TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – The year might still be young, but all eyes are fixed on who will become Tallahassee’s next mayor later this year.
On Monday, the Leon County Supervisor of Elections Office released the fourth-quarter finance reports for all candidates in the 2026 election season. That quarter covers Oct. 1, 2025, to Dec. 31, 2025.
Unlike poll numbers, campaign finance reports do not indicate who is likely leading a race and should not be used as a metric to decide who might win. Instead, finance reports serve a critical role in campaign transparency.
But they can also show who has the biggest megaphone to reach potential voters. Within the reports are specifics on where campaigns are spending the money that has been raised. That includes purchasing commercial time on television and radio, as well as paying for flyers sent through the mail and by email.
Campaign bank accounts are often referred to as the “war chest” because, in historical contexts, a literal chest or container was used to keep money used for military supplies or operations. Fast forward to the modern era, and campaigns use bank accounts for a similar context.
Fourth Quarter of 2025
According to finance reports, Loranne Ausley was leading the way with the most money raised during the final quarter of 2025. Daryl Parks had the second most, and Jeremy Matlow had the least.
CandidateContributionsIn-Kind ContributionsExpendituresLoranne Ausley$89,689.36$0.00$24,676.17Daryl Parks$66,893.00$4,200.00$12,104.62Jeremy Matlow$22,567.27$0.00$15,706.032025 To Date
When looking at all reports for 2025, Daryl Parks has raised the most and has the most in his account. Records show that Parks has managed to raise $158,668.56 since he launched his campaign in mid-2025. His total expenditures equal $15,353.13, bringing his total available funds as of Dec. 31 to $143,315.43.
Loranne Ausley has raised the second most funds, but also spent the most to date. Her campaign records show that she had raised $153,771.48 and spent $25,377.43, bringing her total available funds as of Dec. 31 to $128,394.05.
And finally, records show that Jeremy Matlow had raised the least amount of funds. In total, his campaign had brought in $96,633.15 and spent $22,248.01, bringing his total to $74,385.14.
Following The Money
When looking at expenditures, Parks spent most of his money from the fourth quarter on “Professional Fees,” “Website Services,” “Political Advisory Services,” “Rally Items” and generic fees.
As for Ausley, the bulk of her expenditures comes from “Merchant Processing Fees,” “Website Design,” “Event Sponsorships,” “Photography Services” and “Consultations.”
Matlow focused a large part of his expenditures on becoming more visible. He spent funds on text messages and email campaigns, music rights, campaign buttons, the entry fee for the FAMU Homecoming Parade, “campaign management,” “printing,” “advertising” with the Tallahassee NAACP, “Ads” on Facebook/Meta, refreshments and “musicians.”
As the race for mayor continues, so too does the countdown to the deadline for candidates to register. The filing deadline is May 11.
As of Jan. 14, only three candidates were still in the race. But two other individuals had been mulling the idea of registering.
The first was former U.S. Rep. Al Lawson, who served the 5th Congressional District from 2017 to 2023. Lawson confirmed to WCTV’s Matt Hoffmann on Jan. 13 that he was still considering a run for the position. In 2025, Lawson told WCTV he would likely make a decision by the year’s end.
The other possible candidate is local entrepreneur Bill Schack, who has been very vocal in recent days on social media about running for mayor. In a statement to WCTV, Schack said, “I’m giving thoughtful consideration to the race and spending time listening to people across Tallahassee before making any decisions. If I do step forward, it will be because I believe the City needs steady, accountable leadership focused on results. I’ll have more to say soon.”
As the race continues, WCTV will continue to keep you updated on any changes in this important election.
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