TAMPA — If the race for Florida Attorney General were decided by the county sheriffs across the Sunshine State, Republican Ashley Moody would win by a landslide.
Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister has joined a growing list of sheriffs in Florida who have endorsed Moody's bid for office. Chronister's endorsement is among 57 of 66 sheriffs in Florida, or more than 90 percent, who have endorsed Moody. The tally includes eight Democrats.
Moody, a former judge and prosecutor from Tampa, faces State House Rep. Sean Shaw (D-Tampa) in November's general election. She also has the support of Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is not seeking another term.
Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister
"Ashley Moody has the requisite maturity, experience and temperament to prosecute and uphold our state laws to protect our great state from some of the most egregious offenses," Sheriff Chronister said in a statement that accompanied his endorsement.
"I am confidant she will provide local Sheriffs the support, resources and legislation we need to keep our communities safe. She's not only the most qualified and best choice, she's the only choice."
Moody, in a Twitter post, publicly thanked Sheriff Chronister for his endorsement. "I am so thankful to have the support from my hometown Sheriff in Hillsborough County," Moody said in the social media post.
Sheriff Chronister, a law enforcement officer with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office since 1992, was appointed sheriff by Florida Gov. Rick Scott in September of last year, according to information from Chronister's bio on the department's website.
Ashley Moody, born and raised in Plant City, is a former federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, where she prosecuted drug, firearm, and fraud offenses, according to information on her campaign website.
In 2006, when she was 31, Moody became the youngest judge in Florida on her election to Hillsborough County's Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court.
Moody also has served as an adjunct professor at Stetson University College of Law and on the judicial faculty for Florida's New Judges College, Advanced Judicial Studies, and the Circuit Judges Conference.