Dems beat DeSantis-endorsed candidate in Florida's biggest city
Democrat Donna Deegan, a former television anchor and founder of a charity group that works with breast cancer victims, on Tuesday upset Republican Daniel Davis to win the mayor’s race in Jacksonville.
Deegan becomes the first female mayor in Jacksonville history, having defeated a candidate who outspent her significantly. Her opponent had the backing of the Republican Party of Florida and the endorsement of Gov. Ron DeSantis.
“Everybody said it could not be done in Jacksonville,” said Deegan, who said the campaign and its volunteers had worked for a year and a half ahead of the election. Deegan drew 52 percent of the vote.
Davis — a former legislator and CEO of the local Chamber of Commerce — and his allies hit Deegan over her participation in Black Lives Matter protests, and the local sheriff said she would install “radical policies” if elected. Deegan pushed back by calling the attacks smears and billed herself as a candidate who would change a city government that had been dominated by Republicans. Deegan was also able to score some Republican endorsements ahead of Election Day.
Deegan’s victory gives Florida Democrats a psychological boost just months after the November 2022 elections in which DeSantis won his re-election victory by nearly 20 points, and Republicans crushed Democrats across the state. Democrats all over Florida erupted with glee on social media over Deegan’s win.
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/05/16/jacksonville-deegan-mayor-00097314
= new reply since forum marked as read
nationally in that increasing political involvement is producing more Republican voters? I've read that most FL Hispanics are of different ethnic/cultural backgrounds than elsewhere.
Everywhere else in the nation, large majorities of politically involved Hispanic Americans vote/ARE Democratic.
So seems like Florida's Democrats have had an unusually uphill fight as more Hispanics are voting. It must be especially hard these days for Hispanic Democrats who live, so to speak, on the front lines. Not everyone cares to be drawn to our light (!), and we all know the joys of trying to court conservatives and those who think both parties are out to get them.
Fwiw, I think the theme that lost elections are typically due to Democrats failing to court minorities is overblown at best. Worse, it insidiously both whistle-blows claims that Democrats are (just as) bigoted and distracts from the reality that majorities of every minority voter demographic ARE Democratic. Liberal principles and goals, above all commitment to equality, won them long ago.
In any case, my biggest hopes are on DeSantis's too-eager use of the white male authoritarian party's stick 
AND that (please!) Florida's Dems are now on a roll again!
...surely you can see how your responses have, yes, been downplaying a very surprising win for a Democrat in a city that, yes, apparently has only voted for a Democrat for mayor one other time in the past three decades.
Enjoy your stay!
deStupid must be Livid. 