Jacksonville mayor's race: Donna Deegan, Daniel Davis head to runoff

Democrat Donna Deegan and Republican Daniel Davis emerged Tuesday night as the top vote-getters from the seven-person race for Jacksonville mayor and now will face off in a May 16 runoff election.

With all precincts reporting, Deegan – a former First Coast News anchor and founder of the breast cancer-focused Donna Foundation – had the most support out of all the candidates in the field, receiving around 40% of the votes.

Davis, CEO of the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce and the establishment Republican pick in a field with three others in his party, got about 25% support.

Previous coverage – A new leader for ‘bold new city’: A look at the candidates for Jacksonville mayor

The results of the election come as no surprise to those following the race: Both candidates had the most fundraising power for their respective parties and pre-election polling was fairly accurate as to their final vote totals.

The third place finisher was Republican City Council member Al Ferraro. He finished with about 16% support, a respectable showing considering he ran a campaign without attack ads and was out-fundraised by Davis by about a 30 to 1 margin.

Coming in fourth was former Florida Senate Democratic Leader Audrey Gibson, receiving about 8.5% support.

Rounding out the top five was Republican City Council member LeAnna Gutierrez Cumber, whose well-funded campaign was overshadowed by scandal; she was at the center of an ethics investigation about her husband’s involvement with a group that put in an offer to buy the city’s utility in 2019.

The runoff election should be a tight race. Democrats that ran in this race received about 48% of the vote, while Republicans received a little over 50%.

Voter turnout, as well as the impact of Davis’ use of what remains of his $6 million war chest, could make the difference in determining who will lead Jacksonville for the next four years. With 655,403 registered voters, Tuesday's turnout was just over 25%. 

For full Jacksonville Municipal election results, check out the Duval Supervisor of Elections website.