I created the previous version of this thread for the 2023 election (https://forum.metrojacksonville.com/index.php?msg=507052), and it seems there's some desire (https://forum.metrojacksonville.com/index.php?msg=536750) to start the conversation about this next election, so let's have at it.
Just to establish the facts, incumbent Mayor Donna Deegan announced in a video this week (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOAyMxSWtsY&pp=ygUMZG9ubmEgZGVlZ2Fu) that she would run for a second term:
That leaves the opportunity, given Jacksonville's "jungle primary" system, for whoever can garner the support of enough citizens to challenge said incumbent, or seek one of the other local offices up for grabs next year.
Duval County previously voted for President Joe Biden in 2020, the first time it did so in a presidential race since Jimmy Carter in 1976, before flipping to reelect President Donald Trump in 2024. It similarly supported Andrew Gillum's unsuccessful bid for Governor of Florida in 2018, before flipping to reelect Governor Ron DeSantis in 2022.
Who local voters will support in this year's state elections or the upcoming municipal elections is yet to be seen.
And the Florida GOP is still trying to manufacture scandals. Seems time would be better spent on trying to field a real candidate
QuoteThe Republican Party of Florida on Friday announced that it is filing a formal complaint with the Florida Elections Commission against Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan's re-election campaign.
...
In a media release, the GOP said that hours after she filed, Deegan's campaign released a "polished, multi-minute video featuring staged footage of Deegan — including scenes filmed in her downtown office - along with testimonials, edited news clips, and multiple filming locations across Jacksonville."
"That kind of production doesn't happen in a few hours - and it doesn't happen for free," the Republican Party of Florida wrote.
The Republican Party of Florida's complaint outlines alleged violations of Chapter 106, Florida Statutes, including accepting in-kind contributions, making expenditures, and/or authorizing campaign expenditures prior to opening a campaign account and authorizing expenditures without sufficient funds on deposit in a campaign account.
The Republican Party of Florida is requesting that the Florida Elections Commission initiate an investigation.
https://www.news4jax.com/news/politics/2026/04/17/gop-claims-mayor-broke-the-law-with-re-election-video-deegan-rep-says-everything-was-done-by-the-book/
The irony is that anything of substance to complain about in Jacksonville traces back to a GOP mayor -- that's kind of the catch with being the historically dominant party in local politics. So they have to rely on cheap tricks like attempting to nationalize the race (GUN REGISTRY!!!) or manufacture scandal.
Ron Armstrong highlights some very real issues in our city, and I think that's productive. But it's inaccurate to lay those issues at the feet of the current administration, when they have been trying far harder than anyone in a long time to address maintenance deficits.
Based on her actions as our city's executive, I wouldn't have any idea what party Deegan belongs to. I think that's high praise.
Quote from: jaxoNOLE on April 18, 2026, 01:04:36 PMThe irony is that anything of substance to complain about in Jacksonville traces back to a GOP mayor -- that's kind of the catch with being the historically dominant party in local politics. So they have to rely on cheap tricks like attempting to nationalize the race (GUN REGISTRY!!!) or manufacture scandal.
Ron Armstrong highlights some very real issues in our city, and I think that's productive. But it's inaccurate to lay those issues at the feet of the current administration, when they have been trying far harder than anyone in a long time to address maintenance deficits.
Based on her actions as our city's executive, I wouldn't have any idea what party Deegan belongs to. I think that's high praise.
Armstrong is definitely the eager, grassroots candidate this cycle. But if any Republican council member (Salem/Diamond) or Jerry Holland run, they'll easy be the leading opposition vs Deegan going after her with the agendas around wasteful budget spending, DEI, increased taxes and so on. Basically taking the noise from social media to your TV for the next several months.
If I was a Republican interested in the mayor's office, I'd stay as far away from 2027 as I could. Donna Deegan is too popular, and the last mayoral race showed that not only does going dirty not work (Daniel Davis), but it actually damages your campaign. I think the city is smart enough to see through the manufactured controversies that Ron Salem and the like have tried without success to stir up since she took office.
My only advice for Deegan would be to distance herself from the U2C & Nat Ford. That whole agency is swirling the sink. Can't get sucked down with it.
Ditto on the U2C/JTA part. Nothing good will come with being associated with that albatross.
My 2 cents: the Republican party will undoubtedly trot someone out to challenge and will continue hammering on with their nonsense of the week. Whoever it ends up being will have a lot of money and a powerful machine, but unfortunately for them, their ideas are bad, their candidates are worse and people are sick of it. It'll be interested to watch the City Council races as well. Imagine what this city could do with better leadership at the helm!
