Jacksonville, Florida was the largest city in the US to have a Republican mayor until Tuesday night when Donna Deegan became the second Democrat to be elected mayor in 30 years.
Jacksonville is the 12th largest city in the United States and has had only one Democratic mayor in the past three decades until tonight.
Former TV anchor Donna Deegan defeated JAX Chamber CEO Daniel Davis in a stunning upset for mayor of Jacksonville, becoming the first woman ever and only the second Democrat to win a mayoral race here in three decades, despite Davis running her with defeated four to one.
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Davis, a former city councilman and state representative, had been preparing for this mayoral race for the past eight years, when fellow Republican Lenny Curry was elected mayor. He relied primarily on his ability to raise money to reach voters through mailers, text messages and advertisements. He raised a record $8.4 million at the end of April, compared to Deegan’s $2.1 million.
Davis was endorsed by Governor Ron DeSantis, but his endorsement did not help Republicans avoid historic defeat.
The 2023 election results trickling in seem to maintain the similar pattern of the last several election cycles. Democrats have the energy and momentum, and the more Donald Trump resurfaces as the face of the Republican Party, the more races the Republicans lose.
If the Republicans won a mayoral race in Phoenix, New York, Chicago, or Houston, the national media would be all over the story as Republican momentum and trouble for President Biden in 2024, but the Democrats are winning elections across the country they have won’t won in decades, and there is nothing but silence from the corporate media.
Whether Donald Trump or Ron DeSantis, there is no evidence of a popular resurgence among Republicans.
It’s just a one-time election, but at least the Democrats still look like the stronger and better organized party.
