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From Leading Gulf County Schools to a Run for Congress | Jim Norton
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After serving as Gulf County’s Superintendent of Schools for nearly 15 years, Jim Norton is now running for Congress.
On this episode of The BlueWater Podcast, we sit down with Jim to talk about why he entered the race, his campaign, the lessons he learned through years of public service, and what he believes it truly takes to lead.
The BlueWater Podcast is a place for conversation, not endorsement - giving our community the opportunity to listen, learn, and decide for themselves.
🎙️ Watch the full episode and make sure to FOLLOW BlueWater for more conversations like this! #bluewaterpodcast #movewithblue
Life's what happens while you're making plans. I've loved my role being school superintendent. We're very competitive.
SPEAKER_00A lot of people will say, you kind of play athletic director, and I said, no. If you could distinguish yourself from the other candidates that you know you're running against, what sets you apart?
SPEAKER_02Here people say the Lord doesn't put more on your plate than you can handle. What we learned as a household, we lost everything.
SPEAKER_01When you started doing the job as superintendent, is that when you fell in love with politics?
SPEAKER_02When the pandemic came along, we didn't think twice, we didn't look at it, we didn't care. And it was real the way COVID-19 did take some lives.
SPEAKER_00What does Washington, in your opinion, maybe missing at when it comes to education?
SPEAKER_02When it tears down, haul it to the side of the road, and there comes a day in time to where you start hauling materials back in. And for us, that was the mindset it took.
SPEAKER_01Are there any issues that you disagree with, like the mainstream Republicans?
SPEAKER_00We just had an amazing conversation with Jim Norton, a candidate for the United States House of Representatives. This is one of the most important elected offices in our country because the people elected to Congress help shape the laws and policies that affect every American family, including those right here in Walcala and across North Florida. And it's also a rarity and something that deserves to be commended when high-profile candidates take the time to visit a local community like Walcala and engage directly with the people and families who call North Florida home.
SPEAKER_01It shows they aren't just focused on winning races. They're sincerely interested in meeting real people, hearing real concerns, and understanding the unique needs of the communities they hope to represent.
SPEAKER_00And honestly, I think voters notice that because if a candidate isn't willing to spend time in a community before an election when they're asking for your vote, it's fair to wonder how much time they'll spend there after the election is over.
SPEAKER_01That's one of the reasons we appreciated Jim Norton coming on the podcast. He didn't have to make the trip to Wakulla County, but he did. He showed up, answered questions, and demonstrated that he cares about this community and the people who live, work, and raise their families here and throughout North Florida.
SPEAKER_00And for us, these conversations are especially important because we're in the real estate business. Every day we help families buy homes, sell homes, and invest in their future. We see firsthand how leadership decisions impact jobs, economic growth, insurance costs, property values, and the ability of people to achieve and protect the American dream of homeownership. These policies aren't just headlines. They affect real people all across North Florida.
SPEAKER_01That's why we believe it's important to give voters the opportunity to hear directly from the people who want to represent them.
SPEAKER_00So to every candidate and public official out there, consider this an open invitation.
SPEAKER_01Wakulla County matters. North Florida matters. The people here matter. And when leaders take the time to show up, listen, and engage with our communities, people notice. Stay tuned for our conversation with Jim Norton. We think you're really going to enjoy it.
SPEAKER_00Well, Mr. Norton, thank you so much. My daddy would say Mr. Norton's dead.
SPEAKER_02But go ahead.
SPEAKER_00We have been excited uh to get you in here. It's an honor to have you in here. Um but for the people of Wal Waucula County, tell us before we get into some of the like political, uh political stuff, just tell us a little bit about you, where you grew up, your family, uh, what you've been doing, and then we'll we'll talk about some of the political like we'll kill you county, my friend Ralph Ralph Thomas and uh your Uncle JD all like the fact that I can say pronounce it correctly.
SPEAKER_02We'll kill you. I like it. So uh that's right. And uh no, I grew up a lot uh uh much like this, uh one county over, one count county between us. Uh uh I am Jim Norton, I'm the school superintendent in Gulf County. I've been there for 15 years. I was born there, raised there, the middle of three boys. Uh my older brother chose after college a career in the Air Force. I'm proud to say he retired a full colonel. And uh uh I don't think we had another colonel until you went back to the American Revolution. Uh my mother's ancestor and the daughters of the American Revolution uh happened to have a colonel, so I said it took eight generations. So I'm not gonna hold my breath for the next one that comes at this rate. But uh but uh my younger brother Joe uh and I went to law school together. And uh Joe went to work for a prosecutor. I took a different career path and uh went through, well, just working a little bit in politics and uh working in banking for a decade, and uh really enjoyed banking. Uh I speci uh specialized in trust banking. And uh what that means is you work a decade, they give you half the combination to the vault, uh uh, and no loan authority. Uh trust bank trust is a bank within the bank, and uh and I love trust banking. And kind of coming out of the great, great recession that I called kind of 2008, you know, uh that really toppled a lot of things and toppled a lot of the community banks, and I still say that was a big Obama piece. Absolutely, I remember. To put community banks out of business and uh uh because they were small institutional uh uh local institutions that could help people. And it's it's sad that there really are no small banks left. Uh I know the uh we love our friends that work in the banks that that existed, but that most of them are the mid-cap banks and uh just very few community banks left. I am glad to say I got to be a part of the community bank uh time frame, and I would love to you know see that happen again one day. I just think it was a political hit. But I did that for a decade and uh uh trust banking and trust was a lot of fun. But you know, you go through audit after audit after audit coming out of that, and you went from fun to just always the mundane and uh you know uh uh and I just the opportunity came about. Governor Scott, uh now Senator Scott appointed me uh in 2011. August the twelfth. I've always said August the 11th, and I saw in some official document the other day I gave myself one day extra credit. Uh it was the twelfth. But uh I uh remember the day he called and appointed me, and uh and it's kind of a pretty tedious process to get an appointment to one of the constitutional offices, and he called and uh his Naples telephone number, and uh Jimmy Patronas had told me, he said, You need to expect a phone call. We'll answer your phone call. So I talked to a lot of telemarketers that day. Uh when he finally when he find when he finally called, I was uh it was it was just before lunch, and uh I never will forget. I sat there and he said, Jim, I'd like for you to be the superintendent of schools. And I was like, Thank you, governor, and