Elijah Manley, an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for U.S. House District 20 in the August primary, was booked into the Broward County jail Friday on two counts of written or electronic threats to kill or injure.
The 27-year-old Fort Lauderdale native told WLRN on Thursday he expected to face charges related to a social media post he authored where he wrote, in support of Democratic Senate candidate Angie Nixon, that if people do not vote for her: “… I promise you I’m going to cut your f—— head off.”
Nixon, a member of the Florida House of Representatives, is running against Republican U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody. Four recent public opinion polls show Moody is ahead of Nixon.
Manley called the situation a “serious First Amendment issue” and indicated that he may pursue legal action, WLRN reported.
“The President of the United States says worse,” he told WLRN.
Former congressional candidate Elijah Manley to surrender to BSO over violent social media post
Court records with further information about the investigation that led to the charges were not available Friday evening. The charges are second-degree felonies.
Manley’s defense attorney did not immediately respond to an email and a message left at his office seeking comment after business hours Friday.
Manley is a civic activist and frequent unsuccessful Democratic candidate who has previously run for Broward School Board and the state Legislature, as well as Congress.
Earlier this year, Manley described himself to the Sun Sentinel as “the best candidate to take on Debbie Wasserman Schultz in this race.”
He has worked as a substitute teacher in Broward County Public Schools, according to a Sun Sentinel questionnaire he completed ahead of the August primary. His campaign was centered on addressing in the district “an affordability crisis, immigration, and corruption.”
Information from WLRN and the Sun Sentinel archives was used in this report.
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