Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan fills our paperwork to run for reelection at the Duval County Supervisors of Elections Office on Thursday, April 16, 2026. | Mike Mendenhall, Jacksonville Today
Published on April 16, 2026 at 4:05 pm
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Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan launched her reelection campaign and filed paperwork Thursday for a second term.
Deegan enters the 2027 race without a major Republican challenger declaring that they’re running. She hopes to become the first Democratic mayor to win reelection in Jacksonville since Jake Godbold in 1983.
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After signing her candidate paperwork, Deegan held a news conference outside the Duval County Supervisor of Elections Office, where she touted her administration’s financial investments in infrastructure projects, health care, literacy programs and affordable housing since she took office in July 2023.
Deegan says her message for the 2027 race will be the same.
“Quality of life has always been job one. And what we have tried to do throughout town hall meetings — and there have been dozens of those — is listen to the community, find out what the top needs and desires are to do with their tax dollars and make sure that we are creating the best return on investment for those dollars,” Deegan said. “We’ll continue to do that.
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“But we’re hearing a lot of the same things — keep investing in infrastructure, keep investing in small businesses, keep investing in those communities that have been under-resourced,” she said.
In her announcement, Deegan highlighted raises for police and firefighters, the opening of three Downtown riverfront parks, “cranes in the air” of ongoing Downtown development, and infrastructure projects in underserved areas as first-term accomplishments.
She says her administration’s push to spend city dollars to help residents obtain health insurance and access to health care will be a key part of an affordably message in her reelection campaign.
“But beyond that, we just want to keep the momentum going,” Deegan said. “I think what you’ve seen in Jacksonville for far too many years is this surge toward momentum then a backing off when you transition from administration to administration. What we’ve tried to do is make sure that we are continuing to build. And we want to make sure that all those things in the pipeline get done and this community reaches its full potential.”
Who will challenge Deegan?
As of Thursday, it’s still unclear whom Deegan will face on the March 9, 2027, ballot. Three lesser known candidates have filed to run as Republicans and two independents, according to records from the supervisor of elections website.
But no major Republican candidates have entered the race. Political observers believe that Florida House Speaker Pro Tempore Wyman Duggan, who is term-limited, is considering a run.
City Council members Ron Salem and Rory Diamond and Duval County Supervisor of Elections Jerry Holland are also thought to be interested in the mayor’s office.
The qualifying period for the 2027 city elections is noon Jan. 11 through noon Jan. 15, 2027.
When asked by Jacksonville Today, Duggan declined to comment on Deegan’s announcement Thursday or discuss his plans for 2027.
According to a report by Florida Politics on April 2, Duggan says the GOP will coalesce behind one candidate in an effort to unseat Deegan and avoid a repeat of the 2023 race.
Deegan defeated Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Daniel Davis in a 52%-to-48% vote in the General Election runoff in May 2023.
But that was after Republicans split their vote in the first round — the election in March 2023 — between Davis and then-City Council members LeAnna Cumber and Al Ferraro.
The electoral environment surrounding the 2027 race could look a lot different than it did three years ago. Since 2023, the Duval County Republicans have closed their registration gap with Democrats by more than 15,000 voters. On Thursday, Democrats held a 5,067 registered voter advantage over Republicans.
Out of the 641,150 registered voters in Duval County, the elections office shows 240,404 registered Democrats to 235,337 Republicans
There are 142,186 voters with no party affiliation and 23,223 listed as others.
But there’s also been a string of special election victories nationwide for Democrats this year, including in Florida, that the party sees as a referendum on national Republicans and President Donald Trump.
Deegan also enters the race with strong financial backing. The political committee Duval for All, which supports Deegan’s campaign, reported $1.62 million in monetary contributions in its last financial activity filing period on March 31 with the Florida Department of State Division of Elections.
The mayor told reporters Thursday that she expects opposition but that it won’t be her focus.
“I have never, ever put my party out front of anything. I put my love for Jacksonville out front. I have … brought Democrats, Republicans and independents into my administration all to work together. My focus is team Jacksonville, period,” she said. “And so I don’t think people expect me to be a hyperpartisan, and I won’t be.”