you know, kind of felt like Andy Griffith I was about to call. But, you know, I was excited and uh always appreciated him very much doing that. But I remember sitting in my chair and I was like, okay, how do I go across the hall and tell my boss that I'm uh just became superintendent of schools and what do I need to do when I stand up and open this door and walk out? And I just remember writing on a piece of paper, tearing it out, writing on a piece of paper. And I just remember my only thought was, I'm gonna do the best job that I possibly can, K through 12. Yeah. And I wrote that on the piece of paper. I got the nerve, walked across, and said to my boss, Joey Gann, I said, Joey, the governor just called and uh uh appointed me school superintendent in Guff County. He said, Oh, that's great. What is that? Like one night a month? So uh anyway, uh uh I said, no, I guess I mean I'm quitting. He said, What? So, you know, that was on a Friday and Monday I showed up at work and uh uh that's 15 years ago. Yeah uh in the interim. Uh my parents, both natural causes, passed away within the nine-year span, and my dad lived with us. Uh my wife cooked breakfast every morning for him. Uh I had my two children in life, the only two children uh uh never imagined having born a year and 18 days apart, and uh uh 12 and 13 now. And you know, life's what happens while you're making plans. Yeah. I've loved my role being school superintendent. Uh uh, we're very competitive. A lot of people will say, Do you kind of play athletic director? And I said, No, I play athletic director's director. So uh, but it does make it fun, and we've seen a lot of changes.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Well, to be a uh one, I think being a superintendent, you're in the hot seat all all the time. And us being a neighboring, you know, us being neighbors, neighbors to you here in Waucula County, I've heard nothing but I mean, you have just done an incredible job over there. Your reputation precedes you as far as being a good superintendent and a good good leader. Um but but on so uh but on that note, uh as being um the superintendent, you went through uh with the with uh was it hurricane Michael? Man, t tell us about that. Tell us about that for a second, uh, for with Hurricane Michael and what you had to deal with there. You lost, didn't you didn't you lose your home in with uh with her in that hurricane? And what tell us about what happened? How how was it navigating all of that in that role?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, we always hear people say the Lord doesn't put more on your plate than you can handle. And uh I uh in short, what what we what I learned, what we learned as a household, uh we lost everything. I mean, literally we lost we left. Uh Hurricane Michael hit October 10th, 2018. And I never will forget uh my wife, she was from Valdasta originally, and uh she and the two boys left to go over to Fairhope, Alabama to my brother's uh Monday night, and uh uh the 10th was a Wednesday mor uh Wednesday, and I never will forget, I was just I was gonna write it out. My daddy said, if you don't leave, I'm not leaving. We were gonna ride it out in our home. And you know, God does mysterious things to benefit us. And uh that Monday night, uh, you know, we say prayers every night, the boys and Eric and I, we'll no matter where we are, if we're on the telephone. But my kids were pretty young then, and uh they called 10 o'clock, and I just uh I answered the phone and uh uh and my little one said, I need you here now. And he was crying. I just you know, and I I need to hold you. And it was a little bit uncanny, uncharacteristic, just what he was saying. And I was like, Well, I'll see you tomorrow. I'll talk to you, I'll see you tomorrow. And I just really un just kind of a reflexive statement. I remember laying there for about five minutes, went into my dad's bedroom, and I said, you know what, let's just get the heck out of here tomorrow. We'll last thing. And uh we did and went over there and and I don't know if it would have killed us, but uh uh it would have it it would have given somebody a heart attack. Uh uh we pretty much lost everything and the downstairs and everything upstairs except for where a door blew to, and my wife had moved, you know, some of the family treasures, pictures, a few guns and things up to one of the bedrooms, and the wind slammed that door, and you know, pretty much everything else was devastated. But Hurricane Michael really did just impact, affected Port St. Joe. People don't realize. We on the eastern side we got effectively a tidal wave, and sixty, sixty-five percent of the homes in Port St. Joe were so low lying were flooded. And uh uh and those that stayed, some lost their lives, some lost their pets, some nearly survived, and uh there were a lot of beautiful things that happened. I've always heard Uncle saying seven missed meals to anarchy. We lost total, as they said from you know, FEMA when they came down there, and those folks, the governor's office and everybody said that we lost comms, we lost fuel, we lost everything. For the better part of the week, there was no calling really the outside world, and then slowly but surely it started coming back. And and if you'll recall, there was a political race going on. Uh you had Governor Scott running for Senate, and you had uh uh uh now Governor then Congressman DeSantis. Yeah. Um, you know, just what three or so weeks short of the general election running, and uh and really every they wanted to show their leadership, and I never will forget Governor Scott called about three times. The first time was like, hey, what can I do for you? And uh uh second time was like I need you to get schools open. And the last time was like uh I need schools open now. And I remember looking at uh, thank God I had my deputy sitting beside me, Lori Price, and I remember looking at her, she's like, I guess we're getting schools open. And I called uh the principals, I called one of them, and the school's devastating, and I said, schools will be open Friday, this is on a Wednesday. And he said, Next Friday? I said, Friday, schools are open. He said, Next Friday. And uh, you know, you just go back and forth so often, and he said, Whatever, yes I and you you know, we came up with a plan and we said, okay, we have two functional elementary schools, and we'll let the the high school students go the first part of the day, the elementary students go the second part. And as we can get things going, whatever it takes to get it going. And we did, and it was the right thing because what it did crisis management, real life, real world had how to handle a crisis situation. When the pandemic came along, we didn't think twice, we didn't look at it, we didn't care, and it was real the way you know COVID-19 did take some lives. And uh I don't want to belittle it, but uh people like myself, my wife, my kids, we just said we're not going to get vaccinated for this. Um, you know, I'm glad we never did. But uh, but uh but but as far as not doing the mask stuff, I think just the people along the coast here, the people here in our part of North Florida are wise to a lot of things. And uh don't mean to slam Tallahassee, but Tallahassee sometimes has some liberals up there that just aren't gonna see it the way we do.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and so this first time I've ever I've ever, although we had some family connections, uh, no know some of the same people. I've never personally met you until you walked in the room um or walked into our office. And when you first walked in, I knew immediately that you were one of us. I knew that you were you were a local just by the way you communicate, the way you talk to people, the care that you that you show. And that that's refreshing. And I'm I'm excited about the potential of getting one of us in in the U.S. con the U.S. con.
