Field of candidates set for Jacksonville mayoral race that already has raised $10 million

Duval County voters will pick from a field of four Republicans, two Democrats and an independent in the Jacksonville mayor's race that already has raised $10 million and counting in campaign contributions.

The torrent of campaign money comes as term limits prevent Mayor Lenny Curry, a Republican, from running again. In the wide-open race to replace him on the fourth floor of City Hall, public opinion polls have shown a large chunk of the electorate is undecided.

JAX Chamber President Daniel Davis and City Council member LeAnna Gutierrez Cumber, both Republicans, have hauled in the most campaign cash. They have already taken their messages to the television airwaves with ads promoting themselves and attacking each other.

On the Democratic side, Donna Deegan has raised the third-highest amount of money. Unlike other candidates who paid a candidate qualifying fee, she used a grass-roots petition drive to get her name on the ballot.

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All the candidates who officially qualified by the Friday deadline for the spring election had already filed as candidates so no one emerged as a last-minute addition to the field.

University of North Florida political science professor Michael Binder said he doesn't think the share of undecided voters has has changed much since a UNF poll in August showed about 30% of respondents didn't voice support for any of the candidates.

"I don’t know that there’s been huge movement yet," he said. "I think people are kind of just starting to tune in. I don't know that anybody is necessarily at a huge advantage."

He said it's almost a certainty that none of the candidates will be able to get more than 50% of the vote in the March election and win outright because three of the Republicans both Democrats "can say for one reason or another" they are viable candidates. If no one gets more than 50%, the top two finishers will advance to a May runoff election.

The two Democrats are Deegan and former state Sen. Audrey Gibson.

Among Republicans, the candidates are Davis, Cumber, City Council member Al Ferraro and Frank Keasler.

Omega Allen, who does not have party affiliation, rounds out the field in her third run for mayor.

Davis, an Ortega resident, has raised a total of $5.1 million for his campaign account and his political committee Building a Better Economy. He represented a Westside district on City Council from 2003 to 2010, and then went to the state House of Representatives from 2010 to 2014. He became president of the chamber of commerce in 2013 after serving as executive director of the Northeast Florida Builders Association.

Cumber, a San Marco resident, has represented District 5 on City Council since 2019. An attorney and transportation consultant, she has raised about $3.7 million for her campaign account and her political committee JAX First.

“I think it was no secret she would be able to raise money, but she’s been effective at it," Binder said. "If Davis wasn’t in this race, you’d look at Cumber with almost four million bucks and say oh my gosh, look at all that money.”

Ferraro, an an East Arlington resident who owns Ferraro Lawn Service, has served on City Council in District 2 since 2015. He has raised nearly $282,000 for his campaign account and his political committee Keep It Real Jax.

Deegan, an Atlantic Beach resident, has raised about $914,000 for her campaign account and her political committee Donna for Duval. She entered the race with the high name identification from her time as a television news anchor who then founded a breast cancer foundation that features the annual Donna Marathon. She ran unsuccessfully for Congress two years ago.

Gibson, a Northwest Jacksonville resident, served in the state House of Representatives from 2002 to 2010 and in the state Senate from 2011 through the past November. She has raised roughly $31,000 for her campaign account.

Allen, who lives on the Northside, is once again running for mayor without party affiliation. She finished third with 10.4% of the vote in 2019. Her campaign has raised nearly $15,000.

Keasler, an attorney, has raised $1,800 for his campaign through the end of 2022.

In addition to candidates whose names will be the ballot, Brian Griffin qualified as a write-in candidate.

Binder said even candidates who pull a low share of votes can "make it that much harder" for any one candidate to clear the 50% threshold in March.

He said in the run-up to the first election, political ads will affect the view of some voters about the candidates. He said the city elections tend to have a lower turnout than races for state and federal offices, so the voters who cast ballots for mayor are more civically engaged and likely to be at various gatherings where candidates appear in person. Candidates also will try to get their messages out through interviews with media organizations.

He said that kind of campaign outreach "doesn't really give the opportunity for a game-changing event" unless candidates have a televised debate.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville field is set for mayor race to replace Lenny Curry