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The Republican Party of Florida has welcomed House Speaker Pro Tempore Wyman Duggan to the Jacksonville Mayor's race with a $100,000 donation to his political committee. The Sept. 19 contribution to the recently rechristened "Better Jacksonville Committee" is something none of the other four Republicans in the crowded 2027 Election field has received. 
Wyman Duggan enters Jacksonville’s Mayor’s race with GOP money and momentum behind his campaign. The donation suggests that statewide GOP interests see Duggan as a better bet than political newcomers like Ron Armstrong, Keith Brown, Harry Long and Fitz Gerald Despres. Duggan just launched his campaign Friday, and his committee spent more than $31,000 during the week of Sept. 25, which is the last date for which fundraising reports are currently filed with the state of Florida. One name worth watching down the stretch: the "Very Conservative" political committee. Duggan's committee gave it $30,000. All told, Duggan's committee has nearly $1.4 million on hand. While that dwarfs the money available to all other challengers, it doesn't come close to the roughly $2.4 million the incumbent had on hand as of Sept. 25 between her campaign account and her political committee. Duggan launched his campaign Friday and outlined his campaign message after filing paperwork. He argued that “consolidated government is breaking down” under the incumbent. “Under this administration, we have had disputes involving JEA, the JTA (Jacksonville Transportation Authority), and the Jacksonville Aviation Authority, and JAA has threatened to sue the city. We have a strong Mayor form of government. We are supposed to have a Mayor who rolls up their sleeves and solves problems. That includes bringing the independent authorities addressed in our city charter to the table and saying: We need to work together for all of Jacksonville — not inside your silo, and not for your parochial interests,” he said. Duggan also picked up a unanimous endorsement from the Jacksonville Young Republicans this week. “Affordability is the defining issue for young professionals,” said John Scott, President of the Jacksonville Young Republicans. “Whether buying a home, paying utility bills, starting a business, or raising a family, the cost of building a future matters. Wyman has made affordability a top priority and has a proven legislative record of delivering tax relief and fighting for responsible government.” Duggan, who said he was “honored to receive the endorsement,” understands the group’s concerns about costs. “Families and young professionals should be able to build their future right here in Jacksonville. As Mayor, I’ll work to make our city more affordable by keeping taxes, fees, and utility costs in check and ensuring taxpayers get the value they deserve from City Hall,” he said. He has also released an ad focusing on increased spending under the incumbent and how he would turn the tide. “(Jacksonville Mayor Donna) Deegan has city health spending at record levels. Property tax revenue has soared. Our garbage fees have doubled. And JEA just raised our rates again. That’s not putting Jacksonville families first. That’s making government bigger at your expense,” Duggan said. Polling is with the incumbent for now, at least when Duggan is tested head-to-head against her. Deegan led Duggan by 20 points in a recent St. Pete Polls survey of likely voters, drawing 53% support in a hypothetical head-to-head contest. But the First Election in March won’t present a binary choice. All Duggan needs to do is keep Deegan from winning a majority, which would let her be re-elected without a May runoff in the General Election. |