SPEAKER_02I've told a couple people, Kyle, I said, if I get elected, I really believe in democracy. If I don't get elected, I'm I'm I don't know if I have as much hope. I can add you know, I am from here, and and and I think that's what distinguishes me. I I literally my grandparents were from this area, my great grandparents were from this area. And like you, you know, we kind of grounded to it. I mean, you know, we drink the water here, it uh, you know, the honey from here, the the the gr you know, the air we breathe, the salt air. Uh and I I just think that it helped sh shape us over time.
SPEAKER_00Well, but being a s a superintendent, even when things are when you don't when you're not having to contend with a natural disaster, just being a superintendent in and of itself is such a pressure cooker job you're dealing with making bigness.
SPEAKER_02I mean, and it's a readiness job.
SPEAKER_00You stack that on top of dealing with uh a catastrophe, uh uh the natural disaster, my hurricane Michael and dealing with all that, somebody's uh leadership really, you know, you really see what type of leader they are, and the way you navigated that is just super, super impressive.
SPEAKER_02Well, I thank you for calling me singling that out for me. And you ask, and I am going to say one more addendum to that, how do you recover from something like that? What I learned is one will bear a load at a time. And what does that mean? Literally, when it tears down, you haul it to the side of the road, and there comes a day in time to where you start hauling materials back in. And for us, that was the mindset it took. And I think that's the mindset, no matter who's running in this campaign right now. Yeah, you're like, okay, there's uh I'm 110 days in with less than 90 days to go. And you're like, wow, I've crossed the Rubicon. It's uh now it seems like it's speeding up. I'm like uh everybody says it's a marathon, but they're everybody's starting to sprint. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01I had a quick question really quick. So in 2011, whenever you were appointed um superintendent by Rick Scott, um when you started doing the job as superintendent, is that when you fell in love with politics or I think sometimes it's hardwired into people.
SPEAKER_02Uh you all are doing this show right here. I think you're you like it. And I think a lot of people either love it or they don't. I grew up, my dad worked for the old St. Joe Paper Company, he was a manager, my mother was a school teacher, there were three of us boys. And uh I could have been a fireman or a policeman or uh gone in the military like my brother. Uh, you know, we had neighbors, people there, like Mr. George Tapper, Billy Joe Rish, or people that just we grew up watching, you know, from the Pat Thomas's, even Bill Mumford came along. I just always liked watching the the politicians, you know. Earl Hutto was our congressman, and believe it or not, uh he was one of the TV anchors on one of the Panama City uh TV uh stations when I was growing up, and then he became ran for Congress and you know parlated into that, and you just felt like it was right there at your doorstep. And I was a student council president in high school, and uh uh I'm not sure if I thought that qualified me to be superintendent, but uh I uh uh after watching that movie Moneyball between being a trust banker and a school superintendent, uh uh that probably could be Brad Pitt and manage the days. So uh but I have dedicated myself to the one to the jobs and 15 years is enough to where I said I'll depart on my own terms. And uh I plan on working until the day I die, or you know, can't work, and uh uh I want to serve. And there's no way to be a school superintendent without having a servant's heart.
SPEAKER_00So, Molly, you're from the younger generation, what do y'all call it when people has have experience?
SPEAKER_01Oh, you have the receipts.
SPEAKER_00You've got the receipts. You've got the receipts. That's the that's the lingo. Okay, so but we and we and I do want to, we could have actually we could have a whole discussion just about you being superintendent. Yeah, we can. But but I want to we want to m move move you know on to what you know some of your you know what you're getting ready to step into. But first, um, you know, uh uh we want to get to obviously just get to know you a little better. I told you you've already answered one question, and she's gonna probably kick me under the table when I say this. But before you came in, Molly said, all politicians are boring.
SPEAKER_01I didn't say it like that. I didn't say it like that.
SPEAKER_00I hope he's not boring. And uh and from the and and from the time you walked in, we had we've had such a great time laughing and carrying on with you. And uh, I mean, just how down to earth and the the the you so so you answered that question. You're not boring. Okay, let me give it someone.
SPEAKER_01Let me give it some context. I wasn't calling all politicians boring. Let's get that straight.
SPEAKER_02The others I'm running against are pretty boring.
SPEAKER_01But I just sometimes in the past, and I've spoken with some politicians and stuff, like they just it's hard to relate a little bit like when I'm trying to talk to them. But as soon as you walked in, I'm like, okay, it's gonna be a great day.
SPEAKER_00Molly's Molly's very well connected. She she's she knows a lot of the the politicians. But anyway, you you've answered that. You passed that test. So anybody who spends five minutes with you, they know you're not uh they know you're not boring.
