In a preview of Jacksonville’s 2027 municipal election cycle, the countywide Jacksonville City Council at-large Group 1 seat is up on the Aug.18 ballot.
With incumbent Terrance Freeman running to succeed House Speaker Pro Tempore Wyman Duggan in Tallahassee, three candidates are running in an election open to all voters.
Republican Deborah Wesley, a Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Commander, is the choice of 10 current members of the City Council and Sheriff T.K. Waters.
Democrat Moné Holder is the chief advocacy and political officer at Florida Rising. She also has been Chair of the city’s Planning Commission, having been appointed by Mayor Donna Deegan.
Libertarian Addison Patrick represents a wildcard in the field and could ensure neither Holder nor Wesley get the requisite 50%+ to win next week and foreclose a runoff in November’s General Election.
None of these candidates are especially well-known, and the narrative of this campaign hasn’t helped remedy that. Democrats have gone on the offense, in the hopes of cutting into a 14-5 Republican advantage on the Council.
That Democratic offensive has extended to the courtroom as much as the campaign trail, with lawsuits challenging Wesley’s residency. The currently live claim is that she is ineligible to run because she did not live in the residence area for 183 consecutive days before qualifying as required by local law. A case making a similar argument has already been dismissed this cycle.
Money has flowed into this Special Election as Democrats look to match control of the Mayor’s Office with a stronger position legislatively.
Holder’s committee, Jacksonville Together, has received $300,000 in loans from trial lawyer Steve Pajcic, and she has raised more than $55,000 in hard money. She works for the activist group Florida Rising.
Wesley has raised nearly $95,000 in hard money and more than $28,000 in the supporting Building a Stronger Jacksonville political committee.
Patrick has raised a little more than $5,600 and has spent most of it. Her presence on the ballot could make it harder for either major-party candidate to reach a majority this month. If no one does, the top two finishers advance to the Nov. 3 General Election, where the likely voter universe will expand given the statewide general elections.
Whoever wins won’t have much time to put away the campaign signs, as the seat is up for a four-year term in 2027.
Republicans hold super-majority control of the City Council, even though Democrats hold a slight advantage in voter registration. Democrats control Urban Core seats for the most part, with the exception of one district on the Westside. Republicans dominate south and east of the St. Johns River and control all at-large seats.