JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — It is the other name people have heard a lot over the last few months; David Shoar and Tom Leek are part of a bitter battle for the Republican nomination in Florida's Senate District 7.
Shoar was the St. Johns County sheriff for 16 years. He said his experience in law enforcement gives him a unique perspective on governing.
“I figured I've been successful in the past managing major issues of projects and teams of people, and I thought I could bring some value to Tallahassee," Shoar said.
Shoar entered the District 7 race back in June. He said he wants to tackle issues like campaign finance reform and give more power back to local governments if elected.
"I don't like every time our legislature passes a bill, they take more authority and power away from local government and we put it in Tallahassee, we put it in Washington," Shoar said.
Shoar entered an already heated contest between current Florida Representative Tom Leek and the political committee, The Truth Matters. The committee was formed in April 2024 and started running attack ads against Leek before throwing support behind Shoar.
"Listen, there are so many political action committees. They do it that way because it's hard to pinpoint," Shoar said.
Leek claims Shoar was hand-picked by big law firms to go against him. Shoar denied those claims but confirmed lawyers are supporting him. The chair of The Truth Matters is an attorney at the law firm where Shoar works.
"I've got attorneys that are funding me money and PAC money, but I've got a lot of people doing that. I don't have the insurance companies doing it. I don't have the developers doing it. So, now, when they say these things, the question isn't so much who's supporting you. The question is why does it take so much money," Shoar explained.
With less than two weeks left until the primary election, Shoar said he is not focusing on the negative side of this campaign. He will continue working to get his message out to voters.
“I believe in the fundamental goodness of men and women. After 40 years as a law enforcement officer, dealing with some of the absolute worst that humanity has to offer, I left that job still thinking that 96% of our citizens want to be left alone by government," Shoar said.
First Coast News also spoke with the two other candidates in this race, Tom Leek and Gerry James.