If money tells the tale, Republicans are well-positioned in this year’s Special Election that will determine who replaces Terrance Freeman on the Jacksonville City Council.
Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Commander Deborah Wesley is dominating her two qualified opponents in the chase for cash.
Wesley, who is endorsed by Freeman and nine other Republicans in Jacksonville’s legislative branch, has raised more than $91,000 to her campaign account and nearly $24,000 more to the Building a Stronger Jacksonville political committee. Of that money, $4,000 came in the period ending July 10, with JWB Real Estate Capital and Friends of Rory Diamond among the donors.
Democrat Moné Holder is working to catch up, with limited time until the Aug. 18 Primary.
Best known locally for chairing the Jacksonville Planning Commission and statewide for her advocacy work with Florida Rising, Holder raised more than $27,000 through June 26. Recent donors include lawyer and Florida House candidate Leslie Jean-Bart and Republican City Councilman Matt Carlucci.
Libertarian Addison Patrick raised just over $4,600 through June 26.
Wesley has spent nearly $17,000 through July 10, while her two opponents have spent less than $5,000 each.
This race has been a focus of judicial hearings, with questions about whether Patrick was a Libertarian for a full year before running for office and whether Wesley lived in the boundaries of the at-large district continuing to be litigated. A “re-hearing” in Duval County Court on Wednesday suggested that a previous ruling against both claims would likely stand.
Democrats control the Mayor’s Office and the Property Appraiser’s Office, but all five at-large seats are held by Republicans. 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.
The candidates get direct funding, strategic support from the party to help with messaging or voter data, and more resources to help connect directly with voters.
Assuming no candidate gets majority support on Aug. 18, the top two finishers move on to the November General Election.
This contest serves as a preview of the 2027 General Election in Jacksonville, where Republicans hope to flip the Mayor’s Office back to their column. So even though it’s only about one of 19 seats on the City Council, the winning side will tout the outcome as evidence of momentum when attention moves from statewide races to countywide contests.