SPEAKER_02Well, people will ask, like, what kind of senators or congressmen who do you who do you like up there? You know, it's certainly they're historical figures we all like. And you know, there are people uh that I follow. I mean, everybody loves like Senator Kennedy out of Louisiana. Uh, you know, yes. They just fault too. He is and uh it's so funny. And Ted Cruz is good. I mean, uh uh and but but a lot of more. And I like uh Tim Burchant from Tennessee. I don't know. you ever seen but he uh um he's gonna tell us the truth about the ufo so i'll get to right anyway but uh let me ask you this so before we get on to some of the the kind of some of the questions at hand and give you an opportunity to talk on it um somebody gets around you within the first few minutes it's obvious that your faith is a big big part of your life you want to share with us a little bit about your faith and how important that is to you and uh just share share with us whatever you want to share there personally I would describe myself as the same person on Friday as I was on Monday I like to think that I'm fairly even killed and uh uh and when it comes to religion you know I feel the same way uh I there's no way to be a superintendent uh I'm not a preacher I'm not ordained so I don't pretend to be but I think to be a superintendent uh uh if if you're uh your superintendent right here Rick uh if you don't have a pastor's heart you can't do this job I mean it will each up because at the end of the day you have to own the job but this job owns you uh you deal with uh tragedy uh nobody almost slipped up a while ago and said I like dealing with crisis management nobody wants crisis management but you have to be as you say have the receipts to be prepared to do a crisis management uh you know going back to the hurricane with my two brothers and my dad at the time I think we had lived one of the greatest adventures for a week that you'd ever live and I think back about you know history Teddy Roosevelt after he was president went down and toured the Amazon with his sons they were he was missing for weeks or so and but you know but it was the greatest adventure of a lifetime. That's called making lemonade out of the lemons you're dealt uh but as a school superintendent we and if you do it long enough you're gonna deal with you know teen suicide you're gonna deal with kids that die in a tragedy you're gonna deal with Department of Children and Family uh when you're like you know let me I'd rather call their parents and say come where is little Fanny out or deal with them than have to call the state and let it become you know a an Inquisition. But we're mandatory reporters. A year and a half ago we had a young athlete and you all probably m heard about it at the time Chance Gainer and we were literally it was a Friday night. It was a rainy Friday night and I just remember it was a if I remember correctly it was like September 9th but uh uh and if his mother sees this I may be a day off and uh that said I'd never forget it. But you know Chance was an exceptional athlete and uh uh uh that trip because it was raining you know you sit there and you think uh uh they said do you want to send the band tonight and I said no because that'll be a dang $500 dry cleaning bill let's just not even send the band let's make this a business trip we'll ride 55 miles up the road and you know play Liberty County and you know get back home. And uh the principal said something she needed to do something a new grandbaby and uh um and I just said I'll be administrator on duty. And I just never will forget uh athlete went down a few minutes before halftime and uh one of my buddies we were standing in the end zone on the edge of the field he said one of ours looks like he went down and your cousin Tanner who happens to be our coach uh uh Tanner just a few minutes later he was waving for the ambulance and I remember started walking out there and walked up and the the young man's parents had walked out with another lady thinking it was she was a single parent thinking it was her son number three and when we got there they immediately rolled him over and she was like oh my God it was number two it was she was like that's chance and I just remember it it became surreal and you stand over a a child that's you know deceased and making the same gurgle that your you know end of life parent is doing and you don't really realize and I remember walking off the field I called my deputy superintendent and I said roll the cavalry he's like where am I going? I said I don't know just come through Bluntown uh hopefully they can't life flight him they said because of the weather so and you know you deal with that and you d go to that hospital I never will forget the the the paramedic the head guy opened the door and he said we're going to take him to Calhoun Liberty and uh when he was doing it they were doing compressions in the back of the ambulance and I just remember nobody is prepared for this and what it does is it tells you when you sit there dealing with it, you always imagine what pain or physical loss is going to be like but it's numbing and that's what I get to say to anybody that watches anytime and I'm probably telling you what you've experienced a time or so in your life it's numbing. It doesn't hurt like somebody hit you with a branding iron or you know slapped you with a ruler. It's just numbing and you sit there and you're like what do I do? And you start trying to just do the things you can to handle a crisis. You roll from a storm to the pandemic to the you know tragedy and it can happen at any time. So yes it prepares you for where you want to go uh and and for me I do have a servant's heart I want to be accountable and as my friend in Liberty County said Jim you tell people over and over you're gonna be responsive and I think that is there's what my motto is not only am I going to be hopefully accessible, uh I am going to be accountable. You're not gonna have to second guess where I am as a member of Congress, but I'm gonna be responsive. And if that means the the IRS doesn't pick up the phone, well somebody's gonna have my telephone number I'll give it out. It's gonna be in my back pocket just like it has for 15 years 850-227-5883. Somebody's gonna have it. If you lose your passport and can't get off a cruise ship call me at midnight. I mean don't wear it out don't yell fire in a crowded theater and there indeed be no fire. But you know what? I think that our congressmen our federal officials our state officials should be more accountable. And I pride myself on that and that's what I've done for 15 years being a school superintendent.
SPEAKER_00Trevor Burrus And that's what we're we're missing prayer how how how what's your what's your thoughts on prayer? How much is prayer prayer a part of your life?
SPEAKER_02You'll never meet an atheist in a foxhole I could go back to the own testimony that night how did we recover from from those kids that were on the football field and one of their teammates died and that game went on we met up at Port St. Joe High School that night at 130. You know what we did? We prayed we sang Amazing Grace hugged 30 minutes later it it it let us put a lid on it for that night. You never get over those things those are the tragedies in life but you have to learn to manage and prayer is is something that holds our hand yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of de death I will fear no evil doesn't mean I'm not scared. Man faith is a big part.
