Election 2023: Donna Deegan becomes Jacksonville’s first female mayor

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Democrat Donna Deegan will become Jacksonville’s first female mayor.

Initial results show that Deegan got 52% of the vote compared with Republican Daniel Davis’ 48% of the vote.

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Deegan is the River City’s first Democratic mayor since Alvin Brown won the office in 2011.

“We made history tonight, folks,” Deegan said, addressing her supporters. “It is a brand new day for Jacksonville, Florida. And you know what the best part is? Love won today.”

Deegan ran a campaign in which she refused to go down the road of negative ads and came out on top against an opponent who didn’t shy away from attack ads and outspent her roughly three to one.

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She said her victory tonight is a clear sign Jacksonville voters are tired of the status quo and are ready for change.

“I felt that energy on the ground,” Deegan said. “I told you it felt like where we were that we were getting a lot of crossover, that we were getting a lot of folks who just wanted desperately that change in Jacksonville. And I was just so grateful, my prayer was that this would be how we would win. That we would win with a coalition of people from across the political spectrum and that’s exactly what happened.”

Coming up on Action News Jax at 11, we’ll hear what Mayor-Elect Deegan had to say about her plans are on day one, and how she plans to work across the aisle with the Republican-controlled city council and Republican Sheriff T.K. Waters, who endorsed her opponent.

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