The election for Tallahassee mayor is less than a month away with some candidates spending big and others sharpening their attack lines.
A new public opinion poll suggests an eventual runoff election between lawyer and former state lawmaker Loranne Ausley and City Commissioner and restaurateur Jeremy Matlow could be taking shape.
One candidate has to win more than 50% of the vote in the Aug. 18 primary to win outright. Otherwise, the top two vote-getters advance.
St. Pete Polls conducted earlier this week asked registered Tallahassee voters who they’d vote for if the primary were held today:
Ausley came in first with 29%
Matlow received close to 24%
Daryl Parks, a local attorney and past state Senate candidate, took 13.5%
Michael Foust, an IT entrepreneur, came in last with 2.6%
See Tallahassee mayor hopefuls debate in candidate forum
1 of 17
Tallahassee Mayor candidates Loranne Ausley, Michael Foust, Jeremy Matlow, and Daryl Parks participate in a candidate forum at the WFSU studios on Tuesday, June 23, 2026.
(Sarah Cheatham | Tallahassee Democrat contributor)
Other coverage: Dissatisfied with Tallahassee politics? Arnie the dog wants your vote
Notably, another 31% of respondents – or almost a third – said they were unsure or undecided. The results were first covered by the Florida Politics news site.
Ausley told the Tallahassee Democrat she’s grateful for all the support across Tallahassee: “I’m having the best experience I’ve ever had in a campaign because I really am spending time talking to people and listening. I’m looking forward to the next couple of weeks of continuing to do that.”
The poll comes at the same time as the latest finance reports, showing that the race is closing in on being a $1 million affair.
Ausley has raked in $315,175 and spent $267,608, with Parks in close second at $299,286 and expenditures at $263,235. Between June 27 and July 10, Ausley spent more than $113,000 on consultants, mailers and advertising while Parks dropped more than $71,000 on marketing, field operations and rent.
For the whole election cycle, Matlow has raised $182,767 and spent $95,496, and Foust has raised the least, bringing in $6,101 and spending $5,254.
Ausley’s lead in the recent poll sparked a social media dig from Matlow, who urged people to donate to his campaign while saying “extreme MAGA money” has “lined up” against him.
“It’s clear they don’t want me to be your next mayor,” Matlow wrote. “Together, we can win this.”
Campaign finance reports show that last year, Brian Ballard and his wife collectively donated $2,000 to Ausley’s campaign. And at the beginning of this year, Ryan Tyson, his wife and his public opinion research consultant company donated a collective $3,000 to her campaign.
Ballard is a prominent Florida lobbyist and founder of Ballard Partners, a firm with deep ties to Republican politics and longstanding influence in Washington and Tallahassee. Tyson is a Florida-based Republican political strategist and pollster who has advised numerous GOP candidates and committees. While Ballard is widely viewed as closely aligned with President Donald Trump and his political network, Tyson has been more associated with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the governor’s political operation.
Ausley said the race is nonpartisan and she’s proud to have support stemming from “every neighborhood, every political background.”
“I think the bottom line is that everybody wants a city government that focuses on solving problems instead of division,” she said.
As Matlow takes aim at Ausley, Foust – who recently became a Republican – has been leading the attack against Matlow.
On Tuesday, he posted an AI image on Facebook of a metal can of “Socialism” in a horror-style font with photos of Matlow paired up with New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Matlow has drawn fire from Republicans after posting a video message congratulating Mamdani for his successful endorsement of three candidates who aligned with his Democratic Socialism movement. Matlow positioned himself as the candidate who could provide “childcare as a municipal service” and go “head-to-head with the developer class” in Tallahassee.
Foust, a first-time candidate and political unknown, wasn’t impressed.
“You get what you pay for: voters for free stuff, paid for from other people’s pockets,” Foust wrote on Facebook of Matlow, who he calls “Great Value Mamdani.”
Arnie, a basset hound, runs for mayor
1 of 7
Arnie the basset hound, who is running as a write-in candidate for mayor of Tallahassee, stands in front of City Hall for a portrait Friday, July 17, 2026.
(Alicia Devine/Tallahassee Democrat)
Meantime, Parks has been steering clear of social media battles and focusing on providing voters with outlines of his vision for policies and Tallahassee’s future.
“Tallahassee requires a fresh, unified approach to deliver tangible results, protect families, and maximize institutional transparency,” Parks wrote on his website. “To truly stop crime before it starts, the city needs active leadership that addresses root causes, remedies historical trust deficits, and expands positive opportunities for young people.”
About the poll
The poll of 345 likely Tallahassee voters was conducted July 19-20, using registered voter lists as of June 9. The sample of voters that were contacted included random samples of registered voters within city boundaries. Respondents who said they were not planning to vote for mayor were excluded.
Pollsters used a combination of an automated phone call polling system and a manual text message polling system. The results were then weighted.
The poll has a margin of error of 5.3% at a 95% confidence level.
Source: St. Pete Polls
Elena Barrera can be reached at ebarrera@tallahassee.com. Follow her on X: @elenabarreraaa.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: New poll shows tight Tallahassee mayor race amid blitz of spending