SPEAKER_00You're right and I knew that I that that that was obvious and I believe that's what you've so much of your campaign is on what is it you know God uh faith of yeah well God family and country God family and country and if you if you say it right it all mashes together.
SPEAKER_02It does and I will I will say this when when it comes to employees uh I was kidding a while ago I shouldn't call myself a despot somebody over take the benevolent despot somebody when I was lines club president said you are a benevolent despot but you know uh but we did a lot of good with Civic but but uh you know if you say it right uh the employees that we've had nobody will ever say they had a fa that worked in in our organization will ever say we had a family crisis and and they weren't supported. We just we do.
SPEAKER_00Yeah there's no questions asked that's where we jump out front and and I just think that's what most all of us would and should well that was and and the incident that that one incident that you had to deal with there we were aware of that what a heartbreaking heart wrenching you know uh thing that a parent had to deal with and your community had to deal with and I know you're still dealing with it. That's not something that that you're on the school board.
SPEAKER_02Oh fantastic I didn't know she and her husband are wonderful people and uh I call her gal uh Aquila but uh she and her husband JJ are wonderful and uh they help every kid uh I know you had uh Representative Schoaf here he and Senator Simon helped get the Second Chance Act passed uh last year and though it's not quite mandated because there's not funding for it uh it's strongly repres recommended and we utilize that that's where somewhere in the high school playing time kids do receive EKGs and we've already saved two lives we're convinced of in our school system that had an EKG that had something and it would have happened. And uh we've had two that have been discovered so I'm sure there are a lot of other cases that have been checked out. But uh well that's uh again the doctor said about one of them. Uh she's a seventh grade girl actually she's a cousin has a different uh of of chances but uh uh they discovered something uh with her and uh it was just the way the blood went through the arteries at the heart and uh it would have not have been detected with it. Wouldn't have been detected.
SPEAKER_00Yeah I'd like to learn more about that. Okay so let me uh let me ask you this and just now what you're getting ready to step into uh so you know there's a you know pretty large list of of candidates that have put their name in the hat every all of the Republican candidates they say they're conservative uh they all say they're conservative what do you what um what distinguishes you if you could distinguish yourself from the other you know candidates that you know you're running against what what what sets you what sets you apart?
SPEAKER_02Well uh and and I I know nobody likes mud slinging and I do question whether one of the candidates uh is truly conservative but he'd run twice as a Democrat and I think that's fair for me to point out. And I think he recently ran against uh Senator Scott and ran his mother against Congressman Dunn. So I think you I just think sometimes people have to do their deep dive and do their homework. I think everybody else has a reason that brought them to the table. The reason I'm conservative is I grew up right here. It's it's part of what is just you know bred into me uh the kind of true North Florida and I don't want to make it cliche uh I'm a common sense conservative that's one of if I'm God family and country on one side of the coin flip it over and common sense conservative is where I'm at. I am from here. When I die I'll be buried in North Guff County in the Norton plot at G Hugh Cemetery where my mother and daddy are and uh um you know um and and my grandparents and other family members you know I'm gonna be back here this is home this is my residence this is truly when you say both it that way and I just think everybody else is a little bit Johnnycombe lately compared to where I'm at with that. If you if you want somebody that uh is one of us well the what distinguishes me is I'm the most one of us that you'll probably ever again have a chance to elect. And that may not be what everybody wants. But but if you want pragmatic and just you know um grounded in you know Christian values and um I saw something in the last few days defining the American dream. Yeah and um so many people that live in the the urban parts of the country are seeking places like where we live these small town these small towns that have churches and Friday night football games. Kids can ride bikes on the you know open streets and uh that's the new American dream. And if I call myself a conservative that's what I want to that's what I want to protect and that's what I want always to be there. Some reason think that my kids are riding bikes with their friends right now hopefully not creating too much of a disruption but uh but at home they're out there right now. They're going to the nearest wiffle ball baseball field to play wiffle ball or kickball right now. Those are conservative values and uh you you just tie it all together. This is home.
SPEAKER_00Well and for mine in your age is one thing but I know what's been a big uh agenda for for Molly and her age group is the the risk of that American dream being able to own a home and have the same life that uh um you know that we got to enjoy.
