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Good Friday morning.
Jacksonville’s sleepy 2027 Mayoral race is finally waking up.
Sources close to House Speaker Pro Tempore Wyman Duggan say he will enter the race today.
Speculation has mounted for months that Duggan, a four-term state legislator and shareholder at the Jacksonville law firm Rogers Towers, would challenge Democratic incumbent Donna Deegan.
The question was timing the entry. And the time is now.
While Deegan already has 11 filed challengers, including four Republicans, that number deserves context.
None of her current opponents have any political experience. Nor have they raised real money.
Populist Ron Armstrong has roughly $7,000 on hand. Another candidate has $100. And the others? Flat broke.
In contrast, Duggan is uniquely positioned to take on Deegan.
His “Better Jacksonville Committee” has nearly $1.35 million on hand. While that’s short of the nearly $2.4 million Deegan has in her political committee and campaign account, it’s enough to launch.
He starts not just in a financial hole, but in a public perception hole. 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 below the 50%+ threshold that would let her be re-elected without a May runoff in the General Election.
Deegan, a former newscaster with other media members in her senior staff, has sidestepped bad news cycles up until now.
But issues are emerging that Republicans hope to exploit, including at JEA and the Jacksonville Transportation Authority. In both cases, the Mayor’s Office has supported the independent agencies amid questions about leadership and oversight.
Back in 2015, Lenny Curry unseated Alvin Brown despite the latter’s personal popularity. He argued that the Democratic incumbent was incompetent.
Expect an updated version of that strategy this cycle.
— via A.G. Gancarski
— SITUATIONAL AWARENESS —
—@RealDonaldTrump: Why does Fox News always put Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries, Jessica Tarlov, and every Democrat on, saying bad things about the Republican Party and, of course, me? I actually think they get more airtime than Pro Republicans. This is why MAGA, and REAL Patriots, will never like Fox! They repeat a completely negative narrative, on and on it goes, and then we get a quick retort. It’s truly amazing that I won all three Elections. The opposition is enormous, but the fight goes on!
Tweet, tweet:
—@MarkGlaeser4: Elitist @davidjollyfl spent $5K a month for the last year lodging at Ritz-Carltons using campaign cash that includes $2M in taxpayer state matching funds.
—@ThePaulDriscoll: As of this morning, it appears that only SRO tickets remain for Game 1 on Saturday. It’s very likely attendance at the Trop will eclipse 40,000 for the first time since Fri, 6/17/16 (40,135).
— DAYS UNTIL —
General Election voter registration deadline — 3; ‘The Social Reckoning,’ with Jeremy Strong, Jeremy Allen White and Mikey Madison, premieres — 7; Associated Industries of Florida one-on-one conversations with five top-of-ticket Republicans — 10; ‘VisionQuest’ premieres — 12; ‘The Diplomat’ season 4 premieres — 13; Optional General early voting begins — 17; ‘Six Kings Slam’ on Netflix — 19; Florida TaxWatch Fiscal Accountability Leadership Summit begins — 19; General Election ballot request deadline — 20; Mandatory General early voting begins — 22; General Election — 32; ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ premieres — 35; ‘Wild Horse Nine’ premieres — 35; Florida Automated Vehicles Summit — 40; ‘Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol’ starring Johnny Depp premieres — 42; ‘Paper Tiger’ starring Adam Driver premieres — 42; Joe Biden’s memoir, ‘Promise Me, America’ is released — 46; New legislator training sessions — 46; Senate convenes for general organization and selection of officers — 46; ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’ premieres — 49; ‘The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth,’ with Brad Pitt, directed by David Fincher and written by Quentin Tarantino, premieres — 54; ‘Madden’ premieres — 55; Committee Week #1 — 59; ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ premieres — 77; ‘Dune: Part 3,’ directed by Denis Villeneuve, premieres — 77; Committee Week #2 — 94; Committee Week #3 — 101; ‘Ahsoka’ season 2 premieres — 110; College Football Playoff national championship game in Las Vegas — 115; Committee Week #4 — 122; Grammys — 128; Committee Week #5 — 129; ‘Remain,’ directed by M. Night Shyamalan, premieres — 135; Super Bowl LXI — 135; Committee Week #6 — 136; Opening day of the 2027 Regular Legislative Session — 151; Tampa Mayoral Election — 151; ‘The Thomas Crown Affair,’ directed by and starring Michael B. Jordan premieres — 154; Oscars — 163; Jacksonville First Election — 172; Miami Marlins Opening Day/Home Opener — vs. New York Mets — 174; Tampa Bay Rays Opening Day/Home Opener — vs. Baltimore Orioles — 174; Democratic Mayors Association 2027 annual summit in Miami begins — 194; Jacksonville General Election — 228; ‘Star Wars: Starfighter’ premieres — 238; ‘Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse’ premieres — 246; Citrus Series — Tampa Bay Rays at Miami Marlins — 287; ‘The Bluey Movie’ premieres — 308; ‘Miami Vice’ reboot premieres — 308; Citrus Series — Miami Marlins at Tampa Bay Rays — 343; ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’ premieres — 441; 2028 South Carolina Presidential Primary — 477; College Football Playoff national championship game in New Orleans — 479; 2028 Nevada Presidential Primary — 487; 2028 New Hampshire Presidential Primary — 494; 2028 New Mexico Presidential Primary — 501; ‘The Batman Part II’ premieres — 504; 2028 Michigan Presidential Primary — 508; 2028 Virginia Presidential Primary — 515; Oscars — 520; ‘X-Men’ premieres — 581; ‘Lilo & Stitch 2’ premieres — 602; ‘Days of Thunder’ sequel with Tom Cruise and Anne Hathaway premieres — 609; ‘Incredibles 3’ premieres — 623; 2028 Los Angeles Olympics Opening Ceremony — 651; ‘Ghost Rider’ premieres — 665; 2028 U.S. Presidential Election — 767; ‘Black Panther 3’ directed by Ryan Coogler premieres — 805; College Football Playoff national championship game in Tampa — 843; ‘Avatar 4’ premieres — 1,167; College Football Playoff national championship game in Miami — 1,207; ‘Avatar 5’ premieres — 1,898.
— TOP STORY —
“JD Vance rallies Florida Republicans with taxes and turnout pitch” via Frank Kopylov of Florida’s Voice — Vice President Vance brought the Republican Midterm campaign to Lakeland, boosting Florida’s statewide GOP ticket. Vance praised U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody and gubernatorial nominee U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds ahead of the Nov. 3 election.
Vance highlighted Republican tax cuts, saying the package eliminated federal taxes on tips and overtime and provided deductions tied to American-made car loans and Social Security. He contrasted current inflation with the Biden administration and said violent crime and the murder rate have fallen sharply under President Donald Trump.
The Vice President attacked Moody’s Democratic opponent, state Rep. Angie Nixon, and Donalds’ opponent, former U.S. Rep. David Jolly. Vance portrayed both Democrats as outside Florida’s political mainstream and described Moody and Donalds as partners in advancing Trump’s agenda.
Donalds thanked Gov. Ron DeSantis and argued that Florida’s pandemic-era policies helped transform the state politically. He also accused Jolly, a former Republican, of presenting himself as a moderate while supporting gun-control policies Donalds said would infringe on Second Amendment rights.
Moody focused on government fraud, saying she has pushed for stronger federal enforcement against people improperly receiving taxpayer money. Other Republicans, including U.S. Reps. Anna Paulina Luna, Scott Franklin, and congressional candidate Mike Beltran attacked Democratic opponents and emphasized turnout.
With 32 days remaining before Election Day, the Lakeland rally showcased Republicans’ closing argument: tax cuts, border enforcement, public safety and GOP control. Supporters packed the Sun ’n Fun hangar as Vance urged them to convert the rally’s energy into votes.
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