I am very interested in the city council races. Last UNF poll showed city council with negative favorability ratings compared to the mayor and the sheriff who both had high favorability. If the national and local political environment a year from now is similar to what it is today, there are plenty of competitive districts that could reasonably flip (including the at-large districts)
I got blocked by Ron Armstrong on social media 😅..i guess i was challenging him too much 🤷💀...
this mayoral and city council race will be interesting though..i just hope the city continues to prioritize downtown....JTA needs to drop U2C and shift focus on real mass transit for change.
Quote from: Zac T on April 23, 2026, 01:19:34 PMI am very interested in the city council races. Last UNF poll showed city council with negative favorability ratings compared to the mayor and the sheriff who both had high favorability. If the national and local political environment a year from now is similar to what it is today, there are plenty of competitive districts that could reasonably flip (including the at-large districts)
Yep. And a number of strong candidates will be running for those seats, and with much stronger financial and organizational backing than in years past. That's in addition to the top of the ticket. Gonna be a hell of a campaign season.
It's hard for me to imagine someone coming in and beating Deegan right? She has done a really good job staying out of hot button national issues and trying to focus as much as possible on a few signature issues. That aspect of her kind of reminds me of Mamdani's approach. Deegan came first though...
She has done a really good job, regardless of which side of the aisle you lean in elections. But unfortunately a lot of Jax votes red regardless. Fingers crossed she gets another chance to continue the success
Knock on wood, but I think the greater political mood, mixed with around a 60% approval rate will help her get through just fine.
Who would GOP run that is compelling enough figure?
Quote from: Jones518 on April 25, 2026, 01:35:44 AMI got blocked by Ron Armstrong on social media 😅..i guess i was challenging him too much 🤷💀...
He is a lunatic.
I am not sure he is anything more than a candidate for the Facebook fringe. He and people he has aligned himself with have shared some truly deranged stuff.
I am relieved I never went to the coffee shop he runs.
I am supposed to get on a phone call with him at some point because I try to do that with as many people as possible.
Surely he has no chance though, right? Like he's probably not even a top 3 GOP contender, and we don't even know who the others are yet.
^ I actually think Armstrong might be #2 or #3 GOP contender
Quote from: copperfiend on May 17, 2026, 08:20:19 AMQuote from: Jones518 on April 25, 2026, 01:35:44 AMI got blocked by Ron Armstrong on social media 😅..i guess i was challenging him too much 🤷💀...
He is a lunatic.
I am not sure he is anything more than a candidate for the Facebook fringe. He and people he has aligned himself with have shared some truly deranged stuff.
I am relieved I never went to the coffee shop he runs.
Looks like you are in the clear to stop by for a cup now if you like; he apparently sold it to focus on his mayoral campaign.
https://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2026/04/17/grounds-of-grace-sold.html
Quote from: tufsu1 on May 18, 2026, 12:34:53 PM^ I actually think Armstrong might be #2 or #3 GOP contender
It wouldn't shock me. He's at least locking down the Qanon wing of the party.
How does he feel about the Epstein Files? That is the litmus test now for if you're intellectually consistent. Now that there is a "there" there a lot of people don't want to touch it.
City Councilman Terrance Freeman is resigning to run for the Florida House of Representatives.
https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/news/2026/may/29/special-election-set-for-aug-18-to-replace-terrance-freeman-on-jacksonville-city-council/
A special election will be held on August 18th for his Group 1 At-Large seat, followed by a runoff on November 3rd if no one receives enough votes. Freeman was term limited, after being first appointed to City Council by Governor Rick Scott to represent District 10 in 2018 and then elected to two terms At-Large in 2019 and 2023.
House District 12 is currently represented by Wyman Duggan, who is reportedly considering a run for Mayor next year against incumbent Donna Deegan.
Can we say politics are a profession?
I was going to say we seem to have "professional politicians," but actually finding politicians who act professional is getting harder and harder to find. Being a partisan party hack, belittling your opponents, being egotistical, being beholden to your campaign donors and/or acting mostly in your own self interest disqualifies you automatically from being professional.
^Lol its hard to argue with that.
For the At-Large Group 1 Special Election on August 18 - will the three people who have already signed up for the Spring 2027 election have to qualify for the Special, or will they automatically be placed on the August ballot? The SOE website doesn't have the Special Election on their website yet.
Ron Armstrong seems to have the clueless contingent fully hooked on his complaining without a solution campaign. I hope he goes away sooner than later at this point.
Quote from: acme54321 on June 03, 2026, 12:18:25 PMRon Armstrong seems to have the clueless contingent fully hooked on his complaining without a solution campaign. I hope he goes away sooner than later at this point.
The last ten years have taught me to expect anything.
However, his support seems to be strictly a very narrow Facebook fringe. And all he posts is engagement bait and rage bait. As you mentioned, he has no solution. He just floods Facebook with posts.