SPEAKER_02And I think if we're not careful it gets out of reach for especially the younger I'm I'm gonna say this one of the questions we had a debate this past week at the Tiger Bay Club and and for the most part we all gave some semblance of the same answers. You know we all you know always like to say make America great again. I think acronyms sometimes you know Kentucky fried chicken say salivate say KF say KFC and you know put it next to STP and just doesn't have the same you know flavor. But uh but you know MAGA uh you know I think that that I think we've allowed the media to you know make that something you know what I I think that as Franklin Graham said it was truly almost going back to George Washington esque uh but truly divine providence that uh Donald Trump was re-elected president. And I think it took that four year interim for us to appreciate just just what what what we were missing. And uh anybody that's going to watch this and argue with me wasn't going to vote for me or any of the others in this race probably you know anyway. So uh but I think when you say make America great again, uh I believe in it. America first. I'm just I'm tired of seeing things I just spent most of the day down in Taylor County. You know, they're still reeling and figuring out what they're going to do with all the loss not just the paper mill but everybody that had timber every auto parts store that sold grease and lube and you know parts and things like that. Everybody was affected. And I went through that in the late 90s. I saw my household my dad lose his job and you know for his sake I'm glad he was near enough to retirement and our life and was that when the paper mill closed at our paper mill that that's when that closed so you went through the same thing that I can say to the tape folks in Taylor County we know what you go through when you go through hurricanes not three in a season but one one one bad one. And uh and and then when you go through the the paper mill closing, you know, you it does change. You we went from a mill town to a tourist town and it's not the worst thing to happen but uh it's like going from iced tea to Coca-Cola. It's something uh different to the taste buds and uh you know our taxes uh we say you have to be rich poor and or inherit something uh to to to buy in along the coast anymore uh uh so many people from out of the area are coming here and there's some wonderful people that have found us but not everybody wants it our way and uh wants the traditions that we have I have a quick question so are there any issues that you disagree with with like the mainstream Republicans I don't know if I even asked that right but that's I'm gonna try to read into what you're saying. I want to be a realist uh yeah I am a Republican I think you know people like me I'm I'm proud to say I'm part of the Republican wave. You know we all grew up if you're old enough you were a Democrat and you were Southern Democrat or Dixiecrat and I know they tried the last thing go through call them yellow dog Democrats but but you know my parents were Democrats but they were buried Republican you know at Jihu Cemetery because of me. And Governor Scott appointed me and I had a 15 month vacancy that's why I'm here 15 years instead of 14 years. I'm at the at the you know so um I am the first Republican incumbent constitutional officer ever reelected to office in the history of my county there in Gulf County and every office holder now if it unless it's a nonpartisan race countywide is a Republican except for one single member county commissioner and he tells me he's going to be changing. So uh so you know without people like us to you know kind of the Democratic Party left people it there used to be big enough tent that it you know it it re had represented conservatives but now they've been successfully identified you know you have the Illana Omar's the Nancy Pelosi's the uh what's her name AOC Gavin Newsome Chuck Schumer uh you know the Barney Franks of the world and God bless his soul soul where he passed away today but uh but uh you know most of them I think are godless people yeah and uh uh so we had no choice but to over the last twenty quarter of a century uh become Republicans and now you do see the Republicans differentiate on a few issues and I think the greater part of them we were discussing earlier are are state issues and again I'm running for federal office but uh I would say that the legislature and Tallahassee went too far on insurance reform and uh uh gave gave a lot of the insurance companies protections that they didn't need and at the expense and the affordability of of people.
SPEAKER_00Yeah that's what and that's what we've been as I know has been a a big concern of ours and a lot of the younger younger folks that afford affordability.
SPEAKER_02Trevor Burrus And it affects your industry.
SPEAKER_00Yeah it sure it sure does. So let me ask you this uh what you know with with taking your experience and pedigree coming out of the as a superintendent having a deep understanding of the issues and the challenges I mean you've been in the trenches as much as you can get in the trench with the in the education system. What uh what what what's what does Washington, what's something Washing where Washington in your opinion, maybe missing at when it comes to education?
SPEAKER_02First of all, let me say you said education I was about to answer the question one way and you said education. I'm I'm all for eliminating the Federal Department of Education. They they serve no purpose serves no purpose um sometimes have my own questions about Tallahassee but but uh at least we can access our local officials and you know and you know hold them to task and uh so it's a lot better. I am a home rule person. Uh like you know I want as much control at the local level as possible. I'm a hands-off person you know fourth amendment type person you know due process and and all the things that should be afforded for is for Americans American citizens and uh um you know uh I do believe in fairness decency and good manners to be extended to to to you know all humanity but uh but I'm an American first aside from being a Christian yeah I'm an American first and and I just believe our constitution has been twisted and worked against us by all facets of Washington DC our leadership uh you know I go back to Ilhaana Omar. I question whether she's an American citizen and here she is serving in Congress. You know uh she shouldn't be there. But I also think that the lifetime appointment of the Supreme Court uh uh you know they get it right like a broken clock twice a day uh they get it right sometimes but uh but there's no accountability by the Supreme Court uh to the people and I'm not saying that uh I don't know I just I think I think I've reached a point where whether it's a 10 year or 20 year appointment, you know, there has to be accountability because for for for people our system works on trust and faith itself. And right now we know there is no middle ground between the left and the right and uh I I'm a far right candidate and uh we want to be pragmatic to be able to move the needle forward on behalf of our country. Congress has one task only one duty that they have to do. You know what that is to balance the budget to bring forth a budget. I won't even say balance it to bring forth a budget. Do you know the last time Molly that they brought that Congress did their job and brought forth a budget where you weren't born. That was in the what was that Clinton in the Clinton 1997. Wow. Nineteen ninety seven. We've done a series of continuing resolutions ever since then. And uh, you know, I don't think as a freshman member of Congress anybody's gonna do their people always ask about term limits. Sure. But it we need to term limit the 40-year bureaucrats out and uh uh if if we're gonna do that. So, you know, I'll gladly accept a term limit if everybody does, but they're not gonna do it. It's just not practical for them to do it. So serving in Congress, whether it's the House or the Senate, is all about building up yours in service in seniority. And after you're there about six years, you put yourself in a position to, you know, bring home the bacon for your constituents. We need a lot of infrastructure right here. You need some highway improvements. Uh talk to your commissioners, and they've shared things they need done. And uh, you know, speaking to Miss Uh uh Sherry Posey, Miller uh recently, uh, you know, she said, we need you need to call Alan Byrd. We can't get our boats out of uh uh Panacea Pa uh Panacea Channel there at Dickerson Bay, uh, you know, because it's sanded over. Yeah. And the the the the Corps of Eng Engineers won't come and do their job. Well, I think that they're there now. And uh and I would say I think a good thank you goes out to Senator Scott and uh uh he who likes to do a lot of things without even looking for the gratitude. But those are the things I want to do and be important. And I talked about that earlier, you know, is just know those things and you know, hold FEMA to task. I don't trust FEMA. It's not about her trusting. I don't even like FEMA. They don't do their job, they lie, they mislead, they deceive. And I wish I could say they've gotten better under President Trump. I think that we just talk about them a lot less. But uh they just they don't do what they said. And uh as a member of Congress, if Waucola County is hit by a hurricane or some of our neighbors right here, I'm gonna pull an RV down here, and I'm gonna sit there with my satellite phone, and I'm gonna sit there with my staff, and I'm gonna demand that somebody from FEMA be right there until the last person's done, or I get called away. Somebody from that office is gonna sit there and we're gonna help process applications and we're gonna follow up with them. And those are the samplings of why and what I want to do if I get to serve.
