Deegan says her message for the 2027 race will be the same.<\/p>\n
\u201cQuality of life has always been job one. And what we have tried to do throughout town hall meetings \u2014 and there have been dozens of those \u2014 is listen to the community, find out what the top needs and desires are to do with their tax dollars and make sure that we are creating the best return on investment for those dollars,\u201d Deegan said. \u201cWe\u2019ll continue to do that.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut we\u2019re hearing a lot of the same things \u2014 keep investing in infrastructure, keep investing in small businesses, keep investing in those communities that have been under-resourced,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
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Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan stands with her husband, Tim Deegan, and takes questions from news reporters after filing paperwork Thursday, April 16, 2026, to run for a second term. | Mike Mendenhall, Jacksonville Today<\/p>\n
In her announcement, Deegan highlighted raises for police and firefighters<\/a>, the opening of three Downtown riverfront parks<\/a>, \u201ccranes in the air\u201d of ongoing Downtown development<\/a>, and infrastructure projects<\/a> in underserved areas as first-term accomplishments.<\/p>\n She says her administration\u2019s push to spend city dollars to help residents obtain health insurance and access to health care will be a key part of an affordably message in her reelection campaign.<\/p>\n \u201cBut beyond that, we just want to keep the momentum going,\u201d Deegan said. \u201cI think what you\u2019ve seen in Jacksonville for far too many years is this surge toward momentum then a backing off when you transition from administration to administration. What we\u2019ve tried to do is make sure that we are continuing to build. And we want to make sure that all those things in the pipeline get done and this community reaches its full potential.\u201d<\/p>\n Who will challenge Deegan?\u00a0<\/p>\n As of Thursday, it\u2019s still unclear whom Deegan will face on the March 9, 2027, ballot. Three lesser known candidates have filed to run as Republicans and two independents, according to records from the supervisor of elections website<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n But no major Republican candidates have entered the race. Political observers believe that Florida House Speaker Pro Tempore Wyman Duggan, who is term-limited, is considering a run.\u00a0<\/p>\n City Council members Ron Salem and Rory Diamond and Duval County Supervisor of Elections Jerry Holland are also thought to be interested in the mayor\u2019s office.<\/p>\n The qualifying period<\/a> for the 2027 city elections is noon Jan. 11 through noon Jan. 15, 2027.<\/p>\n When asked by Jacksonville Today, Duggan declined to comment on Deegan\u2019s announcement Thursday or discuss his plans for 2027.\u00a0<\/p>\n According to a report by Florida Politics<\/a> on April 2, Duggan says the GOP will coalesce behind one candidate in an effort to unseat Deegan and avoid a repeat of the 2023 race.<\/p>\n Deegan defeated Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Daniel Davis in a 52%-to-48% vote in the General Election runoff<\/a> in May 2023.\u00a0<\/p>\n But that was after Republicans split their vote in the first round \u2014 the election in March 2023 \u2014 between Davis and then-City Council members LeAnna Cumber and Al Ferraro.\u00a0<\/p>\n The electoral environment surrounding the 2027 race could look a lot different than it did three years ago. Since 2023, the Duval County Republicans have closed their registration gap with Democrats by more than 15,000 voters. On Thursday, Democrats held a 5,067 registered voter advantage over Republicans.\u00a0<\/p>\n Out of the 641,150 registered voters in Duval County, the elections office shows<\/a> 240,404 registered Democrats to 235,337 Republicans<\/p>\n There are 142,186 voters with no party affiliation and 23,223 listed as others.<\/p>\n But there\u2019s also been a string of special election victories nationwide for Democrats this year, including in Florida<\/a>, that the party sees as a referendum on national Republicans and President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n