Duval Republican party chair: Sheriff Waters’ endorsement of Trump is a non-issue

An elected official endorsing their party's nominee usually does not elicit controversy. However, I was surprised to read a recent column that called on Sheriff T.K. Waters to rescind his endorsement of former President Donald Trump in his new bid for the presidency.

The sheriff's endorsement reflects Trump's support — not only of a vast majority of Florida's elected sheriffs — but also of the rank-and-file officers who trust him to have their backs. Their endorsements reflect their commitment to law and order and their oath of office to keep their constituents safe.

Consider President Joe Biden's record over the past three years, particularly regarding support for law enforcement.

For example, the Biden administration spread lies about U.S. Customs & Border Patrol officers allegedly "whipping" illegal immigrants at our southern border.

We've also witnessed the disastrous consequences of soft-on-crime policies in some states. Policies like bail reform have apparently resulted in career criminals being arrested, released and committing more crimes. The consequences of such policies result in endangering our men and women in blue, as seen with the recent murder of a New York police officer.

The March 31 column also raised the numerous "problematic issues" with the sheriff's endorsement. Frankly, I think the only problematic issues worth discussing are the failures of the Biden administration.

On day one of his presidency, Biden revoked many of Trump's successful border policies, including "Remain in Mexico" and Title 42, which helped curb illegal immigration into our country. Now, we have a wide-open Southern border that has seen a record amount of illegal immigrant crossings, with many of those apprehended there found to be on the terrorist watch list.

Despite the so-called "Inflation Reduction Act," ABC News reports that over half of Americans have said their finances have worsened over the last four years. High food prices, housing costs and record credit card debt to meet basic needs have become the norm in America. Under President Biden, a record-low number of Americans believe that the American Dream still exists.

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To top it all off, a poll conducted by Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows that a majority of voters believe that Biden is not fit to be commander-in-chief. With multiple crises going on in the world, America cannot afford a second term of a "well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory" who presided over the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal, while our enemies have only grown stronger.

These are the issues that will decide the next presidential election — and Sheriff Waters, along with every one of us, is entitled to his opinion and free speech. Those who say the sheriff shouldn't weigh in on these critical issues are merely engaging in typical partisanship.

State Rep. Dean Black, chairman, Republican Party of Duval County

This guest column is the opinion of the author and does not necessarily represent the views of the Times-Union. We welcome a diversity of opinions.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville sheriff's endorsement of Trump is right call for law