SPEAKER_00But uh, but also I will tell you, and I think the South, I think where your roots are, what's in your DNA, the ability to that's that that ability to be a diplomat, that ability to communicate with people, to, to, to, to, to negotiate, uh, is needed, is needed right now. You've got that's in that's in our and that's what we do here, that southern way of doing business. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01So are we gonna do uh my favorite part?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, well yeah, we got a qu we got a couple other fun questions for you. But I do have a question. You may not be able to comment on it, um, on it, but um so just a couple couple things. When uh when people when people look at you, uh when they look at Jim Norton, would you are you uh are you a a policy guy? Are you one that kind of focuses on the policy, or are you a big vi are you a visionary? Are you looking for things that you can make better or kind of be a kind of be a change, a change agent for for making the changes where where they're needed?
SPEAKER_02Well, I'm I I'm glad you asked that question, and I've given a lot of thought out of the shoot when I first started this campaign over a hundred days ago. And I think there are two ways that most people that come into office they either want to be policy people, and I think those that want to be an agent of change uh is kind of one and the same as a policy person. I want to be about constituent services first. Wow. And I want to serve our constituents here. I there's there's my motivation. The staff that I hire, 17 to 19 people that will get to work for you, conceivably. It doesn't mean we don't do office hours in, you know, the bigger counties or find a way to go to people. I want to do that myself as much as possible. Go to civic meetings, funerals of friends, or you know, ribbon cuttings or just big event chamber events in the communities. I want to pride myself that as an incumbent, that's what I do. The people that I hire, I know I beg Marsha Mathis. Yeah. I'm sorry, Marsha, I allergy on TV. She hasn't said no yet. But uh, but you know what? She's a great person. And anybody that watches this, the people of the 2nd Congressional District, the best way to serve them is to have an office in Tallahassee and an office in Panama City. And from that, the people you hire will be the people like the person I just mentioned, and others just like her in Bay County that love and consider these people their their own and uh are gonna take care of their individual needs. And then you have your DC office. Probably, if you're gonna be a policy person, you probably short the district staff by two to strengthen it in D.C. But I'm gonna shorten it by two in D.C. and hopefully have somebody nice and strengthen the district by those extra two that I said to you again. The word I want to use over and over is not only accountability, meaning I'm gonna you're never gonna have to second question the way I'm gonna vote on the big ticket items. Uh accessibility, I've already given my phone number out. Call Kyle or Molly, there you have it. I gave it out earlier. But uh uh but but I'm gonna be responsive. And the people that I hire, I intend to be people that are come from among us as well. And uh uh I like a round table as a school superintendent. I've governed sort of with a round table. It's not a round table, it's a rectangle table, but uh we sit here today. I like to sit and uh and I tell my deputies, you all come in unified and tell me what you want to do. I'm pretty much gonna do what you tell me you're gonna do. But a lot of times they come in and they're divided. And I'm like, okay, I'm gonna call the shot. It's my shot, and uh unless you all want to go reconsider. But uh and and and I just think as a member of Congress, uh there's so many smart people up there. There's plenty of time to learn to be a policy person. Uh, you know, vote with emulate success. There's people that are successful, I promise you, I'll try to emulate them, and I'm gonna listen to my constituents. I can't tell you that every procedural vote, I mean, you're like, hey, which way do you go on this? And there are a lot of roll call votes and procedural things. But as we build to the big votes, uh, you know, uh the biggest vote right now, and I want to, while it's on my mind, say this out there, the Save America Act. And I hope you'll follow up on that. I hope Congress does it before I'm a member, does it now, but uh um but uh things like that. We don't have to second kiss. If we ever lose our our uh voting integrity again, and yes, I do think uh elections have been stolen. I think we witnessed it on TV, but I think if we're ever stolen again, we will lose our democracy.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Well, I and I'll tell you, Molly, and I hope you're will go back and listen to listen to that again. For the younger generation, what he's what he's talking about should should really excite, because that's a rarity. That that is not typically how governance at the congressional level is is is handled with how you're describing. So I I think that's I think that would be Well, you're never gonna have to second guess where I am on those. I think that would be be just how you're looking at focusing on the you know, what you're talking about really is you're you're you're representing the local level to to DC. You're not representing DC to the local level. You're you're working you're working our interest up, not the federal government's interest down. And that's what I like.
SPEAKER_02Going back to your first question, that's the difference in me and the other five candidates that uh have expressed that they want to qualify. We'll see how many actually do. I am here and I want to be accountable to here.
SPEAKER_00Yep.
SPEAKER_02And I want to be of here.
SPEAKER_00So um, and I know Molly's gonna hit you with some tough questions here. I like it, Molly. All right, but uh you may not comment on any thoughts on the governor's race?
SPEAKER_02Any thoughts on it? I I've met Byron Donald's, I like him. Uh I haven't met any of the other candidates. Uh uh, I think the presidential endorsement weighed in so early for uh Congressman Donald's that I do think it gives him uh advantage. Uh I think that that's why we wear run campaigns, uh whatever issues are affecting it. Uh I truly have focused, it seems like, more and more on the federal side of the issues than the state issues. Uh again, I would like to meet the others, but uh all in all, I I like uh Congressman Donald's.
SPEAKER_00Okay, so tell us, tell us, this has been fantastic. Uh I'm excited. Uh I am excited about what you're doing. And uh I think our listeners and everybody who hears this is gonna get excited as well. How can we uh how can how can folks follow your campaign? Where do what do they need to go? Website, Facebook, what do you have? Uh how's the best way to to And we'll put it all in the caption.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, we'll put all the very good, very good. I get to say uh Jim at Norton for Florida.com.