He posted a bizarre video (https://www.facebook.com/reel/1614433842966360) last week that claimed the Mayor's book club was distributing inappropriate books to kindergarteners. He didn't name the book or author until pressed by a few people. It ended up being a kids book called "You are Not a Cat", which is a pretty generic kids book and contains nothing offensive. After pressed to name the book he said his real concern is other books by the author. None of it made sense.
And of course, after that day he never mentioned it again. Anybody can scroll through his campaign's Facebook page and see he is completely clueless.
Don't discount "completely clueless" Ron Armstrong.
This is the guy who probably has locked up being in the run-off for Mayor of Los Angeles, against the incumbent. A reality TV star who is pissed because the massive LA fires burned down his house.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spencer_Pratt
Quote from: copperfiend on June 03, 2026, 06:56:43 PMQuote from: acme54321 on June 03, 2026, 12:18:25 PMRon Armstrong seems to have the clueless contingent fully hooked on his complaining without a solution campaign. I hope he goes away sooner than later at this point.
The last ten years have taught me to expect anything.
However, his support seems to be strictly a very narrow Facebook fringe. And all he posts is engagement bait and rage bait. As you mentioned, he has no solution. He just floods Facebook with posts.
He posted a bizarre video (https://www.facebook.com/reel/1614433842966360) last week that claimed the Mayor's book club was distributing inappropriate books to kindergarteners. He didn't name the book or author until pressed by a few people. It ended up being a kids book called "You are Not a Cat", which is a pretty generic kids book and contains nothing offensive. After pressed to name the book he said his real concern is other books by the author. None of it made sense.
And of course, after that day he never mentioned it again. Anybody can scroll through his campaign's Facebook page and see he is completely clueless.
Armstrong is an S-tier goober, but I give him credit for hitting the bricks. That's more than you can say about the other potential Republican challengers - and none of their ideas are any better than the above what-have-you.
Quote from: Tacachale on June 04, 2026, 05:04:48 PMQuote from: copperfiend on June 03, 2026, 06:56:43 PMQuote from: acme54321 on June 03, 2026, 12:18:25 PMRon Armstrong seems to have the clueless contingent fully hooked on his complaining without a solution campaign. I hope he goes away sooner than later at this point.
The last ten years have taught me to expect anything.
However, his support seems to be strictly a very narrow Facebook fringe. And all he posts is engagement bait and rage bait. As you mentioned, he has no solution. He just floods Facebook with posts.
He posted a bizarre video (https://www.facebook.com/reel/1614433842966360) last week that claimed the Mayor's book club was distributing inappropriate books to kindergarteners. He didn't name the book or author until pressed by a few people. It ended up being a kids book called "You are Not a Cat", which is a pretty generic kids book and contains nothing offensive. After pressed to name the book he said his real concern is other books by the author. None of it made sense.
And of course, after that day he never mentioned it again. Anybody can scroll through his campaign's Facebook page and see he is completely clueless.
Armstrong is an S-tier goober, but I give him credit for hitting the bricks. That's more than you can say about the other potential Republican challengers - and none of their ideas are any better than the above what-have-you.
S-Tier Goober is my new favorite phrase ;D
Going to steal this in my day-to-day life, Bill, just as a heads up.
Lol... Hmmmm....
Ron Armstrong seems to be troubled by the city spending money on anything (MOSH, Riverfront Plaza, the Emerald Trail).
But his campaign posted a video of him bragging that the fire department filled a baptismal tub in the parking lot of a coffee shop he supposedly no longer owns. (https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1CLDNV4ner/)
I strongly oppose Ron Armstrong and his campaign.
Much of his messaging comes across as vague, misleading, inconsistent, and designed to provoke outrage rather than encourage thoughtful/ educational discussion. At times, he reminds me more of a blogger, a podcaster, a Charlie Kirk more than someone offering a clear vision for Jacksonville's future.
I attended one of his campaign events and was surprised by the level of armed security present. For an event with roughly 30–40 attendees, there appeared to be more than 10 armed security personnel. By comparison, Mayor Donna Deegan's campaign announcement at the Garden Club was attended by only two JSO officers. It makes you question, what are he and his campaign managers putting out, that angers people so much that you receive "threats".
While every candidate has the right to determine their own security needs, it is concerning when a candidate for mayor feels the need for such a large armed security presence at a relatively small campaign event.
I was also troubled by a Facebook post Ron shared on February 25 in which he suggested that Muslims are "taking over" New York City and expanding their influence across America through the construction of mosques. He further implied that this trend is spreading to Jacksonville. In my view, rhetoric that portrays an entire religious group as a threat promotes fear, and division rather than understanding and respect.
He has made it clear that he opposes any investment in downtown....he doesn't understand how funding and how certain funds can only be spent and allocated for specific purposes...
