Democrats are in a super-minority on the Jacksonville City Council despite having the registration edge in Duval County, but it’s clear donors believe that a Special Election to replace outgoing Republican Terrance Freeman offers an opportunity to redress that imbalance.
Moné Holder, the chief advocacy and political officer at Florida Rising, is getting some help from Jacksonville Together, a political committee advertising on the behalf of her campaign.
The spot, which is airing on local television now, introduced viewers to Holder’s biography, including her stint as Chair of the Jacksonville Planning Commission, and said she would work to counteract the “good ol’ boys” on City Council.
The committee is well-funded, mostly by a $200,000 loan from lawyer Steve Pajcic. The money was classified as a loan in case it is not all spent, said Chair Robyn Sieron.
Between the supportive political committee and nearly $35,000 in campaign account fundraising, Holder leads the three-woman field in the at-large City Council Special Election, which can be won on the August 18 Primary ballot if one candidate gets more than half of the vote.
The stakes are high, especially in terms of the moral boost this could provide.
Democrats control the Mayor’s Office and the Property Appraiser’s Office, but all five at-large seats are held by Republicans, who typically have better fundraising than their major-party opponents.
The Florida Democratic Party is hoping to change that. It has included Holder on its list of Take Back Local candidates.
The FDP says it has a good success rate, with Take Back Local candidates winning 76% of the time in the last four political cycles.
Republicans aren’t ceding this race, of course.
Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Commander Deborah Wesley is running as a Republican, and she has strong fundraising as well, with nearly $94,000 in hard money and more than $27,000 in the supportive Building a Stronger Jacksonville political committee.
Libertarian Addison Patrick has raised a little more than $5,500. Candidates from her party have sometimes over-performed, including in a race against Freeman, where the LP’s Eric Parker got more than a third of the vote as the sole opponent.
Freeman is running to replace term-limited Wyman Duggan in the state House. He has pledged to resign as soon as a replacement is elected.
If no one gets a majority in August, the top two candidates will advance to the General Election ballot in November.
From there, the winner likely will run for a full term in 2027’s municipal elections.
A.G. Gancarski has been the Northeast Florida correspondent for Florida Politics since 2014. His work also can be seen in the Washington Post, the New York Post, the Washington Times, and National Review, among other publications. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter: @AGGancarski
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