Donna Deegan Just Blew Up the Idea Florida Is Turning More Republican

Donna Deegan's shock election as mayor of Jacksonville on Tuesday shows Florida hasn't become "thoroughly ruby-red," according to a political scientist.

The Democrat beat Republican rival Daniel Davis, who heads the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce and had a substantial fundraising advantage, by around four points.

Deegan's win undermines claims that Florida, once a swing state, has become firmly Republican after the party secured a string of impressive victories in November 2022, with Governor Ron DeSantis winning re-election by nearly 20 points. It's a major blow to DeSantis, with the governor widely believed to be weighing up a possible presidential bid as polling shows he's the second-most popular candidate with GOP voters after Donald Trump.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during an Iowa GOP reception on May 13, 2023, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Donna Deegan's election as mayor of Jacksonville is a blow to the governor and possible 2024 Republican presidential contender. Stephen Maturen/GETTY

Davis conceded the election, urging Jacksonville residents to "come together now and move our city forward" following the result.

His defeat means the GOP will lose control over what had been the largest city in America with a Republican mayor. In 2022, DeSantis won Duval County, which largely consists of Jacksonville, by 12 points.

Reacting to her win, Deegan, a former television newsreader who founded a non-profit dedicated to fighting breast cancer, said: "Love won tonight."

Love won tonight, and we made history. We have a new day in Jacksonville because people chose unity over division—creating a broad coalition of people across the political spectrum that want a unified city. Together, we will bring change for good to Jacksonville by making good on… pic.twitter.com/ZmV5pmV4gd — Donna Deegan (@DonnaDeegan) May 17, 2023

Speaking to Newsweek Thomas Gift, who heads the Center on U.S. Politics at University College London, said the result shows Democrats can win in Florida when they have a strong candidate.

He said: "Florida is a Republican-trending state, but as evidenced by Donna Deegan's upset victory, that doesn't mean Florida has become thoroughly ruby-red. There's a narrative out there, for example, that Ron DeSantis's landslide re-election victory for governor last year was simply the product of right-shifting political demographics in Florida. There are some grains of truth to that account, but it's far from the whole story.

"As made clear in a place like Jacksonville, the biggest city in the U.S. that had previously elected a Republican mayor, Democrats can still win elections with stronger candidates. It's possible to over-interpret the Deegan win too much - after all, it's just one sub-state election, and in an urban area that's experienced major growth of late. Still, it may help convince Democrats heading into 2024 that the Sunshine State is still very much a battleground and shouldn't be forfeited to Republicans."

Deegan will become the first female mayor of Jacksonville in the city's history.

Reacting to her win on Twitter, the Democrat wrote: "We have a new day in Jacksonville because people chose unity over division—creating a broad coalition of people across the political spectrum that want a unified city.

"Together, we will bring change for good to Jacksonville by making good on the decades-long broken promises on infrastructure, building an economy that works for everyone and improving access to healthcare."

Newsweek has contacted mayor elect Deegan and Governor DeSantis for comment by email.