I can name a number of things I disagree with Ron and his campaign about.
Jacksonville deserves leadership that brings people together. We need leaders who focus on solving problems, building community, and uniting residents..not fostering division, fear, misinformation, and hostility toward our neighbors. I truly hope and pray he does not become Mayor.
I'll take anyone over Ron or the Eric badazz guy 😂...Donna Deegan (hopefully), the soon to be announced GOP candidate - Wyman Duggan, anyone...
The guy is a kook. Yesterday he was complaining about Hogan's Creek in Springfield and how the park is neglected and no one does anything about it. Today he's complaining about the waste of the Emerald Trail, the very project that will fix what he was whining about the day before. You can't make it up.
Qualifying for the Special Election to fill Terrence Freeman's At Large Group 1 vacant seat.
Very short qualifying time. less than 24 hours, when you only count the hours the SOE's office is open.
QuoteJACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville City Council and Mayor Donna Deegan passed a resolution (2026-474-A) on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, approving a Special First Consolidated Government Election to be held on Tuesday, August 18, 2026.
The Special Election will be held to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Councilman Terrance Edward Freeman, At-Large Group 1. Freeman resigned his Council position to run for an elected position in the Florida Legislature.
If no candidate receives a majority of the votes of the Special First Election on August 18, according to the resolution, then the two candidates with the highest vote totals shall participate in a Special General Election to be held on Tuesday, November 3, 2026.
Supervisor Holland shared the number of petitions needed to qualify for candidacy for City Council At-Large Group 1 is 1,855.
The qualifying fees are as follows:
$3,408.24 for partisan candidates
$2,272.16 for candidates with no party affiliation.
Qualifying begins at Noon, June 11, 2026, and ends at Noon, June 12, 2026.
In case anybody wonders what an Armstrong administration would consider the role of government.
QuoteJACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A video posted on Facebook by Jacksonville Republican Mayoral Candidate Ron Armstrong is raising questions about how – and whether – Jacksonville Fire and Rescue resources should be used for events that are not fires or emergencies or sanctioned by the city.
Armstrong owns the Grounds of Grace coffee shop in Arlington.
In the video you hear Armstrong say, "When you can't fill a baptismal tub, what do you do? You just call the firefighters, and they fill it up for you."
Video of JFRD filling baptismal tub outside Jacksonville mayorial candidate's shop raises questions (https://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/local/video-jfrd-filling-baptismal-tub-outside-jacksonville-mayorial-candidates-shop-raises-questions/VJ7HAQ6WVZFAXKVK3AQZWDLJP4/?tbref=hp)
Quote from: copperfiend on June 12, 2026, 08:34:34 AMIn case anybody wonders what an Armstrong administration would consider the role of government.
QuoteJACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A video posted on Facebook by Jacksonville Republican Mayoral Candidate Ron Armstrong is raising questions about how – and whether – Jacksonville Fire and Rescue resources should be used for events that are not fires or emergencies or sanctioned by the city.
Armstrong owns the Grounds of Grace coffee shop in Arlington.
In the video you hear Armstrong say, "When you can't fill a baptismal tub, what do you do? You just call the firefighters, and they fill it up for you."
Video of JFRD filling baptismal tub outside Jacksonville mayorial candidate's shop raises questions (https://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/local/video-jfrd-filling-baptismal-tub-outside-jacksonville-mayorial-candidates-shop-raises-questions/VJ7HAQ6WVZFAXKVK3AQZWDLJP4/?tbref=hp)
To me this just feels like a big publicity stunt that we are all participating in lol. Like it's getting picked up by local news because of it's absurdity but all of that is good for his "anti-establishment" branding.
Qualifying for the Special Election to fill Terrence Freeman's City Council At-Large (Group 1) seat closed at noon today (Friday, June 12).
As of 12:30, the SOE list the following candidates:
Democrat - Mone' Holder
Republican - Deborah Wesley - website: https://deborahwesley.com/
Libertarian Party of Florida - Addison Patrick aka Addison Liberty Patrick - website: https://addisonlibertypatrick.com/
Two candidates are listed as "Withdrawn"
Issac Daniel East - Democrat
Ivan Terrell Mote - NPA
ETA, also from the SOE, the Republican, Deborah Wesley, is the only one with money in their campaign account. She has spent $7,054 of the $81,563 in contribuitons.
The SOE does not include links to campaign websites (at least not on the list of candidates page). I could not find one for Mone' Holder. Addison Liberty Patrick's site says "Platform Coming Soon." It says she appears at City Council frequently, and there are clips from some of her appearances.
Deborah Wesley is endorsed by Sheriff T.K. Waters, and identifies herself as "Commander Wesley" at JSO. A conservative supporting law enforcement and families.
Let the games begin!