SPEAKER_00Okay.
SPEAKER_01Okay, we will put that in all this caption.
SPEAKER_00We will put all of this in in our caption. So, folks, can you got your phone number on there? Yep. I see that.
SPEAKER_02And I don't mind my phone number being shared. Um I I really don't. And and if there's a serious question, I d I'm not afraid to answer questions. And uh um I don't change my mind on them. I I usually want to answer them, mean them decisively, and uh instead of being wishy-washy, but uh uh I've thought through most things. So Molly, I want you to ask me rapid fire questions. All right. Okay.
SPEAKER_01So this is our lightning round, and basically I'm gonna ask you a list of questions and just answer them as fast as you can, like lightning, if if you're able. So first one, ready? Morning person or night owl?
SPEAKER_02One or the other.
SPEAKER_01What do you mean?
SPEAKER_02I tell my wife, if we go out on the boat all day, don't ask to go to dinner tonight. Oh what and if you want to go to dinner tonight, let's just make it a short cruise on the boat.
SPEAKER_01So you can be either or.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. I I think the older you get, the more you Yeah, I'm I I'm either or. Uh I'm either or. And honestly, I don't know. The sun setting is no less beautiful than the sun rising.
SPEAKER_01Okay.
SPEAKER_02Good answer.
SPEAKER_01So even if you don't sing karaoke, just pretend that you have like you're in a situation where you have to sing karaoke, what would your go-to karaoke song be?
SPEAKER_02Bobby Darren Mac the Knife.
SPEAKER_01I don't know that song.
SPEAKER_02Bobby Darren. I'm gonna the line forms on the right, babe.
SPEAKER_01I don't know that song. I'll have to listen to it.
SPEAKER_02You need to listen to that.
SPEAKER_01I bet it's good. Okay, so if you could have any super any superhuman power, if you could have any of them, what would you what would you choose?
SPEAKER_02I mean, obviously, my favorite superhero character was Superman. All the above. Uh you know, I gosh knows. I don't want to pretend to be Jesus Christ, because that's that I mean he atoned for us all, so I'll remove that. But you know, I'm a Superman guy. I mean too.
SPEAKER_01Superman. What was his power?
SPEAKER_02He could everything.
SPEAKER_01Just everything, yeah, everything.
SPEAKER_00He could x-ray.
SPEAKER_01But then you'd have a kryptonite.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, we all have kryptonite.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. I think I I mine used to be the ability to read minds, and then after thinking about it, I'm like, actually, I don't really want to know what people are thinking about me all the time.
SPEAKER_02And I'm gonna say this I I like taking people face value. Uh my wife says sometimes, you're naive. I'm not naive, and uh you're and I'm not innocent. There's no way to live life without going through experiences and tragedies and things. Uh I don't like people that hurt others. And and if it's superpower, if you could make hurt go away for others, maybe that's it. I don't think that's a good one. That is a good one.
SPEAKER_01That is a really good one.
SPEAKER_02Uh yeah, maybe that's it.
SPEAKER_01Okay, so the last one is what is your favorite fast food restaurant of all time?
SPEAKER_02It's not fast food to say cracker barrel, but uh cracker barrel's good. My kids have have about worn me out with Chick-fil-A, uh McDonald's, uh, obviously.
SPEAKER_01When's the last time you've had Taco Bell?
SPEAKER_02We haven't Taco Bell in Portsite Child. You know what? Uh I absolutely last night uh I'll I'll say it. Sometimes whatever you crave, you crave. I pulled off of I Tan in Tallahassee on Capitol Circle when I went to Wendy's. Oh, Wendy's. And I wanted a cup of chili. That's what I wanted with onions and cheese and a small frosty and a bottle of water. There was uh I just literally I craved it. And uh somebody said, You pay one. I want to go eat chili at Wendy's, but uh but you know, I didn't know Wendy served chili. Really?
SPEAKER_00And I just wanted something soupy and warm and uh Well at the end of your campaign, we'll ask you because you're on you he he's on the road so much, you're gonna be eating a lot of fast food just to get by over the next what 80, 90 days. Yeah, exactly.
SPEAKER_02They did ask me in the debate, they asked each of us in the debate what's our favorite restaurant, and everybody answered, you know, your favorite food or whatever. And uh but I think they said restaurant uh because somebody said home cook cooking, but uh uh my two were posies and uh Angelos and uh Well, yeah, I love it.
SPEAKER_01They're right here.
SPEAKER_02My two are favorite right here.
SPEAKER_00Well we had a little something to give you. Do you have it, uh Molly? Or where is it? It is over there. So we have got I'm gonna grab it. We've we have a uh hat for you. So we're gonna uh I don't think this constitutes a bribe to a a you a future U.S. Congress.
SPEAKER_02I told you I was gonna sell out to the constituents of District 2 of District 2.
SPEAKER_00So take this to Washington. We want and and and you and when you get your office in in Washington, take a selfie. You can take a little take a little piece. Take a little piece of Waukala County with you. So you can put that on your shelf in your DC office.
SPEAKER_02I love it. I love it. And uh I thank you all very much. And today's been great, and uh, I just I appreciate it. And uh Kyle getting to know you and Molly. Uh I have a niece named Molly. She's expecting, and uh so uh uh we're kind of partial to the name.
SPEAKER_00Well, I think this will be the beginning of uh um uh I think you'll I think this is really gonna motivate, excite this community to get behind you. And uh and uh I'm also uh believe in the power of prayer and uh we prayed before this this podcast, and uh we're gonna pray that God's hand will be in this. And if he's uh if he if if he gets involved, then He's always involved.
SPEAKER_02If he's it if he that's right, and we just have to sometimes wait and see where he intends us to be.
SPEAKER_00Absolutely, absolutely. Hey, thank you. Thank you. I thank you all so very much.