Commission,
A lawyer herself, Holloway predicates her argument on his work in real estate transactions and mergers and acquisitions.
“For years, Michael Kirwan has made a living helping the rich get richer — whether it’s Wall Street investors buying up our neighborhoods or Big Pharma hiking drug prices,” Holloway said. “He’s not just out of touch with working families — he’s actively working against them.”
Holloway contends that Kirwan has materially prospered while the people he would serve in Congress have not.
“While Floridians are struggling to afford rent and prescriptions, Kirwan’s clients are celebrating record profits,” Holloway continued. “We need leaders who fight for affordable housing, fair healthcare, and economic justice — not lawyers who help billionaires buy up our communities.”
“Kirwan was very, very good at making a profit for himself and his partners at Foley and Lardner, but not nearly as good (at) saving jobs and housing for communities,” she added. “His is very much the profile of what we’ve seen in the last decade on Wall Street. He was about making money. And that’s fine. But don’t feed the wolf, then come back and pretend to save the sheep who can’t afford housing.”
We contacted Kirwan’s campaign for comment while working on this article, but response was not immediate.
Holloway has been the Democratic nominee against incumbent Republican Aaron Bean[3] in the last two elections. In 2024, Bean won by nearly 15 percentage points.
Her path to a third try in the General Election doesn’t come without obstruction.
Two Democrats, Ricky Knoles and Brittney Robinson, already opened campaign accounts before Kirwan’s entry. Knoles has raised just over $4,000 and Robinson has yet to record fundraising activity.
Meanwhile, the incumbent’s political machine is humming along. As of the end of June, Federal Election Commission[4] records showed Bean with more than $830,000 cash on hand. The district is 41% Republican and 34% Democrat.
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References
- ^ LJ Holloway (floridapolitics.com)
- ^ Michael Kirwan (floridapolitics.com)
- ^ Aaron Bean (floridapolitics.com)
- ^ Federal Election Commission (www.fec.gov)