Democrat Donna Deegan announces she’s running for mayor

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Donna Deegan connected Tuesday made it official: she is moving to go the adjacent politician of Jacksonville.

Deegan’s Facebook leafage updated Tuesday greeting with the banner “Donna Deegan for mayor” on with the hashtag “Change for good.” She filed her paperwork to tally connected Monday.

The changes came up of her ceremonial announcement Tuesday greeting successful Springfield extracurricular the Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum.

Deegan, a Democrat and erstwhile section TV personality, is simply a bosom crab probe advocator and three-time bosom crab survivor. She said it was walking done those bouts with crab that she learned galore successful our ain assemblage indispensable marque the prime betwixt nutrient and medicine.

“They helped maine spot that the pistillate who did not privation to beryllium the poster kid for bosom crab was the 1 who indispensable beryllium precisely that to go an cause of change. Sometimes it’s the things that we are reluctant to bash that are the precise things that God calls america to do,” Deegan said.

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She said it was her empathy for those families that led her to make her instauration and the 26.2 with Donna: The National Marathon to Finish Breast Cancer.

“We request that empathy successful our authorities today. That is not weakness,” Deegan said. “Our spot arsenic a assemblage comes from seeing each different fully, wanting the aforesaid prime of beingness for our neighbors arsenic we privation for ourselves. And that is wherefore I americium lasting present contiguous declaring my candidacy for politician of Jacksonville.

She laid retired 3 “pillars” for her campaign, focused connected infrastructure, wellness and the economy.

“I cognize however precise casual it is to go cynical astir our politics, to judge that thing that we bash matters. When decennary aft decennary promises are made and breached and not brought up again until it’s predetermination time. The radical who privation to support the powerfulness successful the hands of the fewer would beryllium conscionable good with that,” Deegan said. “But I americium asking you contiguous to judge with maine that it each matters. As we basal present successful Springfield today, each spot of empathy for each different matters. Every tiny measurement we instrumentality unneurotic matters.”

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Deegan, who ran and lost against Republican Congressman John Rutherford past year, is the 5th campaigner successful the 2023 mayoral race.

Republican councilmen Matt Carlucci and Al Ferraro are besides moving on with non-party affiliated candidates Omega Allen and Darcy G. Richardson. Other names rumored arsenic imaginable mayoral candidates are Daniel Davis, president of the Jax Chamber, and City Council subordinate LeAnna Cumber.

Allen and Richardson person not reported immoderate run fundraising oregon expenses yet. So far, Carlucci, who filed to tally successful January, has raised $998,795.78 and Ferraro, who filed to tally successful March, has raised $166,283.22. Deegan formed a state-level governmental committee successful July that has raised $177,138 truthful far.

While Cumber and Davis are not declared, they person been raising money. Davis’ governmental committee has raised much than $2.7 cardinal this year. Cumber’s governmental committee, which was conscionable formed successful September, has raised $960,017.72 truthful far.

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In the past 30 years, a Democrat has won the mayor’s spot successful Jacksonville lone once, and the section GOP is already taking shots. Duval County GOP Head Dean Black said successful a statement: “Deegan is easy the astir wide campaigner for Mayor successful our history: anti-police, pro-taxes, and extremist values.”

Deegan pushed backmost against those comments.

“Anyone who was pursuing maine knows that I americium not extremist and knows that I americium not utmost successful immoderate mode knows that I person a bosom for this city,” Deegan said.

UNF Professor of Political Science Michael Binder said Deegan’s nonaccomplishment successful the legislature contention doesn’t mean she’ll suffer a contention for mayor.

“The legislature contention isn’t a just examination due to the fact that of the territory that the legislature maps autumn on. It runs up into Nassau County, a heavy Republican district.  Almost positive 20 points. Duval County is positive 6 democrats successful registration,” Binder said.

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News4Jax Political Analyst Rick Mullaney said it’s been speculated for immoderate time that Deegan could tally for politician and that she could beryllium a formidable candidate.

“As 2018 and 2020 showed, Duval County is trending bluish and a Democrat could beryllium precise formidable successful the 2023 mayor’s race,” Mullaney said. “Although she mislaid to Rutherford past twelvemonth successful moving for Congress, she performed good — she did precise good successful the Channel 4 statement with Rutherford — and that territory powerfully favors a Republican. This has been expected by galore and she could beryllium formidable.”

With existent Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry terming out, determination volition beryllium nary incumbent successful the 2023 mayoral race.

Democrats didn’t tally a campaigner against Curry successful 2019 aft Curry defeated Democrat Alvin Brown successful 2015.

Election time is March 21, 2023.

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