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Deegan overcame a critical monetary benefit loved by Davis, who aired adverts attacking her for attending Black Lives Matter demonstrations in 2020, to present her occasion a much-needed victory months after its statewide drubbing. She additionally ends Jacksonville’s standing as the most important metropolis in America with a Republican mayor, a title that now goes to Fort Price, Texas, the place incumbent Mattie Value simply received a second time period earlier this month.
Jacksonville, which was consolidated with the remainder of Duval County in 1968, was for many years a conservative stronghold in each state and native politics. Ronald Reagan’s 1980 victory started a Republican profitable streak that might proceed effectively into the twenty first century, whereas Mayor Ed Austin’s 1993 occasion swap gave the GOP management of metropolis corridor for the primary time in a century.
Democrats lastly took again the mayor’s workplace in 2011 when Alvin Brown narrowly beat a hardline GOP foe who had alienated enterprise pursuits, a win that additionally made him town’s first Black chief. His tenure, although, did not usher in a brand new progressive period in Jacksonville because the mayor distanced himself from state and nationwide Democrats and additional alienated the occasion base by refusing to again a human rights ordinance aimed toward defending town’s massive LGBTQ group. Curry, a former state GOP chair, unseated Brown 51-49 in 2015, and Democrats didn’t even put up a candidate to oppose him 4 years later.
Regardless of latest historical past, although, Democrats nonetheless had causes for optimism about Duval County’s long-term course. Each Sen. Invoice Nelson and gubernatorial nominee Andrew Gillum took town in 2018 regardless of narrowly dropping statewide, whereas Joe Biden’s subsequent 51-47 victory made him the occasion’s first presidential nominee to hold Duval County since Jimmy Carter in 1976. Issues have been a lot bleaker in 2022 as each Sen. Marco Rubio and Gov. Ron DeSantis carried Duval by extensive margins, although native Democrats not less than had the consolation of realizing that Jacksonville was nonetheless voting to the left of the state as a complete.
Deegan’s win on Tuesday eventually gave her occasion some indisputably excellent news, however Democrats nonetheless have a lot work to do sooner or later so as to flip Duval County right into a blue bastion. Republican T.Okay. Waters secured reelection this 12 months with out opposition as sheriff, which additionally places him accountable for town’s police, whereas the GOP continues to keep a substantial benefit on the 19-person Metropolis Council. Nonetheless, Democrats are hoping that Deegan’s triumph will mark a brand new starting in north Florida.
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